The very first gameplay video is here!

We welcome you to enjoy the first pre-alpha gameplay video of Island Delta!
In the video you are able to see some of the features that are being worked on the game, plus few different surroundings, some enemies and the flow of the gameplay itself. Obviously its still just a very raw glimpse of the game with just basic mechanics, minimum amount of sound effects and just a handful of locations and different enemy types, but it should give you some idea of the style we are striving for.

Game style

So what style is that? Because the game is in heavy development, the features might change up a bit during the process and there's constant experimentation and balancing.

Right now we are moving towards action and puzzle themed gameplay from the sneaky stealthy style. Given the target platform in question, we feel it's more enjoyable to interact, manipulate and explore the environment instead of trying to avoid confrontation and finding dark corners and bushes to hide in. That's not to say that you can't or shouldn't use stealth to your advantage when a situation calls for it. We are designing the game to allow multiple different ways to solve the problems, so the player has more choices to the style of progress, and we're hoping it gives the game more replay value as well.

Arsenal

One of the main features of the video is the primary tool that the player uses to get through obstacles and enemies and solving puzzles throughout the game: the Anti-Gravitation Projector (name is wip). This contraption allows the player to lift and move most objects that aren't bolted to the ground or to a wall, such as furnitures, containers and even enemy units. Once lifted, the player can move them about and either place them in a specific location or hurl them like a cannonball!

It gives the player more control over the surroundings while still maintaining the game style where you need to find more creative ways to make progress instead of just running & gunning your way through.

Early concept model of the new "Anti-Gravitation Projector"

Our original idea was to have the player use sort of a ”ropegun” to climb walls, swing across ravines and push enemies back, but this was redeemed to be more suitable for a different style of a game than what we are trying to accomplish with Island Delta. The mechanics of it weren't working as well as we hoped, partly due to the isometric angle and environment design. It would've worked a lot better from a side view.

The new device on the other hand offers unlimited amount of possible uses; it works as a weapon, puzzle solver and helps moving around in the environment. Endless fun!

With these basic gameplay tools at our disposal, we will now start concentrating more on puzzles, level design and fine-tuning the gameplay in the coming weeks. As usual, we will continue posting more screenshots and more videos as we make progress, so don't forget to subscribe and follow us on Twitter!

Thanks for reading!