In recent months and weeks, I’ve been feeling very unhappy with the progress of Thawheart. Although I thought I had finalized the look for the game, the workflow turned out to be a significant obstacle. Even creating a small room for the game required an immense amount of time and effort. This wasn’t good for my motivation—or for Thawheart as a project. As a result, I began to rethink many aspects of it.
I started by selecting the software I wanted to use to experiment with a non-pixel art style. Naturally, my primary choices were Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. Having worked with both for nearly 20 years, I didn’t need to spend time learning them, which was a huge advantage.
Next, I downloaded DragonBones for rigging. While it’s free, it didn’t quite meet my needs. I was looking for the optimal tool to create a fake 3D look from 2D sprites, like Spine2D Pro. Unfortunately, Spine2D Pro is incredibly expensive—about $400—which was out of reach. I wasn’t ready to invest that much in software I wasn’t familiar with or sure would meet my requirements.
Afterward, I tried SpriterPro, a tool I’d purchased years ago but never used. While SpriterPro lacked the fake 3D functionality, it had announced plans to add it in a future update. Sadly, the software was incredibly unstable, with frequent crashes and freezes, making it unusable for meaningful progress. This was disappointing because SpriterPro had a simple and fast learning curve for rigging.
Finally, I discovered AnyPortrait, a 2D animation asset for Unity. It supported the fake 3D look I wanted, so I decided to give it a try. At first, it was challenging to learn, but after a few days of experimenting with it, I began to get the hang of it—and even started to have fun.
I then moved on to designing non-pixel levels, using Splines for the process. It was incredible how much faster and more efficient this method was. Tasks that had been tedious with pixel art became significantly easier with Splines.
This made me realize just how inefficient my previous workflow had been. Switching away from pixel art was exactly the change this project needed. I felt motivated again. By mostly relying on software I knew well, I was able to focus on the game’s content and finally make progress toward an updated playable alpha version.
I wanted to re-engage the community in the development of Thawheart, so I put a lot of effort into making progress. Now, I can confidently say that a new playable demo is just around the corner! While there are still some minor bugs to fix, nothing major stands in the way. A fresh playable demo will be available in the coming weeks!
This is the current state of Thawheart. I truly hope you like it and am excited to deliver the playable demo as soon as possible, so the community can rejoin the development journey.
I’m also planning to stream from time to time, giving you a chance to watch me working on Thawheart live.
Until then, Tilo and I wish you all wonderful holidays—and for those who celebrate, Merry Christmas!
