Making A Horror Hack 'N' Slash Game! | Occultation Devlog #0

You may not need this, but if you want some inspiration on how to add horror elements into an action game, I suggest taking a look at how Bloodborne did it. It's not a Hack 'N' Slash, and the horror elements aren't like a traditional horror game, but I think it did leave a creepy atmosphere which is pretty cool. Wish you the best with this game!

Your lil gator avatar is the cutest

This was randomly recommended to me and I think this idea is super cool. I look forward to learning more about it as you go along!

Just in time, this sounds like 70% of concept that I wish to make one day, good luck with it! Excited to see how you'll bring it to life!

the gator pgn is the CUTEST!! Kept me engaged throughout because he's so well drawn and adorable. Loved when it was blushing/flustered. On a side note, the game sounds amazing. I will excitedly keep up with each milestone you reach in making this :)

As a novice who has also been trying to make a H&S, I can't wait to be inspired by how you'll implement everything. Godspeed.

As someone that just got into character action games(I've been playing the Devil May Cry HD Collection to be more precise!) this video came at the right time! The prototype looks pretty solid so far! Impressiive really. Also I would like to say that you REALLY should take the first DMC game since I think it falls perfectly in the "horror hack 'n' slash" description. The game as great combat and something about exploring that castle just hits right, that game got LOADS of atmosphere! I'll definely keep an eye on your devlogs, seems genuinely promissing!

Good luck! Please, keep making devlogs there is so much value in devs sharing their experiences. As an aspiring dev trying to finish my first small game and get over scope creep, seeing others work through these problems helps so much!

As somebody who also tried on and off to make a game like that in Godot (A more low-poly affair inspired by the N64), I must say that I'm impressed! Initially, I dismissed the state machine approch for my player probably because I didn't want the main code of the player to relly on auxiliary scripts and having as little clutter as possible in the side table of the player scene (the one listing the stuff in the scene). Watching your video made me realise that "Oh, the combos would be more responsive and implementable if I used a state machine!" For the 3 Cs, I had at least the Camera and Character figured out to some extent: -Camera: More of a contextual affair, some areas have a fixed camera who just doesn't move, others have the camera following the player as they move (fixed to their origin point or following the player), and some areas use the player-controled camera. In that last case, you can only rotate the camera left and right; on the N64, its equivalent to the left and right C buttons (I've in mind that the C up would be the interaction/taunt button and the C down would be the second attack button). -Character(and the plot to some extent): A lady with a bunch of stiches on her body, bassically a ghoul of sorts. She uses an axe (closer in size and style to a normal wood-axe than something worthy of Soul Calibur, at least in its base form) and is more on the clumsy/cartoonesque side. All I'll say about the plot is that it's "couple vacation gone wrong", first act is about saving your scientist boyfriend, then the rest of the game is you two unraveling the plot of the bad guys. The rival is a nun using guns and more "holy" based powers. -Controls: Probably one of my biggest hurdles, mostly implimenting combos. At least I know that I want a taunt, "z-targueting", blocking as the defensive action, and for the attacks to drag the player forward, or to put it in better terms; the stuff that makes "walkless" challenges (for exemple; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMkNPJzto9Y) possible. The closest I got from this system was to have a raycast who detects an enemy or a wall, then it brings you to it like a grapple. I did also experiment with another version of this on another project where the raycast is basically teleporting the player to the spot the attack ended. I also had in mind a "overheat" mechanic for the guns where their melee attack value is stronger when you overheat them. Good luck! [Becomes 108th sub]

Love your style of devlogging. I'm a Unity dev so my setup is a little different, but I'm also making a character action game (no devlog yet...) and I also opted for a state-machine-controlled player character. I'm surprised at how similar our setups are, but you've definitely given me the idea of attaching my parry-window to my animation. Right now it's controlled by state-logic, leveraging Unity's Time libraries, but my concept partly revolves around dynamically changing your moveset, including defensive options, so attaching the parry to my animation may be better in the long-term for designing. I hope you find my comment pleasant, and I hope it helps push you through the algorithm. You're a fantastically entertaining dev, and I can't wait to see more. Subscribing!!

We're all rooting for you. Good luck!

Completed before the end of 2025? Good luck with that! Seriously, though, it's an ambitious project and will take lots of time and effort.

Good luck with the project! Base mechanics are looking pretty solid and the video format is perfect suits you really well! Excited to see more devlogs and where the game goes :3

Amazing devlog GatorSoup! I want to wish you the best of luck on Occultation, as someone who also loves character action games, and will definitely be keeping up with your progress. I've been meaning to get into game development so this might be the push I needed.

I think you should check out God hand. It's not only a fantastic videogame but every bit of the design philosophies of that game could serve as a great inspiration. Especially when it comes to enemy designs (not asthetically) and how the player percives/approaches combat due to enemy design. I thank the algorithm for recommending this video. I hope your project is a relatively smooth process. Be the best Gator dev and... yeah i done have Clever gator puns. :(

This was awesome!! Keep going!!🔥‼️‼️‼️

A potential problem with tying collision to animations: if it moves very fast, it could miss. People often encounter this when trying to implement projectiles, but given the genre, you'll probably have at least some very quick swings. Possible solutions i saw recommended: looking ahead of the movement with a raycast, or increasing physics ticks per second.

cant really suggest anything but am excited for the future of this project, its very interesting! goodluck brah

Awesome! One could make the argument that the newer Musou games could be considered Character Action games as well!😄

Good Luck. Hope u learn and have fun in this project.