Havoc Studios
December 2020 Newsletter
So Long, 2020!
It’s no surprise that 2020 has been a stressful year. The various events and incidents that occurred over the last twelve months have had a great impact on all of us, mostly in an unpleasant manner. Although 2020 has left us all with a sour taste (I’m certainly eager for the new year to begin), we believe that it is important to maintain positivity during these trying times.
As the year comes to a close, we at Havoc Studios would like to wish you all a wonderful holiday season! Make yourselves comfortable, send well-wishes to your loved ones, and enjoy a festive cookie or two. Join us as we reflect over the past year; quite a lot has happened with Havoc Fox over the last twelve months! And since it’s a time of giving, we may just have a little present for you in this newsletter!
Merry Christmas from Havoc Studios!
(Artwork provided by Levie)
A Year in Reflection
Havoc Fox started off the year strong with a new demo and our first-ever appearance at a convention. Kami Con allowed us a chance to show off Havoc Fox first-hand, which is something we hope to do again in the future once the state of the world is in a healthier state. The demo we showed off at Kami Con was also released publicly for those who were unable to attend. Dashing, updated designs, and revamped stage layouts for both Grey and Venice made their debut. Kami Con and its demo helped pave the way for the future of Havoc Fox!
The second quarter of 2020 was awfully busy at Havoc Studios. Most of our time was funneled into Havoc Fox’s development to bring the rest of the game’s stages up to the standards set in the Kami Con demo. Moonlit Cove, Aqua Rocket Base, Miracle City, and Autumn Entropy all received major overhauls during this period. We also began to live stream our development and bug testing!
During the Summer months, Havoc Fox was primed and ready for its second appearance at SAGE for their 20th anniversary! With the enhanced visuals, stage layouts, and mechanical differences from the prior year’s expo, we were able to show off all of our hard work throughout the year. If you haven’t already, check out the demo!
To wrap up the year, we focused our efforts on updating the gameplay and adventure aspects of Havoc Fox. Grey was given a handful of new attacks and places to visit along the way. With the game’s primary adventure mode, players will get to visit peaceful hub areas, revisit previously-completed stages, and explore the kingdom of Vanalia!
To send off this year as we welcome 2021 with open arms, we’ve begun looking to the future of Havoc Fox. Some plans are in place for next year, but among those plans, Kickstarter would be the largest. We will discuss this in further detail in a future newsletter, but know that we are planning to begin our funding campaign sometime in 2021! Thank you all so much for sticking with us through thick and thin this year!
Current Development Update
This month, we turned Havoc Fox into a rhythm game. Well… sort of.
As we finalize the updates to Retro Ravine, we’ve shifted our eyes to the future. In the following stage (Ethereal Express), Grey comes across the pop star Wess and her butler Ulysses. While we won’t spoil the stage and its various surprises, we will offer a preview of the mid-boss fight with Ulysses!
The fight with Ulysses is very non-traditional within the confines of an action-platformer. To defeat this fancy butler, Grey will need to fight him on his own turf: the dance floor. The battle will play out like a rhythm game: mimic Ulysses’ moves, time your moves, and follow the order displayed at the bottom of the screen. If you’re too slow or mess up your moves, Grey will take damage. Too many hits and you’re out!
Ulysses has three phases to his fight. Unlike Grey, Ulysses takes damage after each phase is completed. Along with an audible cue and the reduction of his health meter, Ulysses will end the phase and begin the next by taunting Grey. Keep your timing right and Ulysses will fall, allowing access to the next area.
Considering this fight is a new take on the Havoc Fox gameplay, as well as it being a time of giving, we would like to offer you all a free preview of Ulysses’ dance fight! Click here to download the preview. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated; feel free to contact us through email, our website’s contact form, our Twitter account, or in our Discord server! Merry Christmas and Havoc Holidays!
That's all for now!
We made it; the new year is just a few days away! If you haven't already, be sure to follow us on Twitter @havocfoxgame. Join the conversation on the official Discord server. Support us on Patreon! Check out the original soundtrack and development live streams on our YouTube channel!
Thank you for reading the December edition of the Havoc Fox Newsletter. Have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year! We hope to see you again in 2021!