- Development Update - 5 June 2026
Chapter I — DoneChapter I is complete. That's the honest summary — but what "complete" actually means here took considerably longer to get right than expected.The biggest technical overhaul this chapter received was to the telekinesis system. The previous implementation relied on Unreal Engine's built-in PhysicsHandle grab — it worked, but it never felt right. Objects didn't respond naturally to momentum, collisions felt floaty, and fine placement was frustrating. The entire system has been replaced with a custom physics-based implementation written from scratch in C++. Every object interaction is now driven by a PD controller — proportional-derivative force calculations that account for position error, velocity error, angular damping, ramp-up curves, and force limits in real time. Light cubes feel weighted. Heavy cubes resist and push back. Throwing something now has actual momentum be…
- Thank you - 30 December 2025
Hey everyone!2025 has been an incredible year for Project Enceladus, and I wanted to take a moment to share where we're at.What's Been AccomplishedThis year, the game has transformed from early prototypes into something real. The game now has 5 fully playable levels, Chapter I. with the Prologue are nearly complete. Every placeholder asset has been replaced with final models, new mechanics like the drone system have been fully integrated, and the game is finally starting to look and feel like the vision we've always had.The JourneyIt hasn't been without challenges — my PC decided to die halfway through the year (great timing, right?), but we pushed through and kept moving forward. Indie development is never a straight line, but every obstacle has made the project stronger.What's NextWe're about 2 months away from completing the Prologue and Chapter I. After that, it's full focus on Chap…
- What’s New – Autumn Dev Update - 1 November 2025
A lot has happened since our last update in July. Tomi has been hard at work expanding Project Enceladus, creating new things and reworking some old ones, and today we'd love to share some of the progress that's been made across level design, puzzle systems, and gameplay flow.Leveling UpThe modular level-building workflow has evolved significantly. New rooms now feature more verticality and layered layouts, enabling more interesting movement-based logic puzzles and platformer-like challenges to be created.A new sidekick in the worksOne of the biggest additions that's been implemented is a dual-character mechanic: the player can now switch out of the protagonist's first-person perspective to control a small, autonomous drone.The drone can fly, access unreachable areas, activate hidden switches, and uncover secrets. This system opens up fresh puzzle designs and narrative moments, and to b…
- Dev Update – Optimization, Mocap & Darren’s Debut! - 27 July 2025
We’re back with another development update from Project Enceladus. This one dives a bit deeper into the techy side of things, so if you're into performance tricks, custom tools, and animation workflows — this is for you!Performance Upgrades – Custom Data Layers & HISMAs our levels grow larger and more complex, performance becomes a bigger concern — especially in a puzzle-platformer where flow and timing are everything.That’s why we built our own Data Layer system in C++. Unlike Unreal’s World Partition system, this gives us more precise control:Load/unload actor groups using tagsSpread the work over frames with FTSTickerKeep GPU usage stable and predictableIt’s lightweight, custom-fit, and perfect for our level design needs.We also implemented Hierarchical Instanced Static Meshes (HISM) in our new Hangar level — a massive open space filled with detailed assets.Let’s just say:Before HISM…
- Why Sci-Fi? Why Puzzles? Why Thriller? Why this style? - 25 June 2025
As we get deeper into development on Project Enceladus, we wanted to take a step back and share something a bit more personal: Why this game? Why this genre mix? Why this tone?The answer is layered. Like the game itself.Why Sci-Fi?For many of us on the team, sci-fi wasn’t just a genre we liked — it’s something that shaped how we see storytelling and creativity. We grew up watching, playing, and reading science fiction that wasn’t about laser guns or space battles… but about ideas.Stories that asked uncomfortable questions: What happens when technology outpaces humanity’s ethics? How far would we push science in the name of survival? Can progress and morality coexist?Games like SOMA, movies like Arrival, or even classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey showed us how deeply sci-fi can tap into human emotion — and into fear. Not fear of monsters… but fear of isolation, of the unknown, and of ou…
- Meet the Team - 9 June 2025
We’ve been sharing updates on the game itself — but not much about the people building it yet. So here’s a proper introduction to the small team behind Project Enceladus! Where it all began...Before we ever opened Unreal Engine, or built puzzles, or placed a single light in the hangar — Project Enceladus began years ago as a world inside my head. I’ve always loved sci-fi and games. And over time, I started imagining a place — part memory, part story, part simulation. At different times, I wanted to turn it into a novel, or run it as a roleplaying world with friends. But the vision kept evolving — slowly, quietly — until I finally had the tools to bring it to life as a game.This project started as a deeply personal challenge:To build something from scratch.To give shape to the world I had in my head.To learn, create, and tell a story through puzzles, mood, and space.Today, that world is…
- Defining the Tone, Expanding the World - 18 May 2025
What we now call “the right tone” didn’t come easy. The early stages of development — especially building the Prologue — were both a design and technical challenge. There was a constant tension: how much to explain, how much to leave unsaid, and how to guide players through strange environments without breaking immersion. At that time, the project was a one-developer effort — and staying true to that vision took time and iteration. Since then, it’s grown into a core team of three, supported by a circle of fellow developers, friends, and industry professionals who’ve helped shape the experience into something far stronger. Closed playtests gave clarity on what worked, what needed space, and what didn’t land. We’re genuinely proud of where it ended up — not because it’s perfect, but because it feels like the voice of the game. A Modular Core From the very beginning, the game was built aro…
- Looking Back: Pivots, Polish, and a MegaGrant Submission - 3 May 2025
While polishing the Prologue levels and setting up our Steam page, we were also working toward something a bit bigger behind the scenes — we submitted the game for an Epic MegaGrant. It was an intense and exciting stretch of development. Now that we’ve caught our breath, we wanted to look back and share a few things we haven’t talked about yet. Playtests, Redesigns, and Late Shifts During internal playtests of the Prologue, we made some last-minute redesigns that had a surprisingly big impact. Some level elements were restructured, certain puzzles were fine-tuned, and in a few cases, entire areas were created for better pacing and clarity. We’ve put together a few before-and-after shots to show how things evolved. Quiet but Crucial Changes Beyond level design, we also made foundational improvements: We rewrote the quality settings system to ensure the game’s mood and visual atmosphere s…
- 🎉 The Prologue is Complete – Development of Chapter I Has Begun! - 17 March 2025
We have exciting news to share: the final version of the Prologue is now complete! This is a huge milestone in development, and we’re thrilled to bring you this update. Now that the Prologue is finished, we have shifted our focus entirely to developing Chapter I! In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing sneak peeks of what we’re working on, and we can’t wait for you to see it. What to expect in Chapter I? New gameplay mechanics Exciting story twists Deeper world-building and immersive experiences Stay tuned for more updates, and don’t forget to add the game to your wishlist! 🎮💙
