S.E.A. has been remade
I’m excited to announce that S.E.A. has been rebuilt from the ground-up and released as Side C of Periphery Synthetic EP.
This is an extremely sentimental release for me. S.E.A. was my first major project after finishing soundStrider. When I created it in two weeks for No Video Jam, I never expected that I would spend the next fourteen months tinkering with it. This project—its world, sound design, visual identity, and vision—completely defined Periphery Synthetic. So its long-awaited inclusion in the EP marks the start of a new journey.
Here are the key changes:
- Remastered graphics. The new engine supports draw distances up to twice as far. The graphics are more vibrant and detailed, and optimized for the best frame rates.
- Revitalized music and sound effects. The sound design is inspired by—but not a carbon copy of—the original game. The waves are more directional and clear. The music is fuller with more diversity between times and locations.
- Deeper terrain. Surf a variety of new waves with tidal waves twice as tall. Explore a vertical sea floor with branching caves and submerged structures to discover.
- An upgradable apparatus. Collect materials to craft and upgrade new movement abilities. The apparatus can run, jump, drive, drift, fly, grapple, swim, and dive across various terrain.
- A story with other worlds to explore. Enter portals to more terrestrial lands, like a desert planet or an ice moon. Each have collectible artifacts which loosely thread its narrative.
Sadly, a defining feature of S.E.A. has been removed. On the ocean floor, the scanner was used to gradually reveal the terrain with echolocation. Although this mechanic was somewhat unique, I found it tedious when expanded to an interplanetary scale. To instill a similar sense of discovery, the caves in the remake are revealed as they are explored. I hope this makes the EP more approachable to more casual players.
Thanks for being a part of this journey. Enjoy!