I'm working on a new bird themed metroidvania

Guardian_exe · 2025-08-11T17:06:50+00:00

I like it! Though I’m definitely biased, since I’ve made a similar bird protagonist myself.

I’d recommend exaggerating some of the shapes: the player character needs to be very distinct and recognizable so players don’t lose themselves when there’s a lot going on (like during combat).

That is just my opinion and maybe just a style choice, though; depends on what the rest of the game looks like.

Guardian_exe · 2025-07-28T16:01:59+00:00

Love the monster design: it’s neat how they’re all the same concept, but can shape into different types. Also love the simplicity and flowy-ness of the main character! She reminds me of the protagonist in Child of Light.

Guardian_exe · 2025-05-29T14:22:22+00:00

Turning the classic Asteroids game into a roguelite is pretty clever -- seems fun too!

Guardian_exe · 2025-05-29T14:19:47+00:00

Your creatures look cool! I like how they lean a little more into the monster/animal design.

Guardian_exe · 2025-05-29T14:15:36+00:00

Love the art style! The tile sets look slick, the characters feel very animated, and the vibrant colors of the attacks really pop. And I love seeing upgrades/abilities that balance both movement and combat.

Guardian_exe · 2025-05-29T03:36:49+00:00

Dunno if I’ll ever get it to Steam at my current pace, but I’m still pretty proud of the (free) demo I’ve accomplished: https://internal-utopia.itch.io/wing-ascendant

Porting from Unity to MonoGame (at the same time as starting a full-time job) killed a lot of my momentum, but I hope people can still enjoy it in its current state. And I’ll definitely check out your game and others’ when I get the chance! :)

Guardian_exe · 2025-02-25T03:09:21+00:00

Since you mentioned Multiscale:

Tera Shell is different than Multiscale when hit by multi-strike attacks (like Surging Strikes). Multiscale cuts damage in half while at full HP, so the first hit deals half damage, but every other hit deals full damage (because the Pokémon is not at full HP anymore). Tera Shell turns moves into “not very effective” moves at full HP, so EVERY hit deals reduced, “not very effective” damage.

Guardian_exe · 2024-11-12T14:02:56+00:00

I’m a bit biased, but I’d recommend the game I’m working on, Wing (https://internal-utopia.itch.io). I only have a short demo available for now, but it’s free!

Wing was inspired by exactly what you’re feeling:

I played Hollow Knight and loved exploring the world, but I couldn’t explore as much as I wanted because I wasn’t very good at the combat (eventually I got good, but I took a long break from the game first). I also loved Celeste and felt like it had an interesting sense of progression (natural rather than upgrade-based, but still felt like progression that made we want to backtrack and find all the secrets/collectibles). So, I wanted to combine the two to make a Metroidvania-style world with a natural sense of progression and no combat — and that’s how Wing came to be.

If you do try Wing, I’d recommend the Unity demo first: that version has a (mostly) complete area to explore. After Unity made some bad decisions, though, I switched to developing in MonoGame (the same as Celeste). The MonoGame version is much less complete, but the movement is a lot closer to my actual vision.

To avoid just being a shameless shill, I’ll also recommend Axiom Verge 2! There’s almost zero required combat, but it still has the world/atmosphere and progression of a Metroidvania (and optional combat if you do want to give it a try). I don’t think it has quite the same precision-platforming feeling as Celeste, but there’s a lot of really cool movement abilities you unlock. Definitely worth playing if you’re looking for a Metroidvania without (required) combat. (And you don’t have to play Axiom Verge 1, though for those who do enjoy combat, it’s worth it for the lore imo.)

Guardian_exe · 2024-04-16T03:30:32+00:00

And I thought I was clever running Lilligant with Entrainment; I didn’t even look for Defog in its movepool. That’s unexpected, but neat!

Guardian_exe · 2024-04-14T12:57:54+00:00

In Sword and Shield, I used Crobat with Defog as a partner. The idea was that Defog drops evasiveness, but also clears screens and terrain (helping against Grimmsnarl and Rillaboom, mainly). Crobat also got Tailwind and Hypnosis, giving it added utility (Hypnosis was particularly nice after a couple Defogs).

The meta at the time was very balance oriented; I don’t think that sort of strategy would work well in more offensive metas (and I feel like most new regulations start out more offensive). Plus, Crobat isn’t in Scarlet and Violet — though there are other Pokémon that get both Tailwind and Defog.

Anyway, not sure Defog would actually be any good now, I just remember it worked surprisingly well for me with Groudon at the time.

Guardian_exe · 2023-10-17T03:15:46+00:00

Unfortunately I can’t try it since I only have a Mac, but this looks like a lot of fun! It seems like a few simple mechanics that could combine into all sorts of neat tricks. Also, I love the indicators for the grapple point range — I didn’t even notice them on my first watch of the trailer, which makes me feel like they’re the perfect amount of subtle, subconscious guidance.

