Here is a new update on my game Cloak!

Things are starting to come together! I have set the release date for the first version of Cloak to be on June 30th! While I can't guarantee it will come out by then, I am definitely pushing to make it happen. Let me tell you what to expect from this first version.

• The first release doesn't mean my game is finished. In fact, it is very much the opposite. Consider this a beta. My main reasons for releasing it are:
• I need feedback! I want to know how the game feels to play, if the saving system works properly, what kind of bugs are there, etc. 
• I also need motivation! Setting a release date and telling everybody is a great way for me to feel responsible and work hard to get it out by then.
• What I'm hoping is that I can have a working tutorial and that's about it. Probably 5 - 10 different rooms that teach you mechanics and introduce the player to the game.
• Many things will not be complete by then. Particles, effects, and animations are what I'm most concerned about. Explanations in order:
  • Particles: I want enemies to release particles when they are attacked or when they die, and more particles for surfaces when they are hit or stepped on. While these may not be very hard, they are low down on my priority list which is why they may not be finished in time.
  • Effects: I want dashes to look really cool like in the game Celeste, or energy to fly towards the player after being hit out of an enemy, that kind of stuff. I'm not very knowledgeable on how to do these things and may not have them done in time.
  • Animations: I want animations for the player, enemies, and other characters. This is by far the most time-consuming to do, and for that sole reason, I'm not sure if I can finish all the animations I want to make in time.

Other points I'd like to make in no particular order:

• I've worked a lot on my programming, specifically when it comes to movement, attacking, and the player in general.
• I now have a total of three songs (and another on the way), and they sound great.
• I have barely changed the art up since the last update, but that will be my main goal this month.
• The pause menu is complete and works very well.
• Saving and loading has been polished up and works a bit better now.
• The player can now dash and attack in eight different directions.
• I've added a health bar and energy meter.

Of course, there have been many small changes and stuff, but after polishing everything up and finishing lots of coding, I feel like I can release the first version of my game some time soon! I'm very excited.

I'm also accepting feedback through comments on this post or elsewhere on my itch.io site. For context, read through some other posts, my game description, or go watch videos I make about my game on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUKjjl0j-rezEAwJVykYsdQ