YUNO & DAWN

“You dream of a field, Yuno waving to you, but when you wake up, metal walls stare back at you.”

YUNO & DAWN is a psychological narrative adventure about perception, sanity, and a world rebuilt without you.

Status: In active development. Demo is planned for late Summer 2026.

[Preview, not a final visual]

About

“You follow Dawn, as he leaves the bunker with his companion Yuno, entering a world changed and rebuilt after an alien parasite invasion. Nothing is the same.”

The tone I’m going for is a mix of whimsical and tense. My main inspirations for this game were ENA: Dream BBQ and Silent Hill 2 Remake, which influenced the art direction and the crossover of tones.

The game will explore Dawn’s psyche through distorted environments, visuals, sound, and choices that subtly reshape the interactions with the world.

Gameplay Plans

Narrative Focused Progression: Story and exploration are primary aspects, with combat supporting pacing and tension.

Sanity & Perception: Dialogue choices and encounters influence Dawn’s mental state, affecting endings and how the world is perceived.

Exploration & Discovery: Crafted environments with environmental storytelling, puzzles, and NPC interactions.

Development Progress

Current State

Core systems are implemented at a functional level, including player movement, interaction, dialogue, and inventory. These systems work in-game and will be entering a refinement stage, following the course for the best narrative experience.

[Inventory system preview, not a final visual]

In Development

The combat system is currently in active development. It’s designed to be a straightforward first-person melee/ranged system, supporting tension and atmosphere rather than mechanical complexity. Development is being done alongside the visuals to ensure it feels cohesive and intuitive.

[In progress combat preview, not a final visual]

What’s Next?

A save and load system is planned as my next milestone and is most likely going to be developed during Spring as part of my university project.

Demo Scope

The visual direction is still something I’m refining, but I’m starting to finally piece it together. Within the demo’s scope, two environments are planned:

• The Bunker, an enclosed space that will introduce core mechanics and tone.
• The Abandoned Area, a partially open area that expands the exploration, NPC interactions, sanity mechanics, and combat.

Together, these areas are meant to function as an immersive introduction rather than a traditional-style tutorial.

Remaining Systems

The other systems I plan to implement include sound design, objective records, events and checkpoints. Localisation is also being considered, depending on the availability of time.

Solo Development

I’m developing this project as a solo developer. Most assets are created by me, with some third-party assets used where appropriate with verified authorships and permitted usage. I work on different areas such as art, animation, music composition, programming, and graphic design, with a strong emphasis on an engaging player experience.

[Screenshots from development]

Art Direction

I initially planned the game with a 2D direction in mind but quickly realised that 3D will work much better. Since I wanted to add grittiness to the visuals, I went with a low-poly pixelated stylisation. It essentially mirrors how Dawn sees the world.

The way I’m designing visuals is in line with the planned mood and functionality. I want it to be engaging and smooth to navigate.

[Initial 2D concept]

[Current art direction preview]

Development Plans

Short-Term (Now – Spring)

I will continue the development alongside the final year of my university course. During this time, the focus is on completing save and load system and the further refinement of core gameplay systems and visual direction.

Summer Development

Starting in Summer, the project is planned to enter a full-time development. My primary goal is to complete and release the demo by the end of Summer with a strong foundation for the full game.

I track development through my personal dev log document, which helps with planning and control of scope. Based on previously recorded development progress, I consider the demo timeline to be achievable.

Post-Demo & Crowdfunding

After the demo release, I plan to launch a crowdfunding campaign to support a full-time development of the complete game. With funding, the full game is planned to be developed over the timeline of two years, aiming for a focused 3–5-hour narrative experience and content.

If I don’t manage to secure funding, I will continue the development part-time.

Demo Plans

Scope

The demo is designed to implement all major systems and solidify the visual direction. This will help to ensure that future development can focus on expanding content rather than introducing new mechanics.

The demo is estimated to be around 30 minutes long.

Release Window

The demo is planned to be released by the end of Summer 2026.

Feedback

If you have any feedback, I will really appreciate it. It’s hard to judge things as a single individual, though my design philosophy is based on player experience first.

I have DMs open on both Bluesky and Twitter, so feel free to reach out and express your thoughts.

Here's where you can find me: carrds link

Following the Project

I occasionally post snippets on my social media. I will try to expand to more social media around springtime. I will also figure out a better way to keep the game’s progress updated.

As it is now, I’m juggling a lot of things, so I believe by the time I’m done with university, I will be able to provide more consistent updates.

Featured Art

A small selection of artworks for YUNO & DAWN