May has, as always, been a month full of work, where we focused on improving the game and implementing major adjustments and refinements. We also had the chance to spend time together as a team, which is always a valuable opportunity to share ideas and continue on our path to reach our goal: to let you explore Nivalis soon, and in the best form possible.
In the meantime, we’re also gathering your most frequently asked questions and working on updating the FAQ section on the forum, so we can provide you with an up-to-date version as soon as possible. For this devlog, however, we’d like to dust off the Character Spotlight, to reintroduce you to some of the many faces you’ll encounter on your journey through the lively city we’re building.
CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT - SALT PETE
If you happen to find yourself strolling near the docks, it won’t be hard to spot a tall, blocky robot with a straw hat and two large glass eyes ready to give you a careful once-over. That’s Salt Pete, who runs a makeshift ferry - little more than some riveted sheet metal - which he claims is the safest, cheapest way to cross the bay. Will you trust this big hunk of metal?
“I make this crossing safely 95% of the time, all of the time!”
Pete certainly has a cheerful attitude, but he also has a mean streak that he doesn’t bother to hide. He’s often seen bickering with the other robots at the harbor - whom he doesn’t seem to like very much - and he won’t hesitate to drag you into the drama. He loves listening to the stories of his passengers, but you’ll rarely hear him talk about his own past in his wheezy, robotic voice. According to him, there are plenty of others around who can “fill your ears with tall stories”.
“So anyway, that old dustbin Caleb called me a bad sailor. Me! He wouldn’t know a sailboat if he woke up and was suddenly a sailboat.”
As always, we thank you for your support and patience. The months ahead are the most challenging yet, and our focus right now is entirely on polishing and fine-tuning, without pause. Your affection doesn’t go unnoticed - it’s instrumental for the whole team.
WELCOME TO NIVALIS - APRIL COMMUNITY DEVLOG
Before diving into the latest updates in this devlog, we want to take a moment to thank you all for the support you’ve shown our team following last week’s delay announcement. Knowing that you’re growing attached to the project we’re working so hard on - and that you understand how much we care about shaping it in the way we believe is best - truly gives us a boost as we push through this final stretch.
We’ve also read and taken note of your concerns, and we’d like to dedicate part of this post to addressing a few of the questions you’ve raised in the comments. First, we noticed some confusion regarding the game’s release: Nivalis will launch as a full release - there will be no Early Access period. That’s precisely why we’re taking a bit more time to refine the experience!
We also want to reassure you that the original vision for the game hasn’t changed. Some elements have simply evolved, and we’ve taken the time to polish them properly: Nivalis features several systems that are deeply interconnected, and making sure they work together as intended requires a fair amount of testing.
With that said, let’s dive back into the many things you’ll be able to do in this city that never sleeps.
I WANT TO SPEAK TO THE MANAGER 💅🏻
In past devlogs, we’ve introduced some of the tasks you’ll need to take on to keep your businesses running smoothly. But as time passes - and your finances grow - managing multiple restaurants might become a bit too much to handle alone. That’s when you might feel the need to… delegate.
It’s time to introduce the Manager role. You’ll be able to hire managers when your venue reaches level 3, and they can take care of a range of duties to make your life easier: from restocking ingredients across your locations, to boosting overall staff efficiency and morale, or even collect and making use of goods from your greenhouse.
By assigning them these responsibilities – if you can afford their salaries, of course - you’ll free up more and more time to explore the city, meet new people, follow their stories, and dive deeper into the rich narrative that pulses through the streets of Nivalis. After all, every good boss has to learn to delegate eventually.
A GREEN PARADISE 🏝️
Despite Nivalis being a city of neon lights, towering buildings, and bustling alleys, you’ll still find hidden oases to discover - surrounded by lush greenery, perfect for a moment of peace and a breath of fresh air. We've recently worked on enhancing the look and feel of plants and trees in-game, to make sure the atmosphere feels just right.
As we sign off until the next devlog, we invite you - as always - to share your questions with us. They might just inspire the focus of our next post!
A message about Nivalis' Release Date
Hello everyone,
We wanted to take a moment to give you an update on the development of Nivalis.
During the last months we have made major progress, and everyone can feel the final game shaping up. The world of Nivalis is a complex and very unique take on the slice-of-life genre. It was ambitious from the start. Combining restaurant management, decorating, apartments, farming, fishing and boat exploration with a compelling story is a challenging task.
