Hello explorer!
Welcome to Project Ariadne's first dev update. We're incredibly excited to start sharing the progress of our "Tomb Raider meets Final Fantasy" arcanepunk adventure. This month, we've been working hard on the foundations of the game, refining key mechanics and bringing our world to life.
Time for the news!
Exclusive Art: The Gateway To The Unknown
This month has been fundamental for establishing Project Ariadne's visual identity. We've completed our art bible, defining the visual direction that will guide all artistic development of the game. With this solid foundation, our team began working on the first major challenge: visualizing the Giza mega dungeon.
Take a look at this early concept preview of the excavation, which reveals the entrance to the legendary Egyptian Hall of Records, a place believed lost in time and now rediscovered by the Ptolemaic Empire in our story.
Each mega dungeon in Project Ariadne features multiple civilization layers you can explore from different eras. What we're showing you represents the most recent layer: the Ptolemaic Empire on the surface. Just beneath the sands lies the Dynastic Egyptian civilization, waiting to be explored. These early concept previews show our vision for this first accessible layer.
More details on the art direction coming in the future updates!
Development Insights: Traversal & Attributes
One of our main goals is for exploration to depend not only on player skill but also on character building. This month, we've been integrating our rope system with Eirene's RPG attributes, focusing especially on perfecting rappelling mechanics.
The result is a system where your stats matter. Want to descend faster? Or maybe hang longer to reach a secret? Your character build will define your exploration style.
Ropes are only one part of Eirene's arsenal. Check out this WIP supercut showing the complete range of mechanics we're polishing: basic locomotion, stealth, underwater swimming, block manipulation, wall-hanging traversal, and of course, our rope rappelling system.
Ropes are our main focus right now because they represent an immersive and responsive system that will evolve with even cooler mechanics. Rappelling is just the beginning of what this system can offer for exploration!
Game Design Previews: Beyond Skill
In Project Ariadne, we want every progression decision to count. We're designing systems where your attributes unlock new ways to interact with the environment.
Jumping farther, climbing longer, or surviving higher falls won't be just numbers on a screen, but will radically change how you face each mega dungeon's challenges. Ropes are just the beginning; as Eirene grows, so will her capabilities to solve the mysteries of the past.
Lore Drop: The World That Was
Twelve millennia ago, our planet was home to a civilization that would make today's technology look primitive. They didn't just harness energy, they wielded the fundamental forces of reality itself through arcane sciences we can barely comprehend.
These ancient masters built cities across the world, crafted artifacts that could bend time and space, and unlocked the deepest secrets of the universe. Their magic-powered technology was so advanced that the line between science and sorcery had completely disappeared.
But power without wisdom leads to destruction.
The Emerald Tablet of Thoth was their final creation: a safeguard designed to contain the very knowledge that threatened to unravel existence itself. When their civilization fell in a single, catastrophic event, they left behind only whispers in stone, scattered ruins, and this one terrible treasure.
Now, in our modern arcanepunk world, the past is stirring again. Ancient sites are awakening. Forgotten technologies are being rediscovered. And somewhere in the shadows, forces are moving to claim what was lost.
The question remains: is humanity ready for their return?
Community Question
After reading about the ancient civilization, what do you think could have caused its fall? Was it an experiment gone wrong, a civil war, or something more sinister? Share your theories in our Discord!
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