The new demo has been out for two weeks, and the feedback has been amazing. I’ve fine-tuned a lot of game mechanics, and I’m really proud of how the demo represents the final project better than the previous one. It’s reached over 15k players in that short time, which means I’ve been reading a ton of new messages from the Paper Sky world.

There will be another demo update before the full release of Paper Sky, featuring all the mechanics I’ve mentioned in previous updates: more challenges, fauna, NPCs, a world map, and the complete gameplay loop of at least one world (the current demo only covers half of it).

https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/1617230/Paper_Sky/

Good news for Apple users! The Mac port is up and running smoothly, so I can confirm it’ll be available at launch alongside the PC/Linux versions.

Not directly related to Paper Sky, but I wanted to share everything I’m working on. Over the past few years, I’ve participated in 10+ game jams. This weekend, I did one called Hollowspire—a fun, clicker-inspired game where you dig deeper and deeper until you can ascend. It’s highly addictive and easy for anyone to play.

It was a nice change of pace from Paper Sky with different art style, different mechanics. Give it a try here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/57/hollowspire
The past few months have been intense between the game show, the new demo, and the sleep-deprived game jam. I’m feeling the need for a brief pause (less than a month) to avoid burnout. Don’t worry, I’ll still be working on Paper Sky, but it’ll mostly be administrative stuff that I’ve been putting off and cleaning the project work process. The next update will likely be light or a bit empty, but I’ll be back to full speed in May.

https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/1617230/Paper_Sky/
Available for PC/Linux

• New Level Design
  
• New visual art style
  
• New flight controls
  
• Upgrade mechanics
  
• Boost mechanics
  
• Huge optimization pass
  
• New online messaging system

Lots of good stuff and more. Feel free to let me know what you thought about the new demo either here, on the steam forums or on the discord! The mac version is coming in the coming days.

I have so much to share, but I’m saving it for the March update—see you soon!

Hey would you look at that, right on time. Crushing the deadlines 💪

I couldn’t fit the full GIF here, so check out my Twitter for higher-quality videos and (almost) daily updates: https://x.com/BruteForceGame/status/1894064670505418967

Almost all planned features for the demo are in, except NPCs and a secret animal interaction mechanic that lets you blend into the world’s fauna and "evolve".

The GIF shows a track challenge where you pass through gates to unlock rewards. These gates also provide a natural environmental boost for relaxed exploration.

Paper Sky will be featured in a demo showcase at the Future Game Show on March 20, 2025—a great chance to introduce more players to the paper plane concept and gather fresh feedbacks!

The new demo update will launch on Steam on March 20, alongside the show.

This update introduces a second part with progression and environment interactions. A major change is the flight control scheme, refined based on feedback to offer the best experience—no more difficulty selection!

The demo’s beginning remains mostly unchanged, aside from bug fixes and level design tweaks.

See you for the new demo release and thanks for the support! ✈️


doggo

After lots of testing, I’ve refined the boost mechanics. While last month’s version looked cool, it didn’t feel quite right and let players bypass too much of the game’s challenge. The new boost system is inspired by Abzû—if you time your inputs right, you can chain boosts for longer distances.

I’m still deciding if missed inputs should have negative consequences, but for now (and in the upcoming demo), it won’t. I'll tweak this based on how it fits with level design.

Speaking of level design;

I’ve added cloth simulations to help you glide across vast aerial sections and to highlight where other players' messages are hidden. These notes give you upgrade points when found. Look for the red drapings!

And don’t worry if you miss any—they’ll be marked on your map, with progress tracking for all the completionists out there (myself included!).

Now we're entering in a spoiler and weird territory, much like my precedent game when I was in that period of development there are some things I do not wish to discuss simply because it would spoil a great majority of the game's narrative and game experience.

So without diving into spoilers, I’ve wrapped up the core narrative of Paper Sky. It’s not a direct story with characters or dialogue but an underlying thread that ties the universe together and gives meaning to your journey.

