I’m infinitely more interested in this project after this retheme. The old videos, while interesting, made it look as though your project was just going to be an unofficial Kingdom Hearts. This new direction feels like a much more unique idea. That being said, using “forced” in the title does make it sound like you got DMCA’d.
I'm really happy to hear that ❤️ I too felt that with the old concept which is why I worked hard to move away from it and to make it more unique. Well I was sort of forced my the circumstances. Like I really did feel forced because I was afraid of changing the name as it would affect the algorithm, but I'm glad it worked out and it didn't hurt the game's searchability 😁
I just like how y'all put both the English and Arabic names in the logo like that. For someone unfamiliar with Arabic like myself, I wouldn't have noticed if I weren't told, but now that I know it's there, it's a detail I really appreciate. :)
From the title I was worried you'd been hit by legal trouble, but actually this is all positives. Having a specific focus is great, and working within a set of limitations tends to help creativity bloom. I look forward to a more vibrant take on arabian nights than the "Desert Level = Tan Browns" standard.
Same. I remember hearing about this dev a year ago and was intrigued by the idea. Glad to see his game is progressing well. And that the name change was due to a change in scope and not legal trouble.
There's a VERY litigious old dev who made a game called Digital Realms or something, similar to Second Life. He's known for suing any online multiplayer game with "Realms" in the name. So when I heard the original name I assumed that guy had made a reappearance.
names, man... i've been working on my game for about 2 years too now and i still just call it "action RPG". getting a good name is so hard but you nailed it! really cool memorable stuff!
Fictionalizing your own life experiences and mixing it with your favorite media is the best way to make stories. Especially for a part of the world thats often poorly represented, as you point out in this video.
Indeed! I found that when I started doing that with my stories, they started to feel so much more alive and real. And I started to have a mote personal attachment to it 😁
It's amazing how much does a centralized theme bring a lot of the game's design together! Faris, knight in Arabic, is such a great name for the hero of the story! It'd be neat to have a character called Nour (Light) or Layla (Night) in the game too!
Iv done a little gamedev before and honestly seeing you realize limitations and willingly dial back the game has me even more hyped for it! Knowing you’re cognizant of potential limitations and having a willingness to dial back the scope builds a lot of confidence in the project. Also awesome to see the story and visual direction getting fleshed out and I absolutely love the whole idea and vibe!
It's been an honour to be a part of your journey to create this game. Btw, about NPCs being duplicated. I had that peeve too, but it can't be helped. If I may suggest something, I think Final Fantasy 12 did a really good job on how they make their NPCs not feel like clones. Maybe it has something to do with their design and colours?
The honor is all mine, I'm really happy to be able to have such awesome support like you Ejazz! ❤ Yeah, it really takes effort to make the whole game's NPCs feel and look unique. My best example is Undertale. Every single NPC in that game is unique and it really feels that way because each one looks unique, has different attitudes, and talks about different things in life and their struggles. That's the style I plan on following in Luminous Nights 😁
it can be found the same sistem in a mod for gta sa where the same npc has many clothing variants and i think its rsndomized like 20 shirt and 20 its already gives many possible clothing the same thing could be aplieed
@YahyaDanboos I just remembered Radiata Stories. If you had the PS2, there was another game where every single NPC is their own character. Each with their own life, daily schedules, and name. Each of them are recruitable.
@@tasoganedude You made me remember Radiata Stories just mentioning it and I suddenly remembered that game also let you kick EVERYTHING and EVERYONE and they had even MORE reactions to that (including fighting back). Man that game was a solid little gem.
I've been following Luminous Nights dev since Luminous Realms, i'm really hyped to play your game, i know it will take time, but i fully support you my friend.
I have a suggestion, this might be difficult to implement but when you defeat the boss of an area the power of darkness weakens in that area and you unlock a night and day cicle during the day new events happen like new missions, character interactions and the shops could have different items. That would give more meaning to Luminous Nights you bring a new light to the Night by bringing the Sun back.
If it's a suggestion I'd like to build on it and drag in the concept of polar nights, where the sun BARELY doesn't raise above the horizon (there's various degrees of polar night/polar twilight too so the level of light at midday could still look dark). That way it would have a "sorta" day/night cycle but not a full one until the main threat is dispelled, giving a feel of the light getting stronger but not completely writing out the "nights" part of the title. (also polar night still uses artificial illumination so that would prevent needing to redo the lighting of areas completely.)
