DI MONTHLY #3: Off To The Next Chapter

Operius DX is out...now what?

Heya bros, and welcome back to the third installment of our monthly descent into madness, the Distant Illusions Monthly™!

The dust has finally settled after the launch of Operius DX. We've had some time to breathe, to reflect, and think about the future. So, let's talk about it.

How Did Operius DX Do?

Let's get the ugly part out of the way first: the game sold like shit.

I mean, okay, it wasn't that bad. Still, we've only just barely managed to make back the money we spent on development hardware and whatnot, and that's not counting the thousands of hours of our own labor. So, financially, we're basically back where we started. Which means...it was all for nothing.

*EXTREMELY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER*

Wrong!!! The experience we gained from this launch, especially with navigating the labyrinthine hellscape of console publishing, is absolutely invaluable. We've learned so much, which only means that our next foray onto consoles will be smoother, faster, and involve less screaming into a pillow. I'd absolutely consider that a win!

And despite the sales, the reception has been incredible. I see other devs talking about how they have to avoid reading reviews or get bummed out by refund notes. Huh? Why? For us, it's been the complete opposite. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive!

Like, I'm checking the refund notes on Steam, and only two people left a reason. One was a perfectly reasonable request for keyboard rebinding (fair enough, I'm looking into it!). The other one said something along the lines of “Good game, I'm really bad at it though”. Man, that's perhaps the most relatable piece of feedback I've ever received in my life.

The point is, even people who refunded the game think it's good! I think that's a bigger win than any sales chart, and I cannot express how much that means to us.

So, to everyone who bought the game and had nice things to say, thank you. Seriously, thank you so much. If you haven't gotten the game yet, I mean, you're reading this so you're clearly invested. What are you waiting for? A sale? Well, okay, fair enough, I guess.

And hey, if you have any friends who you think would enjoy a weird, fast-paced arcade shooter, send them our way. Word of mouth is everything for a tiny studio (a term I use loosely to describe two mentally insane people) like us!

• Steam
• itch.io
• Nintendo eShop (US)
• Nintendo eShop (EU)

The Rendering of Operius DX

Oh yeah, I've also written about the rendering of Operius DX on our blog. It's a nerdy deep-dive into the weird hybrid rendering approach we used to give the game its unique look, how we faked a 3D tunnel on a 2D plane, and why it gave us so much trouble on the Switch.

Check it out if you like this kind of stuff! We will keep writing about our games on our blog, so keep an eye out for more! It's not always going to be random rants about the state of social media or AI, I promise.

The Next Big Thing™

Remember that big new game we teased last month? The 3D platformer? We said we'd be revealing it soon, and, well, we will. I was initially thinking of doing so last month, but I've made the executive decision to push the announcement back a little bit.

It's not because of development issues or anything like that. When we actually announce the game, especially if you've played through Chapter 3 in Deltarune, it will all make sense. I know it doesn't now, but trust me, it will.

This is just my thinly veiled attempt to tell you all to play Deltarune, by the way. Chapter 3 is fantastic, and the whole thing is shaping up to be a modern masterpiece. God, I need to get to Chapter 4 already. No spoilers, though, please. I've been busy shipping a game that, as we've established, sold at least a dozen copies.

But yeah, what was I saying? Oh yeah, the reveal is still coming soon! Just like the forum, but uhhhhh…NEXT TOPIC PLEASE!!!

Meanwhile, a Puzzle Game?

While the big project continues to cook, I've been working on something smaller on the side to keep my brain from melting. It's a little puzzle game!

It's probably not going to be another multi-year epic like Operius DX, but I'm really liking how it's turning out. It's got a nice flow to it, to the point where I'm finding myself playing it for like 15 minutes when I boot it up to test a feature. Usually those playtest sessions end up lasting for like...20 seconds. Yeah, it's a bit addictive.

And since you guys are the best, we're planning to release an early prototype exclusively for you, our lovely newsletter subscribers (aww)! Keep an eye on your inbox in the coming weeks. We'll be looking for feedback over on our Discord server too (which you should totally join if you haven't already).

So, what's the end goal for this? We're not sure yet. Maybe we'll polish it up and release it on Steam and Switch for another $5. Maybe we'll just put it out for free, because we've clearly demonstrated our excellent business acumen. We're playing it by ear for now!

Moving On…

So, that's where we're at. Juggling the bittersweet aftermath of one launch, while spinning up three new projects (+ the forum). It's chaotic, it's stressful, but it's also exciting. It's the indie dev life, babyyyy!

Thanks for reading, and for sticking with us. We'll be back next month with more exciting new stuff, and less Operius DX talk. That stuff's in the past now.

Distant Illusions out!

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