We’re close to breaking into the top 1000 most wishlisted games on Steam! It’s incredible to see so many people excited about Paper Sky, trying out the demo, and giving valuable feedback. This support is helping shape the game into something truly special.


I’ve got three worlds left to draft art-wise, and things are moving steadily. The prologue I planned for March will now be an update to the current Steam demo, thanks to recent changes in how Steam handles demos compared to prologues. While I missed the chance to release it as a separate prologue and benefit from the Steam changes (because they did the changes right after I released the demo 🤡), the game's media traction and your support mean I don’t need to chase visibility as much, so I'm not too bummed about it.

I’m aiming to release this updated demo in the coming weeks, but it may land around the March milestone.

That’s it for this month—back to polishing the demo! Thanks for being part of this journey. ✈️💨🍃

Let's start with the coolest one, I’ve added another layer of detail to the grass in the demo, which looks amazing when flying over it at high speed.

The old skybox (that we all agreed wasn’t great) is gone! It’s been replaced with a new dynamic skybox that blends beautifully with the world. It aligns more closely with the concept art. Check out the before/after comparison and how it integrates into the game:

Shadows now look softer, reducing aliasing and improving overall stability. Plus, I’ve got some cool environmental color bleed effects for added style!

The shadows will appear more soft which will prevent aliasing and streaming bitrate going down.

Grass now reacts dynamically to the player’s wind displacement, and I’ve added patches of white flowers to guide you through denser areas.

Progress has been slower than I’d hoped, but for good reason: I’ve been reworking assets to be compatible across all worlds in Paper Sky. This will speed up development moving forward.

Here’s what’s left before the new demo can drop:

Last town assets: A key city hub essential to the demo (yet to be revealed).
Interactive map: A fast-travel system that doubles as a pop-up art book, complete with guidance and secret-hunting features.
Upgrade/customization menu: Still tweaking it to make sure it’s perfect!

I’m aiming to release the updated demo in January. Thanks for your patience—I’m excited to keep building the world of Paper Sky!

Cheers!

I’ve made big progress in the new art style and assets, especially for the demo world and areas beyond the demo playthrough. And yes, Twitter can now officially stop commenting on how orange the buildings are! 😊

The demo environment is shaping up beautifully, and you can catch a sneak peek in the background of the pic. I’ll reveal the full map once the demo is ready!

If you didn't see the special announcement last month, The CNC has granted €45,000 (roughly $48,000) to Paper Sky.
The CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animée) is a French Ministry of Culture agency dedicated to supporting cinematic and audiovisual arts, including video-games.

I’ve been refining what the Paper Sky experience is meant to feel like. At its core, the gameplay revolves around Movement and Exploration.

I want players to feel the natural flow of the world without frustration. Upgrades will be tied directly to gameplay and exploration:

Earn upgrade points by finding messages left by other players.
Unlock upgrade slots by achieving feats within each world, like flying long distances without touching the ground, reaching high speeds, or pulling off daring stunts for style points.
This system means every playstyle is rewarded: whether you prefer to chill and explore, or tackle challenges head-on, you’ll have a fulfilling experience.

I will soon work on the clear visuals for that upgrade feature, the main thing to takeaway from it is that you'll be able to customize your experience based on the actions in the game, if you want to upgrade the ball more than the plane you will be able to do so.

Another key feature is the world map, which will show your location and allow fast travel between worlds—but not within them. This preserves the sense of journey and discovery in every environment.

Originally, the new demo was set for the end of November, but plans have shifted. Steam recently updated how prologues and demos are featured on their homepage, so I’ve decided to aim for a 30th December release.

This change gives me time to pack in more content and polish, including some final-stage features. I want to start 2025 on a good note and get early feedback on all the finished, polished mechanics. Thanks for your patience!

One of my Paper Sky TikTok videos hit 1.3M views in just a week! 🚀 More and more people are discovering this project, which feels surreal. It’s also a great reminder of how much has been accomplished over the past year. I can’t wait to see what 2025 holds!