Kingdom Hearts 365/2 Days on the Nintendo DS had smaller worlds compared to the larger worlds of KH3. Those small worlds range from basic Plaza areas with free roaming up to puzzle areas where falling to the ground "resets" the room. If you're making smaller worlds, you can interconnect it or add vertically to make it seem bigger. Alice in Wonderland is a good example of a puzzle world with its bush mazes as the theme of the world.
my partner and i was excited for the game before, but now were really excited, its really looking like its going to be inspired and unique, especially with it being closer to you as a person
First off, your wife's art is GORGEOUS~! I love colorful designs(especially in video games), so the designs are extremely appealing to me. The masked villain looks so cool and has me theorizing about your game already. One of my favorite games of all time is Final Fantasy X and part of that is due to the vibrant, colorful world and the unique world building island inspiration. I do like the whole old European look with knights and such as much as the next fantasy lover, but it gets really boring with the over-saturation. So, I'm over the moon that you're doing an Arabian-inspired setting. Especially with the colors. The whole bleak, "impoverished" look that Hollywood constantly sets is frustrating. And, even with its flaws, Aladdin is my favorite Disney movie, so that makes me extra excited to play in such a themed world. I greatly look forward to more. Your game just gets better and better~ Also, a very smart move to scale back. I greatly struggle with containing my desire to do ALL THE THINGS in a project, so big thumbs up to you on that. It's hard to reign yourself in as a creative. Especially on a project you control. I greatly look forward to playing your game someday and will continue to cheer you on. ^^
Thank you so much for these lovely comments!! I'm really glad you like the Arabian theme, I was thinking of going for the typical fantasy look but indeed it is way too saturated and it would also be a shame to not take inspiration from my own heritage 😊 Hehe yeah it's very hard to stay focused and not get distracted with new ideas and overscoring the project, it's definitely a constant struggle that I have to keep maintaining. Hope you enjoy the game when it comes out! 😁
Thank you so much! I've recently been really interested in trying to draw colorful Arabian-themed illustrations so this was the perfect opportunity to do that, while going for a color palette with an indie-game feel. I'm very glad you enjoy the result and I can't wait to do more art for Luminous Nights!
@@YahyaDanboos Encouraging comments help keep a creative spirit alive through the grueling grind of making a dream come true, so I'm happy to root for you~
@@Pluvias I was blown away, for sure! Especially the clean lineart. Lineart is the bane of my existence in art. XD I look forward to more of your awesome work and I'm definitely cheering you on all the way, too~ Good luck!
Bit late for this, but honestly love what you're doing here. This finally gives your project an identity of its own, which I personally thought was lacking in prior updates. I absolutely adore the theme you're going with here! Can't wait to see more of that!
Okay, I was keenly interested in this game before, but now I'm genuinely excited for this game. Congratulations on your progress, Yahya! I used to not be super fond of Agrabah in KH before, but seeing your version of an Arabian fantasy world has me extremely hopeful; the logo being a crescent moon with a lantern was also a stroke of genius! Wishing the best for your game!🌙🏮
I've been following along since the first Luminous Realms video you posted and I gotta say, the new story sounds really interesting and Luminous Nights actually sounds way better. I love the idea of incorporating aspects of your culture into the world, it makes it unique and more tangible. I'm doing something similar on a project I'm working on too. Good luck!
Deeply excited for this! I was quite moved by your clear passion in this project. I will be keeping a close watch on updates of the project, and I would absolutely love to create videos on the game! ❤
game looks amazing! can't wait to play the finish product! also love the new character design, first one looked like sora and squalls kid haha, the new one seems more relatable and original
This looks amazing! The platforming reminds me of KH1 which made me squeal with delight! Best of luck to you with development despite the name change. Things change but you're still doing good work. I hope to support you and Luminous Nights when you're ready for an official release. Cool logo too btw wow
Thank you so much! 😊 Yes, I specifically made the platforming more like KH1 as that was the better platforming in my opinion. And I made the combat like KH2 which I think was the best one 😁
IDK if this game is for me but I love your passion and it's cool seeing how the name and story went from something a bit more generic to something really personal to you and your culture. Very cool that your wife did the artwork/illustrations for the characters too it's fun when you get to make something with someone you know makes the whole project feel very personal.
Heads up, you don't _neeeed_ all your npcs to have unique models, but if you still want to, you can try to compose them from a set of a few different hair, face and clothing models and textures. So hair 1 has 3 colors, can be paired with 5 faces and 2 clothes. You can still have special models for special npcs too.
@@YahyaDanboos you'll just become another case of no man's sky, focus on the actual game first, mechanics.... environment.... sort the small details later
I really like the concept. We need artistically inspired Arabian games as you say. The logo is the stuff of dreams, with all those little details ! As someone who’s been watching your videos on this since it’s early history I’m so excited with how far it’s all come. It’s really shaping up to be something great!
Great work man ive also had that problem starting my journey as well and a name never came across my mind. I spent hours designing maps with no world names just ideas of how i want them to look and function. Just keep up the good work. sometimes the best names come when your wrapping up your story
Oh, I’ve been following this game for awhile now! Everything ran smoothly and I am still very much excited as I was day 1! I can’t wait to see the weapons and characters you create!
Its great to hear your story and progress through this game. It's easy for someone to come up with ideas you want to implement, but it's hard to learn you have to compromise and fit the game into a reasonable size as an indie dev. I'm glad this did not discourage you and helped you make something that hits close to home.