We’re seeing the game coming together and are very excited about it. But we won’t be able to release Nivalis in Spring. At the moment we are implementing the final iterations on the UI and inventory management, we’re balancing the economy and fixing all the blockers. We’re also tying all the story threads together, implementing them into the game before we can start with the VO recording for every character (yes!) in the game.
Please bear with us, game development is a constant process of implementation, testing and iteration. We want to make things right; we love this world and all the characters in it. We will update you soon on the release date. And then you can expect to see a lot more of the game on our social media channels. We can’t wait to show you.
The ION LANDS Team
WELCOME TO NIVALIS – MARCH 2025 COMMUNITY BLOG
Another intense month of work has passed, and Nivalis continues to take shape under our hands, growing alongside us as a team. Among the many daily challenges it presents, we've recently been focusing on implementing and optimizing certain features, improving the save system, and welcoming and guiding new members into our team.
We enjoyed reading your comments under our previous blog post, and your creativity has certainly been an inspiration! Of course, we can’t promise that all of your ideas will make it into the game, but for some of them, you’ll definitely see our personal touch woven into the Nivalis experience.
This month, we want to shine a spotlight on one of the features you’ve mentioned – farming - which will be present in the game in a particular form.
WELCOME TO THE GREENHOUSES 🌾
In a city like Nivalis, space for urban greenery is limited. While many citizens love to decorate their personal spaces with some plants, farming requires something more advanced.
For this reason, scattered across various areas of the map, you’ll find multiple greenhouses. These high-tech structures will allow you to grow crops even in an industrial environment and will be highly customizable to suit your needs… and farming skills.
Inside the greenhouses, you’ll be free to use the available space as you see fit, decorating and equipping it with specialized machinery purchased from different vendors around the city, each catering to a specific purpose. You’ll be able to grow mushrooms, grains, vegetables - if you acquire the necessary seeds - and even print meat and automate certain processes, such as irrigation.
Through a farming console, you’ll be able to configure the conditions of your personal farm for optimal cultivation and the best possible yield. These control consoles will allow you to adjust various parameters such as temperature, humidity, and light - factors that directly influence the growth speed of your crops.
Every citizen - with enough money - can rent and manage more than one greenhouse. Over time, with the right skills, you’ll be able to acquire more seeds and unlock advanced modules to expand your farming empire!
What you do with your harvest is entirely up to you: you can sell it for profit or use it to supply ingredients for your restaurants. Given that running a restaurant will become quite the challenge at a certain point, using your crops this way might not be a bad idea - it could definitively help you optimize your profits.
There’s more waiting for you in the streets of Nivalis, and we know you can’t wait to dive into the secrets of this city, but we ask for just a little more patience. This is a slow cook, but we hope you’ll enjoy the journey.
WELCOME TO NIVALIS - JANUARY 2025 COMMUNITY BLOG
2025, as you know, is a big year for Nivalis, and it has kicked off with plenty of excitement and challenges to tackle. We’ve taken the opportunity to come together as a team to analyze and discuss some of the features awaiting you in the game, refining the details and considering the improvements needed to achieve our goal: immersing you in a city that feels alive, whether it’s day or night.
In this community blog, we’ll be talking about some of the features we’ve been working on this month, giving you a glimpse into the activities you’ll experience in Nivalis.
FISHING AT NIGHT 🍣
In Nivalis, gathering ingredients for your business’s kitchen will mainly be your responsibility. A well-stocked pantry is essential to satisfy the orders of hungry customers, and running out of ingredients can be costly for your wallet. You’ll have access to a variety of merchants with whom you can trade and build business relationships, but sometimes it might be more practical to take matters into your own hands and... go fishing.
At the docks, you’ll be able to set sail on your boat to search for the perfect catch for your sushi dishes, whether during the day or at night. This month, we’ve worked to ensure you can not only enjoy fishing during daylight hours but also experience the gentle rocking of the sea at sunset and take advantage of nighttime fishing opportunities. When exhaustion sets in, your boat will serve as a cozy refuge where you can rest and spend the night.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE NEWSPAPER 📰
Staying up to date is essential in a bustling city like Nivalis, where there’s never a dull moment. That’s why every morning, you’ll have the chance to read the local newspaper to catch up on the latest news and, occasionally, find information that - if you’re clever enough to take advantage of - could give your business a significant edge.
For instance, the start of the fishing season or a sudden drought could influence the availability (and therefore the price) of various goods on the market. Stay sharp, plan your daily purchases wisely, and don’t let these changes catch you off guard.
