It's very exciting for me to announce that Naiad is part of the TinyTeams event with a DEMO during these days! Visit the event page here: tinyteamsfestival2023
Don't miss the chance to follow the event, enjoy offers, play exclusive demos and watch the streaming of many interesting games.
Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to write about your experience and sensations playing Naiad.
These are some of the improvements and news:
Improved controls + Mouse support:
I finally managed to spend some time to extend and improve the controls on PC, which I hope will allow more people to play more comfortably and easily.
- With the new mouse support it is now possible to manage both the menu interface and options, as well as the character control. - Options have been added to switch the keys between two predefined modes (right-handed and left-handed), so you can use the arrow keys or the 'WASD' keys. - The controls screen shows a visual graphic for each control in use, automatically. - The handling of the character has been adjusted to be more agile, without losing the dragging effect of swimming in the water. - When using the keyboard to move the character, a small arrow appears as a guide to help the player better understand the direction.
Interface design:
Taking advantage of all the necessary changes to make mouse interaction with the interface possible, I have also been improving and extending features in the menu screens with new, prettier, more intuitive and optimized elements. All this with the aim of making the game as smooth as possible.
- New screens with elements to discover during the adventure. - Graphics that are painted when changing screen. - A new and better type of buttons. - Interface that warns before finishing each level to allow the player to go back and explore more before going down the river.
More animals, more behaviors:
One of the keys of Naiad is the interaction with the friends that you find in the wildlife and nature. Since the initial concept of the game, there have been many ideas that I would love to include in the game. From additional animals to find to fun puzzles. Some of the new features are:
- New additional animals such as jellyfish, octopus and squid that are fun to swim with, and more!. - Certain animals found on the shore, such as rabbits, can now climb onto medium-sized wooden logs floating in the water and thus be transported in a kind of "mini-boat". - Interaction with frogs has been improved to make it easier for them to follow you. - More animations when certain animals land on a place, such as butterflies on flowers, frogs on water lilies, ...
Music in harmony
- Did you know that Naiad contains over 60 different pieces of music? All of them have been revised to match Naiad's singing during the game. - In addition to the music that can be heard in each of the levels, there are some special melodies to discover and learn to sing.
Thank you so much for playing, supporting and making Naiad possible!
Kind regards, Elwin
NAIAD DevLog #1
Hi! It's been almost a year since the presentation of Naiad playable demo at Steam Next Fest last June 2022. It was a great experience for me as solo-dev and creator of this very personal game about flowing down a river and taking care of nature.
Many wonderful things have happened during this time! Thanks to some nice opportunities, thanks to all your wonderful appreciation and your great support with lovely feedback and comments, the game will be able to include many new improvements and content.
While the development continues, I would like to share with you some of the new features that will expand and enhance the game experience in Naiad.
Flow with flying birds
New animals have been added to discover and interact with. There were already many adorable friends in the water (fish, frogs, ducklings, ...) and on the ground near the river (bunnies, deer, sheep, ...).
In addition to some butterflies, bees, dragonflies, ..., there are now also birds flying by the air, such beautiful hummingbirds, hawk, flamingos, and more!
It's a really nice flowing moment when you get close to them, swimming as they fly.
Higher up in the trees
I have been iteratively extending this top-down layered river world. From the far deep waters to the sky closer to the player's eyes, there is a lot of new stuff.
Explore taller branches to find even more secrets, such as this curious and tiny mouse. Play here to solve little puzzles.
Finding adorable friends
Now in the "map" view, there is a new side panel with little images of the fauna that has been discovered in each area.
I'm trying to keep the game from being a list of things to complete or a race to the end, avoiding typical rewards or collective elements as much as possible, that could stop the player from flowing at their own pace. I hope you will find these kinds of stuff friendly.
New colorful biomes
Throughout the 16 episodes that shape Naiad journey, the sections across the river have been further extended with more content and areas to discover.
Some levels or parts have been completely redesigned, with visual improvements, small challenges, new fauna and flora, colorful biomes to enrich the view.
Strange artifacts
Along the river more human-related elements were created. Gradually, Naiad will have to face more obstacles, and the presence of those who, in their self-interest, have forgotten the importance of caring for nature.
A forgotten language
I have been working on an alternative storyline and ending, which have already been integrated into the game.
The legend tells of an extinct language, which hides the secrets of nature itself.
Inspired by the river, these strange and indecipherable glyphs hold a meaning known only by the clouds. On your journey, explore even more distant and secret areas, and with luck you will uncover a hidden story.
More Naiad news are coming soon!
I am doing my best creating this game using only my own resources. It is a lot of work for one person, but I think this is one of the things I appreciate the most about indie games.
I hope to be able to self-publish Naiad on PC and consoles towards the end of 2023.
Thank you again for all your great support and patience!
Kind regards, Elwin
Naiad Demo on Steam Next Fest!
Hello! I'm very happy to announce that you can now play Naiad demo! Naiad will be on Steam Next Fest from June 13th to 20th!
