Game Design

I’ve made a pretty major shift in how the game is presented. GUTTERBORN is no longer top-down. Instead, it’s moving to a side-view isometric 2D pixel art style.

The main reason for this change comes down to the world itself. Venterra is filled with towering, oppressive skyscrapers, and I found it incredibly difficult to convey that sense of scale and verticality from a top-down perspective.

With this new angle, I can emphasize vertical space, make environments feel more imposing, and better match the tone of the world.

Of course, a change like this has a ripple effect... it impacts level design, movement, interactions… pretty much everything. It’s been a challenge, but overall I’m really happy with the direction.

Assets

I’ve been working on new assets—mostly placeholders, but still aiming to capture the overall vibe.

This includes player sprites with multiple animations:

I’ve also created the first NPC: The Slumlord.

He’s a political figure who controls the slums of Venterra, with a questionable past. You’ll interact with him early on to secure the lease for your apartment.

Both characters already have several animations ready, and I’m excited to get them fully implemented in-game.

Current Demo State

The demo is still very early.

• A simple main menu
• A "Start" option
• An opening scene featuring a conversation between the player and the Slumlord

It’s barebones, but while gameplay is still catching up, I’ve been putting a lot of energy into something else…

The GUTTERBORN OST

I’ve been creating the soundtrack myself, and this is something I’m really passionate about.

The goal is an 8-bit inspired, beat-driven OST to match the game’s aesthetic and tone.

• 3 tracks are completed and uploaded
• A 4th track is already in progress

I’m genuinely proud of how they’ve turned out and I’m excited to keep building this side of the project.

Check them out here:
https://soundcloud.com/gutterborn26

Other Work

Alongside all of this, I’ve also been working on tilemaps, concept art, lore, worldbuilding, and the main story.

There’s a lot there, probably too much to cover in one post, but I’ll dive deeper into those next time.

What’s Next

• Expand the demo beyond the opening scene
• Implement core gameplay systems
• Continue asset and animation work

Hopefully next time I’ll have something much more playable to show.

Thanks for reading, more soon.