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Cavaleiros Celestiais

Devlog · Episode 8

The bosses: dragon, whale and colossi

A look at the game big enemies, what I wanted from each one and why they need to be seen from far away.

A boss scares you before it hurts you

A boss has to scare you before it hurts you. If you look at it and think "okay, just a bigger creature", I got it wrong. That is why, with every boss, size comes first. Before the attack, before the glow, before the name over its head.

A boss rises out of the dark and the whole scene lights up around it.
A boss rises out of the dark and the whole scene lights up around it.

The Lair dragon

The Lair dragon was the first one, and it gave me a lot of trouble. I redid it several times, until the silhouette read from far away, even with the screen full of effects. The wings changed the most, because they are what fills the screen and says "this is huge" before you get close.

The dragon seen from far away, still taking over the scene.
The dragon seen from far away, still taking over the scene.
The dragon's breath in the arena: you can read where the fire will land.
The dragon's breath in the arena: you can read where the fire will land.

The whale and the colossi

The whale lives under water, so it shows up slowly. First a shadow, then the back, and only then do you understand the size. That slow scare is on purpose.

The colossi are the opposite: huge and slow. Every attack has to be readable in the body, with the pose warning you before the blow lands. If a player dies, I want them to think "I saw it coming and messed up", not "that was unfair".

A colossus rises; the red circle marks the area of the blow.
A colossus rises; the red circle marks the area of the blow.
The colossus hits the player head on: clear to read, heavy to take.
The colossus hits the player head on: clear to read, heavy to take.

What I will not tell you

I will not reveal how to fight each boss. Discovering that is part of the fun. But I can tell you that before any fight, I test the boss's entrance into the scene first, because that is the second when a player decides whether they are scared or excited.

Next episode I will show you the Tower and the Doors, where each place has its own mood.

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