One of the most common features of indie titles is the inspiration that they take from other games, offering new developers with less resources a starting point to begin adding their own ideas or other sources of inspiration to. Those who have followed the development of the upcoming metroidvania Maskborne have had the chance to see this development in real time. The developer YouTube channel keeps a careful catalogue of the progress made with each month, showing off the features of various media from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to Studio Ghibli films that are being adapted into Maskborne’s systems.

In addition to the standard devlog releases, the team has also recently put out a teaser trailer for the game, offering a clearer look at the art style, combat, and characters. It begins with an introduction to the main character in a dark, hand-drawn world. The player character is surrounded by ruins and massive plant life that hang objects in both the background and foreground. Later on in the trailer, platforming sections across suspended ledges test the quick movement options of the character. The game features quick-paced melee combat reminiscent of Hollow Knight and Ori and the Blind Forest, confirmed by the developer to be intentional. These combat skills that can be further altered through the use of boundlings, small creatures that help the player by giving them access to new abilities.

According to the game’s official website, Maskborne takes place in a ruined world that collapse after people stopped dying. This is explained as being caused by the disappearance of death itself, with the story as to why scattered among crypts throughout the world. Players will be tasked with bringing death back to save the broken world.

As more and more indie developers put their work out into the world to play, more tools are added to other potential developers, improving new releases for all players. Fans of metroidvanias can follow the progress of Maskborne on the official YouTube channel.