v0.1.0 was the combat core and one corridor to clear. v0.2.0 builds the layer around the fight: the first progression systems, the first NPCs, a controller, a real jump. Still one test level, still placeholder art. A run is still 5–15 minutes, and the question is still the same one: does it play well.
The big new thing: tattoos
The hunter’s build lives on the hunter’s skin. 6 body regions (arms, chest, back, legs), one tattoo per region. Every tattoo is a rule change, never a stat bump — a longer combo window, a hot first shot after a reload, a cheaper dash.
In the full game you earn marks from boss souls (1 soul = 1 inked tattoo). This build ships 3 starters, unlocked from the start:
- Ira Gladii (right arm) — the combo chain forgives a longer pause before it resets, and the finisher reaches a little further.
- Camera Obscura (left arm) — 7 rounds instead of 6, and the first shot after every reload is hot even with no resonance.
- Vestigium (left leg) — dash costs 15 stamina instead of 20, ledge grab 5 instead of 10.
Tattoos are permanent between runs — unlike relics, they survive death and restart. This is the game’s first save system (profile.cfg on your machine). You don’t see them on the character (the hunter works in a suit); you read your build on the tattoo screen. Swapping is free for now.
The hub has people in it now
Two NPCs, and talking to them is an overlay of pickable lines:
- Brat Ignacy — does the tattoos. “Show me what I’ve got inked” opens the tattoo screen.
- Siostra Wera — three placeholder lore topics (what this place is, what relics are, what happened to the city). Early text, setting the tone: an order on the Odra, seven hundred years old, and a hunter before you who didn’t come back.
It’s a first pass. The real monastery — a blacksmith, a prioress, a mission-select screen — is still ahead.
A gamepad, and prompts that follow it
Full Xbox / PlayStation mapping in the options-free way (it just works if a pad is plugged in). Every button prompt in the game — portal, NPC, the [E] over a staggered enemy, the hints in every menu — switches live between keyboard and pad the moment you touch the other one. No menu, no restart.
The player has a sprite now (sort of)
The hunter is no longer a rectangle — there’s a placeholder animation pack driving idle / run / jump / dash / the three combo hits / charge / block / hurt / death / the ledge climb, mirrored by facing. It’s still placeholder art (and enemies and terrain are still colored blocks), but the character reads as a character.
Jump and ledge grab, re-tuned
- Jump — punchier. Faster off the ground, and gravity is now asymmetric: lighter on the way up, much heavier on the way down. Less float at the peak, a quick heavy landing. Same jump height as before, it just feels faster.
- Ledge grab — more responsive, closer to Dead Cells. The catch now grabs across most of the jump arc (including on the way up), not just near the apex; the reach is a touch more forgiving; the climb-up is nearly instant.
These are feel dials and they’ll keep moving — tell me if the jump is now too twitchy or the grab too grabby.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Pad (Xbox) |
|---|---|---|
| Move | ← / → | left stick / d-pad |
| Jump (double) | Space / Enter | A |
| Melee (3-hit combo) | A — tap | RB |
| Charged attack | A — hold ≥ ~0.5 s | RB — hold |
| Third-hit variant | hold ↓ heavy · nothing = fast · ↑ = air launcher | same |
| Block / parry | D — hold / tap just before the hit | LT |
| Dodge (dash, i-frames) | Shift | LB |
| Shoot (8-way) | S | RT |
| Reload | R (auto on empty) | Y |
| Interact / throw-out | E | X |
| Dialogue: pick line / confirm / end | ↑↓ / Enter / Esc | d-pad / A / B |
| Overview (relic + tattoos, read-only) | Tab — hold | Select — hold |
| Ledge grab | automatic; climb = jump / ↑, drop = ↓ | same |
How to run it
| System | File | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | ultraviolet.exe (+ ultraviolet.pck beside it) | SmartScreen may warn about an unsigned file — “More info” → “Run anyway”. |
| Linux | ultraviolet.x86_64 (+ .pck beside it) | chmod +x, then ./ultraviolet.x86_64. |
| macOS | ultraviolet.app | Unsigned: right-click → Open → confirm. |
Quitting: Esc in the main menu (careful — Esc there closes the game), Alt+F4, or close the window.
Still pre-alpha — what’s not here
- Placeholder art. The player has a stand-in sprite pack; enemies, terrain and UI are still colored rectangles. Real art is still being made.
- Almost no sound — random level music, no SFX.
- One test level — a mechanics sandbox, not a real stage. The hub is one room with two NPCs.
- Balance is untuned — damage, enemy HP, costs, prices are all temporary.
- No death screen, no attempt counter. The “Options” menu is still a stub. Tattoo swapping has no cost yet, and there are no boss souls to earn new marks with.
- Death or a fall into the pit = back to the hub, run reset.
How to report feedback
Two kinds matter:
BUG — something doesn’t work, or works wrong. Tell me: what happened, where (menu / hub / which level zone), how to reproduce it, which platform, and if you can — a screenshot or clip.
FEEL — it works, but how does it play? This build especially, I want to hear about:
- the jump — punchy and good, or too twitchy? the heavy fall — right, or jarring?
- the ledge grab — does it catch when you want it and let go when you want it?
- the 3 tattoos — do they change how you play, without being overwhelming? (they’re meant to be smaller than relics)
- the tattoo menu — readable without explanation? does “no visual on the character” bother you?
- the NPC dialogue — clear? worth having, or in the way?
- the older feel questions still stand: cold revolver at the start of a fight, dash-as-dodge balance, the dash gaps in the level, 3–4 enemies at once, poise / throw-out frequency.
Leave feedback in the comments under the game or this post. Testers with the full guide have a checklist there (68 points + a Feel section) — you don’t need all of it, even a partial run helps.
Thanks for playing something that’s still mostly rectangles.
— SolarNine · v0.2.0-pre-alpha