Now it’s your turn: what activities would you like to experience in Nivalis? Let us know, and maybe we can explore them further in the next community blog!
See you soon 🍜
WELCOME TO NIVALIS - DECEMBER 2024 COMMUNITY BLOG
WELCOME TO NIVALIS - DECEMBER 2024 COMMUNITY BLOG
Time really flies, and we've reached the last community blog of 2024. It’s been a year full of hard work, challenges, and tough decisions, but thanks to your incredible support, we’re ready to dive into 2025 with enthusiasm and open the doors to the world of Nivalis, a place we’ve come to think of as our home.
So, let’s take this opportunity to do a quick recap of what we’ve shared with you over the past year!
NIVALIS IN 2024
We kicked off the year by showcasing a glimpse of the game during the Taipei Game Show, an incredibly valuable experience that gave us plenty to think about and helped us set several new goals.
Throughout 2024, as a fully remote studio, we organized several meetings that we like to call workshops, where we explored numerous ideas, left behind previous concepts, and worked on new ones. Nivalis is a complex mix of features that is hard to tame, but we're getting there!
For all the virtual photographers out there, we also gave you a glimpse of the photo mode for Nivalis. Designed to give you the feel of using a realistic camera, we introduced you to some of its features: the ability to change focus distance, aperture, focal length, field of view, and the chance to experiment with a wide range of creative filters and image modification settings. We’re confident you’ll have a lot of fun capturing some of the city’s atmospheric views scattered here and there.
We answered many of your questions, showcased some of the local dishes you’ll be able to serve at your tables, and once again put the spotlight on our composer Harry Critchley, who last year shared a detailed look at his work with you. The soundtrack of Nivalis is a core part of the game, one of the pillars of the immersive experience we aim to deliver.
As part of the 2024 Games Baked in Germany event, we unveiled a new trailer, packed with never-before-seen locations and story hints through Ava, one of the main characters you’ll meet in the game. Our city truly took on a life of its own, growing and evolving in ways that sometimes even surprised us.
Speaking of characters, we’ve begun introducing you to some of the protagonists of the many stories that Nivalis will bring to life. We introduced Thaddeus Carmunis, a 92-year-old business owner on the brink of retirement, who has some valuable advice to share, and Banor, a man with an unusual sense of humor who might just turn out to be a key ally in the chaotic work life of Nivalis.
A MESSAGE FROM US
As you can probably imagine by now, it’s been a truly intense year, with so much happening behind the scenes. We’ve experimented with many ideas, and we continue to do so to breathe more life into Nivalis. As the city grows and evolves, so do we as a team, facing life’s normal challenges, watching families expand, and sharing in your incredible enthusiasm, the fuel that drives our work.
We can’t wait to see you wandering the streets and alleys we’re meticulously crafting, voxel by voxel.
WELCOME TO NIVALIS - NOVEMBER 2024 COMMUNITY BLOG
WELCOME TO NIVALIS - NOVEMBER 2024 COMMUNITY BLOG
The end of the year is almost upon us! For every month that passes, we’re a month closer to launch. 2025 really is just around the corner and we’re incredibly excited with what’s to come.
As we look back on 2024, we’re so thankful for all the support you’ve shown us. Every message of encouragement and excitement fuels us to keep pushing and deliver a game that we’re all proud of.
Back to this month’s blog, we’re going to address some of the FAQs we’ve seen and treat you all to some new screenshots from in-game. Enjoy!
COMMUNITY QUESTIONS
Is there any sort of procedural generation in the game? If so, what will it be? Characters? Apartments? Something else?
Each level has been carefully crafted by our team of developers at ION LANDS. As a result, Nivalis does not require any procedurally generated assets. We can’t wait for you to explore our world. A lot of love has gone into it!
Internally, we have designed some level design tools with procedural generation in mind, for example tools that help coming up with building variations or world decoration. They basically help with a lot of repetitive tasks, but are never just going into the game without a designer’s decision.
Will Nivalis be playable in both 1st and 3rd person?
Nivalis exclusively features an immersive first-person gameplay, letting players fully explore its vibrant cyberpunk world and interact with its environment for an engaging experience. It’s an atmospheric experience just the same as a game.
Will Nivalis be compatible on Steam Deck?
Our priority is delivering an enjoyable and stable experience on PC. If we ever consider Steam Deck verification, we’ll communicate this across our official channels.
Is there an official Nivalis Bluesky account?