Doggo got a bath

The CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animée) is a French Ministry of Culture agency dedicated to supporting cinematic and audiovisual arts, including video-games. Their mission includes offering financial aid to outstanding artistic and video-game projects; and I’m incredibly honored that Paper Sky has been recognized as one of them.

While this doesn’t change the core plans of the game, it makes everything easier for me as a solo developer. During my last project, Crumble, I often found myself worrying over; “Will the game sell well?”, “Will I have the resources to make another game?”, “Am I making a mistake somewhere?”

With the CNC’s support, many of these concerns are now behind me. Here’s what this means for Paper Sky:

• The CNC has granted €45,000 (roughly $48,000) exclusively for the project
  
• I am now 100% confident the game will have enough funding to reach completion, including handling any potential delays
  
• I won’t need to depend on Paper Sky’s future sales to start my next project
  
• Development and marketing are significantly less stressful, allowing me to focus on making the best game I can
  
• A detailed development roadmap and comprehensive game design document are now fully in place, ensuring every planned feature is accounted for
  
• Some features that I wasn't sure I would have enough time and resources to implement will be implemented, this includes the progression system with skill points, an underwater world and many more secrets
  
• The soundtrack will now receive extra care and attention, with more features to make it truly stand out
  
• I’m now committed to releasing Paper Sky on PC, Mac, Linux, and the Nintendo Switch!
  
• Due to the project financial viability, Paper Sky will be more tailored for the people who've been following and supporting the project instead of aiming for mass-market appeal

As a solo developer, this combination of Kickstarter funding and public support is what makes creating games like Paper Sky possible. I am deeply thankful to the CNC commission for this incredible opportunity.
You can check out the official public release of the CNC commission results here: https://www.cnc.fr/professionnels/aides-et-financements/resultats-commissions/fonds-daide-au-jeu-video-fajv--resultats-de-la-commission-du-26-septembre-2024_2294001
(Warning: A lot of french words)

In next month’s update, I hope to share the new demo with you, featuring completely overhauled mechanics and a brand new look of the town world.

Thank you so much for your support and enthusiasm. See you in the next update!

The big announcement is still in the works, but I’ve shared a sneak peek in an unofficial post on the project Discord!
The new demo release is delayed slightly due to some exciting features I’m adding, including a redesigned upgrade menu. This extra work won’t affect the final release date, as these features were always planned.

I’ve finalized the visuals for the updated boost mechanic. Now, recharging your boost charges happens by flying fast and close to the environment; essentially rewarding "cool" and risky maneuvers. This setup reinforces a sense of flow, encouraging you to stay airborne as long as possible.

To guide you, red trails will mark the main route for progression, and flying near them will naturally boost your speed and recharge your boost charges. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this feature once you try it out.

The upgrade menu has been revamped to feel more interactive and engaging. Now, when you open it, a popup book unfolds, letting you turn pages to select and upgrade different paper transformations. Each page is like a mini diorama of the model you’re customizing. Upgrade points are represented by messages left by other players that you find on your journey. I hope this visual approach makes customizing your plane even more fun, the visual here is still very rough.

I know the first demo was a bit sluggish on the Steam Deck, though it mostly ran well on PCs. I’ve optimized the lighting model, and the game now runs consistently on the Steam Deck. Moving forward, the Steam Deck will be the primary benchmark for optimization—so if your hardware outperforms a Steam Deck, you’ll have no issues running the game at high settings.

However, there’s one world in the game that uses a different render pipeline and incorporates ray tracing. This area may still be demanding on certain graphics cards, so I’ll be working closely with beta testers to make sure it’s accessible for as many players as possible after the new demo is out.

I’m still exploring ways to make clouds interactive for players. If the current shader approach doesn’t work out, it won’t be a big loss, but I’ll keep you updated!

What I'm working on in November?
I’m focusing on filling out and polishing the art assets for the third world, which will be featured in the upcoming demo. Once that’s complete, the new demo will be released for you to enjoy.

That’s all for now—see you in the next update, or for the big announcement (hopefully soon 💀)!