Posted on December 22, 2023 by DrPyspy

Welcome to the newest DEVELOPER UPDATE!!! As we near the final days of The Year of Tomb Fetus, I'm proud to announce that NEXT YEAR will be the year of Tomb Fetus. That's right: THE TOMB FETUS DEMO IS RELEASING... next year. The demo itself is mostly feature complete, but a handful of sound and music assets remain, alongside some general UX polishing. And, of course, TEXTURES! I will never truly leave map texturing hell. However, the biggest reason for this delay is due to some stuff on the server side of things: the public-facing hosting and distribution system isn't quite ready yet, and there was a shake-up that has set back some internal playtesting stuff.

The good news is that this delay has provided me with an oppurtunity to further polish the game as a whole, from the gameplay itself, to the launcher, and everything in-between. Everything is shaping up to be a preview of the Tomb Fetus experience that I'm immensely proud of, and I'm extremely grateful for everyone who has expressed interest in this wacky little game! I look forward to sharing more updates once we head into the next year, but until then, there will be NO INFO. NO MORE INFORMATION. EVER.

Anyways, here is some MORE INFORMATION:

AUTHOR'S NOSE: Art assets, map artpasses, and any other forms of visuals are subject to change! Tomb Fetus is still in active development! Specifically, Meteor Herd actually contains a SA2 texture that hasn't been replaced yet. Oops!

WOW! WEAPONRY!

Tomb Fetus has not only characters and maps, but in an industry first, Tomb Fetus will introduce WEAPONS to the first-person shooter genre! Tomb Fetus will have a mighty pool of weapons on launch, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Check out the weapons you'll be receiving whenever you spawn:

Lock the target...

Behold, the Pistol Grip AK-47! Otherwise known as the AK-47, this is your trusty sidearm. Unlike most Tomb Fetus weapons, the AK-47 does not require ammo, so you can always fallback to it if needed. It fires green lasers that can deliver a decent punch while you seek out greater firepower, but when situations get really sticky, you can charge a much stronger laser using the alt-fire!

I saw that :)

In addition, you will also receive the Painsaw! This is your melee weapon, in case the situation calls for something more personal. The blades will spin as long as you hold down your fire button. This thing isn't just for turning enemies into string cheese, however; you can also CLIMB WALLS with it! Its climbing strength is limited, but it works well in a pinch.

Of course, weapons don't mean anything if you don't have a reality to shoot them in. Luckily, Tomb Fetus has you covered:

Don't let it get your groove...

Meteor Herd thrusts you and your Tomblet companions into the space between the moon and the Earth, inspired by the Sonic Adventure 2 map of the same name. Operated by the mysterious Ygg Industries, this low-gravity space base allows lots of freedom in the air. The map is divided into two clear sections: the mined-out crusty canyons, and the techbase. In the center of it all lies THE TOWER! The tallest point of the map, standing impressively above all that dares to stand below it.

Will you brave the rocky canyons, or will you- Wait, is that a tank?

The heat of the molten lava below emits a powerful wind, forcing huge amounts of... force... up into the... sky? It's a quick way to get to the top, but it's also a fantastic tool for approaching risky parts of the map from above if you maneuver yourself correctly. Periodically, a fancy jewel will spawn on the floating platform in the center. Will you grab it? The answer is yes.

You can just float! Hope you don't die.

Now, it's time for ANOTHER MAP! We love levels! Levels in video games! WOW!

The moon is shining in the sky, reminding me of so many other nights...

Welcome to Skulville! Specifically, we're at the Skulville Commons: a compact and contained shopping center filled to the brim with business. Here, you can spend all your money in one place! The lights of the nightlife lead your way through the walkways of this commodity-laden district.

Let's all go to the movies!

The big draw of the Skulville Commons is The Valley! The smell of popcorn fills the air* of this sacred temple dedicated to the moving picture. There are many ways into the theater, including the arcade, the condiments zone, and the storage area. You're not stopping here for concessions, though: one of the big draws here is the Haste powerup! Pick it up, and become imbued with the power of SHOOTING VERY FAST! My personal favorite weapon to use with the Haste is the Gavling Gun.

* Tomb Fetus Scratch-n-Sniff card required for smell feature

HASTE!!! AAAAHHH!!! FUCK!!!!!!!

That's all for now! I want to thank y'all again for looking forward to the release of Tomb Fetus. It's been a long road for this game, and even though the 2023 mark was missed, I'm very satisifed with the work that has gone into the game so far. I've had a lot of moments this year where I've reflected on my game creation journey, all the way from Game Maker 7 and MyGameBuilder back in the days of yore, to the earliest, stankiest days of Tomb Fetus back in 2015, to where I am now. Being able to see my own growth through the lens of game development and modding is wild to me, and I'm proud of that! I look forward to seeing you all in 2024, with the release of TOMB FETUS!