Yes, there is! Follow us here: https://bsky.app/profile/playnivalis.bsky.social
Will Nivalis ever launch on Mac?
Right now, we’re working towards launching Nivalis on PC (Steam and Epic Games). If we consider any additional platforms in the future, we will let you know.
Will there be weather effects in Nivalis?
Yes! You can expect a wide range of weather in the world of Nivalis, including snow, rain, fog, thunderstorms and sunshine!
GOT A QUESTION ON NIVALIS? LET US KNOW!
Remember that as part of these monthly blogs, we want to address any community questions you might have. Is there anything you want to ask the team? Throw us your questions here on Steam.
ALL-NEW SCREENSHOTS
Today we’re treating you to a selection of all-new screenshots from Nivalis. The world of Nivalis is varied and inviting and we can’t wait for you to explore it.
We’re continuing our spotlight series this month with another character introduction. Back in September, we gave you an insight into Thaddeus Carminus. With Thaddeus’ retirement looming, he leaves you his noodle bar in Meridian Market, located in the heart of Nivalis. It’s there you’ll meet your new employee, Banor.
CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT - BANOR
An old man with a distinctive white beard and round spectacles, you’ll come face to face with Banor for the very first time when you take on the daunting task of running your first restaurant.
"I cleaned the oven properly. Used the degreaser. The shelves were oilier than the rags in my basement."
This 64 year old ex-restaurant owner isn’t getting any younger and despite being cheery and hard working, his aches and pains are beginning to get in the way. Despite trying to hide his discomfort,. Banor remains a strong character, well adjusted and helpful.
This is someone who, of course, also enjoys great food. Banor can be charming, but often over-shares or makes bad jokes. Occasionally he’ll come out with something wise though. So keep your eyes and ears open and listen to what he has to say. Banor speaks with authority through his warm, cheery old voice.
"I'll see you first thing tomorrow boss. I won't be late. I've got nowhere else to be!"
VIRTUAL PHOTOGRAPHERS, MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN!
Are you a passionate virtual photographer? If so, we want to hear from you. Earlier this year, we gave you all an insight into Nivalis’ photo mode, a feature we’re super excited about here at ION LANDS and 505 Games. Missed that update? Check it out here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1488490/view/4138316665189619105 With that in mind, we would love to hear from anyone in our community who enjoys virtual photography and has a keen interest in Nivalis. Let us know in the comments below.
GOT A QUESTION ON NIVALIS? LET US KNOW!
Remember that as part of these monthly blogs, we want to address any community questions you might have. Is there anything you want to ask the team? Throw your questions in the comments below!
WELCOME TO NIVALIS - SEPTEMBER 2024 COMMUNITY BLOG
WELCOME TO NIVALIS - SEPTEMBER 2024 COMMUNITY BLOG
A little later than planned, but welcome back to another Nivalis community blog! As part of our future posts, we’ll be putting the spotlight on a number of individuals you’ll come across on your adventure throughout Nivalis. Today, we’re starting with a character that you’ll come across almost the moment you leave your apartment.
CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT - THADDEUS CARMUNIS
"I lived my whole life behind that hot plate. It was my whole world. Now it's time for me to find another one."
Meet Thaddeus Carmunis. A 92 year old business owner on the brink of retirement. You’ll meet Thaddeus very early on in your journey. A gruff but friendly character, Thaddeus is very tired of life in Nivalis. Early on he will warn you that there are two ways to go in life: build a community, so others are a little less miserable, or climb on top of everyone’s shoulders to rise to the top.
Old and grizzled with a long grey beard, the demands of his long career show. He’s worked his whole life for very little reward. An impatient character, Thaddeus is also friendly and thoughtful. He won’t judge you, so whether you’re cunning or kind in your decision making, he’ll respect you.
"Be cunning or be kind. That's all I can say to you. If you're kind, make sure you don't let them walk all over you. And if you're cunning, don't let them catch you out. Cunning, kind, selfish, saintly - whatever type of person you want to be, be smart. Be smart and you'll make it."
Stay tuned for more Nivalis character profiles!
THE WORLD OF NIVALIS
Enjoy these all-new screenshots taken directly from Nivalis. Like what you see? Let us know. We can't wait to show and tell you more over the coming weeks and months.
GOT A QUESTION ON NIVALIS? LET US KNOW!
As part of these monthly blogs, we want to address any community questions you might have. Is there anything you want to ask the team? Throw your questions in the comments below and we’ll address as many as we can in our future updates.
