iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

devices use a finite resource bar to cast

Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

#screenshotsaturday Another change I made recently was letting you cancel melee into device use which opens up some options #gamedev #metroidvania #actionrpg #solodev

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

the initial impetus was based on the assumption that this is what's fair (because dark souls does this) but over time I realized there was no fun + reliable counterplay to how some of the enemies behave and are without dodge cancel

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I'm not worried about anything, I dont think

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

it scales with strength and there will be a couple pieces of equipment that modify it for niche builds

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

it's a cooldown meter for dashing. the first dash is free, but if you dash again before the cooldown is over, it costs stamina

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#screenshotsaturday I made it so if you unequip your melee weapon you can still punch and such, which isn't the focus of the game, but I think it is fun #gamedev #metroidvania #actionrpg #solodev

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

there is no next person, I do everything lol

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

if you are in the air moving downward, it won't let you attack if you're about to hit the ground, to try and reduce the possibility of cheese

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

are you referring to when you start up an air attack just before hitting the ground, do damage, then instantly do a new ground attack after hitting the ground and get to "double hit"?

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Originally I didn't allow dodge cancelling because I thought it would trivialize combat, but eventually as the whole system took shape I came around. Dodge cancel out of melee attacks all you want #gamedev #indiedev #metroidvania #actionrpg #solodev

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Ghost Song is 50% off on Steam store.steampowered.com/app/347800/G...

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Metal spin move lets you become a wrecking ball #screenshotsaturday #gamedev obviously what you're seeing is WIP/test area. There'll be more polished looking stuff to see in the near future #metroidvania #solodev #indiedev

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I watched the Metroid Ravenous trailer with great interest, and I've gotta say this is the most excited I've been for an upcoming Metroid game probably ever. It also has the best cover art of a Metroid game in my opinion. Here's a wallpaper of it that I found #MetroidRavenous #NintendoDirect

A wallpaper of the Metroid Ravenous key art.

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Yep most of the lighting is done by 2d images such as light shafts or gradients to blend things or fog or what have you

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

#gamedev It's weirdly satisfying punching clankers with this ridiculous fist #metroidvania #solodev #animation

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

I guess it does look that way haha

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Ogre Fist #screenshotsaturday I finally put this piece of equipment in -- I spent an embarrassing number of hours on this animation so please enjoy it #gamedev #animation It's a damaging move and a short term buff #metroidvania #solodev

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

It's a small thing but I followed an impulse last night to animate the character's portrait in the HUD #gamedev #solodev #actionrpg #metroidvania

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

*looks at more of your work* oh, I remember. I followed you in the first place because I thought the same thing back then. I don't see enough junji ito inspired work on here!

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

getting junji ito vibes from some of your pieces. really good!

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

#screenshotsaturday WIP as usual - Been working on secondary powers lately and decided to add this Castlevania homage with the axe toss #gamedev I plan to add a better throw animation for stuff like this soon #solodev #metroidvania #actionrpg

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I've ranted against this game a few times in my personal life (mostly jokingly) because I honestly do hate it -- but seeing it in the game store made me laugh so here we are

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Was in a game shop and found this part of my lore. As a small child, my mom rented this for me. I wasn't critical of games at that age, but it was so bad it made me cry -- And I've held a grudge ever since. Not sure what I'll do with it, but it seems fitting to have it on hand...

Photo of "Super James Pond" for SNES in my car seat

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

off the top of my head, getting parried builds their meter more than taking a hit does. all of this stuff is always being tweaked though and hasn't been tested by many people yet

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

enemies have a "build up" amount before they are staggered. weak ones the amount is low so they always get it. stronger ones need built up more. getting parried builds it, but so does a lot of other stuff. So you can work around them tactically. Though balance is ongoing of course!

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Not necessarily, especially since weak and strong enemies are sometimes mixed. I found dealing with crowds to just not be that fun until I made some tweaks such as this one that lets you get the visceral satisfaction of chopping through them, as long as you have good positioning

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

same universe, but not a direct sequel. new characters.

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

There's a whole hyper armor system under the hood too, you can see that at work when we tank through the punch as we charge up our big swing

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Welcome back to the test room. #screenshotsaturday Properly timed parry will interrupt not just the attacking enemy, but everyone in front of you, making fighting large groups of weak enemies fun and satisfying imo #gamedev Sorry it's not Saturday, I was busy yesterday #solodev #metroidvania

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

yeah I bought my own copies. I later heard I may have been able to get some free ones had I just asked but I didn't think to haha

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I'm in the relatively very small group of people who got to make one of these and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity #gamedev #PS5 this is my only copy btw, no one ever gave me a box of free ones or nothin' haha

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Ghost Song is 50% off for #SteamSummerSale. Sales of this game still help me and are greatly appreciated! store.steampowered.com/app/347800/G... #gamedev #indiedev #metroidvania

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

my game, Ghost Song, has about 160k wishlists on Steam. Why haven't you bought it? Just kidding, it's fine that you haven't, I know times are tough, here's some steam keys. 05N3E-ZNZHQ-0DFEE XZBQZ-TQ6W7-IFKXB LHTR0-75GM8-E7M4X Z9AEH-Y2V2B-F2HX0 FEXPF-YFAPV-LRJ9X Z2LNP-KG3A3-YNQWE 4WXMK-LX02L-J7DNJ

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Okay, honest question, what is actually wrong with y'all? LOL. Ghost Song selling for $200+, sheesh

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

I unlisted all the old media when I restarted because at the time I found comparisons people were making between the versions to be irritating, lol. At this point I don't care that much, so compare if you want.

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

#gamedev #metroidvania The previous version of Ghost Song (2014-2019) was nearly content complete when I scrapped it. I've avoided showing publicly for a while but here's a look at what it was if you're curious. It was quite different. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc03...

youtube.com

Centaur Lab Full Walkthrough with boss fight

YouTube video by Old Moon

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

My friend spontaneously found a copy of Ghost Song at a Book Off in NYC. Fun find because it's SO rare to see these in the wild, print run was small. #gamedev #metroidvania

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

thanks! it's not intended to be the kind of game that's grueling and dark soulsish to get through when it comes to the main story, so I wouldn't worry too much

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

#gamedev when I made it so that a properly timed parry will interrupt all in front of you, and not just the attacker, it made things feel better (WIP obviously) not every enemy can be staggered from a single parry, but weak/basic ones can #metroidvania #solodev #animation

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Would take a while to explain fully but the jist: You play an android girl that woke up in a junkyard on a strange planet. Story unfolds as you play but it's about friends turned against eachother and working to stop something bad from happening

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

sidescrolling action rpg, some metroidvania elements. I'm still working on it

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Matt White @mattwhitedev.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

#screenshotsaturday Okay I've made it so you can do this little salute by pressing down, or if you press R3 you can "chill". A key mechanic being that while chilling you can move your head around with the analog stick. #gamedev #metroidvania #solodev

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