This week we prepared the game for its vertical slice. A vertical slice of a game means it is a functioning gameplay section of the game which gives the player a good grasp on how the game feels and how it will end up looking once completed. For our vertical slice we felt the game’s visuals were lacking as we had only implemented player and enemy models. To fix this we created a long narrow desert environment with pillars and a temple at the end to give players a sense of the game’s setting. We also upgraded our projects render pipeline to now use unity’s Universal Render Pipeline. URP then allowed us to have more creative freedom over the game’s lighting and atmosphere. Additionally we created a “pixel art” effect over the game view to help the game feel coherent and connected. This effect was inspired by the game “Blasphemous” which has become a great source for visual inspiration as its themes and setting happen to align with ours.

Separate from the Vertical slice we set out our plans for the level design. The core of the game will revolve around the centre of an aqueduct with three branching paths. Two of these paths will lead to two unique levels which each have a boss at the end. The third branching path will only be opened once both bosses of the other paths are defeated, this third path will lead directly to the game's final boss. Each of the two levels will have a shortcut that must be unlocked to then gain access to the boss, this shortcut will also make subsequent attempts at the boss have a shorter distance and enemies to traverse than the first time. This is a staple of level design in all souls like games.