Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working on some very important aspects of the game and the story of the world of Yoki. In particular, we’ve refined our concept for traveling between islands. The original gameplay flow was as follows: collect flowers > activate a totem > travel to another island. But since we want to create a complex network of teleportation totems in the future, we’ve added another step to this sequence—the Tree of Life—which will not only introduce fresh lore but also simplify the totem activation mechanics by allowing players to activate them all at once. There will be a single giant tree on each level. Therefore, the progression sequence will be as follows: collect flowers > activate the Tree of Life > find a totem > travel to another island.
In addition to drawing a super-large tree, we’ve also replaced the old trees with new ones, making them look more like cherry blossoms. We’ll most likely repurpose the old tree textures for a new type of flora in future levels. We’ve also added roots to the map that extend from the Tree of Life across the entire map—this really adds depth and vibrancy to the scene. And, of course, normal maps were created for all the new textures to improve lighting effects!
And now for a bit of lore:
The Trees of Life are gigantic magical trees whose roots weave together the groups of floating islands in Tail Valley. Within each of these trees lies a large pink sphere—a reservoir of the power of desires. It is this sphere that creates gravitational anomalies and keeps the islands suspended in the air.
Many millennia ago, the anthro learned to interact with this power. From the roots of the Trees of Life that protrude above the surface, they created sacred totems through which they could communicate with the gods and partially harness the power of the Trees of Life.
Sometimes the Trees of Life lack power, and then the sacred totems become deactivated. To restore the Trees of Life to their full power and reactivate the totems, a ritual offering must be performed.