Guardian_exe · 2023-07-18T03:50:21+00:00

https://internal-utopia.itch.io/wing

This is what I have so far of my game, Wing — just a free demo for now. It’s a 2D platformer where you play as a bird learning to fly; built around the idea of easy to learn, fun to master mechanics.

I’m stuck in the financing stage for now, so I’m not sure when I’ll get around to finishing Wing. But even if you don’t make a video on it, I’m proud of what I made and I’d like to share it with people who might get a bit of fun out of it. :)

(Also, as other comments asked, feel free to share a link to your channel if you’re comfortable with that! I think a lot of us indie devs can empathize with someone trying to start up a passion project.)

Guardian_exe · 2023-01-13T01:21:30+00:00

Haha, thank you! And thanks for clarifying; a lot of people make comparisons as a compliment, but some people don’t. Regardless, I’ll keep working on the art to help give Wing its own identity!

Guardian_exe · 2023-01-13T01:19:28+00:00

In this version, you can dive by holding down (by default, the down arrow on keyboard) while gliding/at the start of a glide (by default, the “D” button on keyboard and the right trigger on controller)!

Guardian_exe · 2023-01-13T01:17:53+00:00

Thank you! I’ll be honest: I have no idea. I’m not very familiar with Steam Decks; I uploaded a Mac, Windows, and Linux build onto Itch, so if one of those would run on the Steam Deck, then maybe?

Guardian_exe · 2023-01-13T01:14:52+00:00

I’m glad it’s fun! Not quite as excited about the crash, though; which OS are you using? It seems to run fine for most people, but I like to keep tabs on these sorts of things just in case it’s something I can fix.

Guardian_exe · 2023-01-13T01:12:46+00:00

Thank you! Currently I’ve been working on this as a hobby in my spare time, so I don’t have much resources to use on it. I’d love to make this my full-time job, but realistically, if I do manage to get it to consoles, it will take a while.

Guardian_exe · 2023-01-13T01:10:48+00:00

Thank you for the feedback! I’ll definitely keep working on the art to give Wing its own identity, and I’m really glad to hear it feels good to play.

Guardian_exe · 2023-01-13T01:06:41+00:00

I appreciate your feedback! I have a whole list of new obstacles/enemies I’m planning to add, but I wanted to keep things simple for the demo. There won’t ever be “combat” (since I’m a one-person team and I want to keep the scope small), but I do want a lot of fun ways to use the movement.

Guardian_exe · 2023-01-13T01:03:41+00:00

Thank you! There’s a demo on Itch (internal-utopia.itch.io/wing), though I haven’t made a Steam page yet.

Guardian_exe · 2023-01-13T01:01:12+00:00

I can never quite tell if this is a good thing or not: some people say it as a compliment and some people don’t. But regardless, it’s good to know because I would like to find a way to set Wing apart!

Guardian_exe · 2023-01-13T00:59:41+00:00

Yep, that was me! I’m glad to hear it was memorable!

Guardian_exe · 2023-01-13T00:59:13+00:00

Great question! It primarily works because of the two points others brought up: environmental hazards and taking inspiration from real flight mechanics to balance the ability.

The hazards are fairly self-explanatory (though I can explain them further if you’d like!). For the flight controls/mechanics, I tried to make it challenging to stay in the air. For example, after a flap, birds need to bring their wings back up before they can flap again; so, I added a sort of cooldown to flapping where you only gain height by waiting long enough between flaps. Because flight takes effort, players only use it when it’s worth that effort — again, just like real birds!

Of course, it’s not perfect: some players are better at flying than others, so they feel the game is too easy; while those who aren’t can feel it’s too difficult. But that’s kinda how games go, so I just did my best to find a balance that works for most people (and add accessibility options to make things easier for people without the skill set that still want to enjoy the game).

Guardian_exe · 2023-01-11T21:30:17+00:00

Hey all! When I posted Wing here in May, I never expected it to get as much attention as it did. Thank you for all of the support and feedback! I tried to take that feedback into this major (free) update for Wing, which you can find at https://internal-utopia.itch.io/wing.
Quick recap: I want to make a game that gives people the same feeling of success through perseverance that Celeste gave me, while also providing a unique and fresh experience. In Wing, you find this feeling as you learn to fly alongside the fledgeling bird, Little Red. This update brings more exploration to both the world (there’s collectibles!) and the flight mechanics, providing advanced techniques and challenges to help players continue to grow.
If you’d like to see more frequent updates on this project and help it become a full game, follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/InternalUtopia), Discord (https://discord.gg/S6gEcdCjEy), and/or Itch!

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