"What if the battlefield itself was your greatest weapon?"

In Lux Aeterna, position is everything. Knockbacks, chain reactions, and carefully planned abilities let you manipulate enemies like pieces on a collapsing chessboard. A well-placed hit can send an enemy crashing into an unstable barrier or delayed explosion, creating devastating combos that turn the tide of battle.

Here's a quick look at how Lux Aeterna’s combat is evolving. Every new system builds toward a battlefield that fights back:

Each ability in Lux Aeterna has been picked from a much larger pool to ensure distinctiveness. Right now, only 4 abilities are implemented, but each one lays the groundwork for an expanding toolkit that gives every character their own identity.

Two new ability types are currently in the works, expanding the ways you can manipulate the battlefield: 

1. A dynamic tile obstacle  - Blocks traversal and doubles as a hazard. Be warned, too many impacts and it might detonate.
2. Tethering - A signature mechanic for the hunter archetype; the ability to tether enemies to objects... or objects to walls... or enemies to enemies... the battlefield is yours to control.

In the meantime, here's the beginning of the Design Documents I've started to onboard anyone who might find the project interesting and want to help COUGH COUGH.

Thanks for checking out Lux Aeterna and remember: where light fades, The Void listens. Until next time.

Devlog 2: Lux Aeterna Progress Update

This week was all about expanding mechanics and refining interactions to make combat feel more dynamic and responsive. A lot of the groundwork is in place now, and things are really starting to click.

New Enemy in the Mix

I added a third enemy into combat scenarios to test out the juicy combo potential. I’m starting to see how push/pull mechanics create chaotic yet strategic moments. Watching enemies get slammed into each other and setting up chain reactions is exactly the kind of emergent gameplay I was aiming for.

Level Wall & Barrier Logic

• Level Walls: These are now fully implemented, ensuring characters can't be pushed out of bounds or get stuck in weird situations.
• Destructible Barriers: As promised, I introduced a summonable wall that can be used both defensively and offensively. It takes two collisions before detonating, adding an interesting tactical layer... do you block a path or smash enemies into it for the extra damage?

Portal Ability & Void Tether Updates

• Portals: These can now be walked through or pushed through, making for some crazy movement setups. Portals enable teleportation, but they also interact with push mechanics, opening up unexpected plays.
• Void Tether: While still being fine-tuned, the "snap" mechanic is now functional. If a tethered enemy is pushed through a portal, the tether breaks and snaps back, causing a collision. The full tether system is still in progress, but this foundational piece is working as expected.

Tile Draw System Overhaul

I reworked how tiles are drawn to make it easier to scale up new abilities. This update makes it smoother to introduce new mechanics without needing a ton of manual placement or adjustments, which should save time down the line as more abilities get added.

First Battlemap Tileset and Production Efforts

The tileset art for the first battlemap (and hopefully pieces of others), should be arriving in the next few weeks. Tileset work was purchased and is a definite.

The project has also sparked interest in people willing to help out with narrative work and cutscene stills, so hopefully there will be more details in that regard soon.

Next Steps

The next focus is finalizing Void Tether's full behavior, polishing movement interactions, and refining ability animations and the visual feedback on chaining a combo for the player. With these systems in place, we're looking at the first level of a fully playable demo in the next few months.

It’s all coming together. In the meantime, here's a quick highlight video of some of the knockback interactions and Void Tether in its simple form, as well as a few more pages to the Design Document.

Where light fades, The Void listens. Until next time.

Devlog 3: Momentum, Impact, and Synergy

This update was all about pushing character interactions to the next level... both literally and figuratively. The tether system is fully functional, and knockback mechanics continue to evolve with every tweak. The battlefield is  an ever-shifting tool of destruction, waiting to be exploited.

Tethered Synergy & Chain Knockback Polish

Momentum is key in Lux Aeterna, and Void Tethers are now fully integrated into the system. Whether you’re linking an enemy to a crumbling barrier or tying two opponents together for a synchronized demise, proper positioning means devastation.

Meanwhile, knockback logic has been refined to handle even more chaotic interactions, ensuring that every collision, whether against walls, barriers, or other enemies, feels predictable. The more you play, the more you’ll recognize opportunities to turn the battlefield itself into a weapon.

Polish Pass: Layers of Feedback

Everything is still placeholder art, sounds, and sprites, but the bones are solidifying.

• A Title Screen and Loading Screen have been added to frame the experience.
• A Dynamic Camera System now ensures the action stays locked into focus, so you don’t lose track of a crucial impact or game-changing chain reaction.
• Animations and sound effects are slowly being implemented.

Combo Tracking: The Rube Goldberg of Pain

A new system is in place to track combos for a turn, rewarding synergy and tactical play. Right now, it's a barebones framework, but the goal is clear:

• Every successful knockback, collision, and chain reaction will feel like a grand orchestration of destruction.
• Expect visual and audio feedback that makes every chain reaction satisfying... mechanically and viscerally.

The goal? To make sure that when you set up the perfect battlefield-wide catastrophe, you feel every impact.

Next Steps

• Expanding visual feedback on combos and impact tracking
• Refining ability animations and sound design
• Continuing to flesh out the first battlemap with the newly acquired tileset
• Finalizing the Void Tether’s full potential and its interactions with other mechanics

Everything is coming together, piece by piece. Until then, here’s a look at the latest interactions in motion for those who feel the pull of the void.

Where light fades, The Void listens. Until next time.