I'm very happy to see you find a new theme that helps differentiate this project from its inspiration. Been excited about this game since I first saw your devlogs but couldn't help but get the feeling that the game would just be a worse Kingdom Hearts. The Dauntless to Monster Hunter. But this change along with the change in scope and worldbuilding I think will lead to some more unique creations. Just the fact that the enemies are now Djinn will help you figure out their design sensibilities and how they are part of the world. Best of luck with all of this!
thank you for these kind words! Indeed, I too had that fear of the game being just a KH clone and this is why I strived to make it unique and be able to stand on its own 😁
Bro I'm cheering for you I really like the new direction, I remember watching the first video an thinking "this is going to be great" now I'm sure it'll be awesome
I was worried it was some type of copyright or corporate issues were at fault. But I'm really happy to hear that you've been the driving force. Pressing on into your growth and harnessing the limitations you have as a catalyst for progress is just... magnifique. So cool! I'm excited to see where it goes next.
I've checked on your stuff for the last 2 years. I love how it's all developing. I'm looking to create my own game, but I'm taking some necessary steps before I get started.
I've been excited for your game for a long time. Pleased to see it coming together so well! My only feedback so far is, your visuals and gameplay are looking GREAT! The only area I see that could use some big upgrade would be the sound, primarily the sound effects. Kingdom Hearts is a visual, gameplay, and audio feast. You have 2 of the 3 down, if you can refine the sound effects and add more sound fx, then I think this whole experience will really start popping and grow even more in popularity/excitement!
Yes, yes, and YES!!!! This looks so awesome!! Keep it up! I love how your KH inspired game is REALLY stepping into its own identity!! Great work and keep it up!!
Oh man, I'm glad you brough up the NPCs, I love when games have NPCs that feel alive, and yeah, Undertale does an amazing job at that. I also like when NPC dialogue interactions change as the game's story progresses, ala Tales in the Sky or Psychonauts. I spent so much time in those games just running up to every single NPC I could find just so I could see what all the characters were up to. Really makes it feel like the world is breathing.
This video has done a lot to raise my estimation of this game. Really seems like you're giving it more of its own identity now, one that isn't really seen often in the video game medium at that. I can safely say that I am actually anticipating this project now. Also glad to hear that the exploration has been scaled back by a good degree. I wasn't a major fan of the idea that the game would take a lot of inspiration from "Breath of the Wild" in how the character traversed because that would have clashed with the kind of gameplay that you seem to be going for. On the topic of NPCs, having any at all would be a big improvement over the original "Kingdom Hearts" games where finding them out and about in the world was an all too rare treat. So you're already on the right track there.
All I can say is you're doing a fantastic job bringing the game world to life, everything looks well put together and I'm super excited for the final release, All love and support from Morocco ❤ 4:24 just a small thing I noticed I think a more fitting translation would be : الليالي المضيئة but I can see why you chose that translation instead and it works too.
My friend, your game looks awesome and I hope the best for it! Honestly with the environment, I think you should implement some parkour elements. Not with the whole game, just the parts where you're getting up on a ledge or something like that when you press the jump button at the right time, making it seamless and fun to traverse through. Kind of like a more agile prince of persia
aaaaah this is amazing! I grew up with kingdom hearts, and I love that style of gameplay. So to see more games following that style, but make it your own is fantastic.
Yea, this is a great idea. When you over-stretch, you might think you're adding 1 new thing but not realizing that it is dependent on 20 other new things. I think you can still add a "mysterious outside world" without it being too heavy, just repeat vegetation and add a lot of mist. If you add something like that a bit later in the game, the player gets both excited and cautious because its suddenly a new place that is very different from what they're used to.
Hi, I'm new to this channel. This is the first video of your's I have seen and I just wanna say, I am excieted for your game. You already had me at Kingdom Hearts Style Gameplay, but once you mentioned that the game would be given an Arabian inspired setting and story, man, I'm sold. I love seeign new perspectives from various cultures, and all the beauty that can come from a unique (to me at least) setting that doesn't get enough love. So far, I love your approach to game design, realizing when you need to scale back, but not necessarily scale down. I'm definitely wishlisting Luminous Nights as soon as I can get on Steam.
Well that was a great click in the morning, not knowing what I'd be getting. Bit late from the algorithm, but I've discovered a new Kingdom Hearts-like AND finally I'm getting an architectural treat in more desert-y towns/cities that AREN'T going to go for all-brown-all-the-time?! Love the area you chose for the new theme demo, btw, it's got solid Traverse Town vibes in that good, slightly gloomy but still definitely warm way. I'm looking forward to seeing this little gem pop up in KH spaces! (Also that bilingual title logo is amazing (the art in general is, I'm very glad that you've got talent around you for this!))
The game is really looking good and coming along man Happy to see it doing so well and happy to see that people are really liking it. The final product will truly be fantastic. And maybe if this game does really well. You can make a much larger and bigger in scope game. It would be cool if you and the other person that we're working on a Kingdom Hearts inspired game. Decided to combine both of your games together to make a truly big beefy KH inspired game instead of 2 smaller in scope ones. Just an idea. Keep up the great work.
You should look at games focused on one setting. An example is Super Mario Sunshine. They took the island vacation setting and came up with creative ideas for the locations in the game.
Decided to scale down your game was definitely a smart decision for a first time project, too often have I seen people drop projects because they overestimated their capabilities for a large project. And who knows depending on how you make the story play out you could end up making Luminos Words as the games sequel.
I love kingdom hearts! