Devlog #4. Turnaround

After fixing the level design for the second scene (and learning a few painful but valuable lessons along the way), I spent some days wandering through different parts of the game - tweaking bits of narrative, experimenting with small mechanics, and revisiting some of the character designs.

At the same time, I fell into a YouTube rabbit hole of dev podcasts and marketing guides. And that’s when it hit me: I’m seriously lagging behind with marketing.

The biggest missing piece? A Steam page.

To make one properly, though, I need more than just a description and a logo. I need screenshots that actually tell a story — and, of course, a trailer.

So, I decided to start building it.
After exploring the differences between announcement, gameplay, release, and cinematic trailers, I realized that the best fit for me right now is an announcement trailer - something that says: “Hey, this world exists!”

A good trailer (except for fully cinematic ones) should be a kind of vertical slice - a tiny, playable-looking window into the world. In my case, the announcement trailer’s goal is to make players feel what the game will be about - not just see it.

Vertical slice

Here’s the rough outline of my vertical slice so far:

• The hook, revealing the story setup.
• World atmosphere, showing parts of different scenes.
• A few emotional moments (mainly between Zoti and the Goose).
• A visit to the antagonist’s lair.
• And finally, a mysterious ending that leaves questions hanging.

Trailer Look

Having a close-to-final look at the trailer is preferable. To make it work, I started by updating Father’s design and refining the Farm Field scene — that’s where the hook happens. The animation is still a bit rough, but it already gives shape to the trailer’s opening moments.

As the next step, I drew a rough storyboard for the next parts of the trailer. So, now it has started to transform from a fuzzy dream into a real problem that seems solvable in a sensible amount of time.

And there’s a good reason to push it forward

At the end of November, I’ll be at the AdventureX Conference in London (just attending, not exhibiting - this time!). My goal is to have the Steam page ready by then, so I can show the trailer, share the page, and collect real feedback from people who love this kind of games and are more experienced in making ones.