Hello explorer!
Welcome back to Project Ariadne's dev updates. November was all about laying groundwork. We are building our combat system from scratch, locked down our first mega-dungeon's scope, and gave life to our protagonist. Ready for the details?
Character Spotlight: Meet Eirene Tarnis
Most of November went into crafting our protagonist, Eirene Tarnis. Her final 3D model arrives in Q1 2026, but the concept work was massive. We spent weeks researching, brainstorming, and documenting every detail of her personality and look.
Want a sneak peek? We're sharing some exclusive (and heavily censored) glimpses of our character development process. Eirene is an archaeologist-occultist from the Ptolemaic Empire. Her curiosity bridges the gap between you and Project Ariadne's deepest mysteries.
We also spent some time with our 3D test environment. You'll see placeholder Eirene at a Giza excavation site while the camera pans across endless desert and distant pyramids. The atmosphere feels great!
Combat Foundations: Beyond Exploration
Exploration drives Project Ariadne, but real dangers lurk everywhere. November was combat month. We started builing our systems from the ground up, taking inspiration from some souls-like and hack-and-slash games. I-frames (invincibility frames) needed to feel precise and rewarding when you dodge attacks.
Check out our greyboxing tests where we prototype combat moves and systems. Everything looks rough right now, but we can validate the internal working of all the interacting systems before adding final art assets.
Level Design Deep Look: The First Mega-Dungeon
Our first mega-dungeon scope is locked! This level kicks off Eirene's adventure and becomes the foundation for our Steam demo. A smaller slice of this demo will also travel with us to gaming events.
Scope definition was crucial. We mapped every puzzle, enemy encounter, and story beat to create a cohesive experience. Take a look at our Miro board capture (zoomed way out to avoid spoilers 😇). You can see the complexity of the structure we're building.
Lore Drop: The Ptolemaic Empire
Why must Project Ariadne's archaeologists train as occultists? The answer lies in Ptolemaic Empire politics.
The Empire is a global superpower with strict control over historical sites. Ancient ruins hide more than treasure. Magical traps, deadly curses, and paranormal entities guard every chamber. Imperial archaeologists learn arcane arts to discover secrets and survive the experience.
The Empire monitors every expedition. They're hunting technology from the mysterious Nehemite civilization that came before humanity. Their goal? Complete monopoly over ancient knowledge and power.
Being an Imperial archaeologist means privilege and prestige, but you're also a tool in the Empire's grand strategy.
Community Question
Does the Empire control archaeology to protect the world from ancient dangers, or do they just want power for themselves? Drop your theories in our Discord!
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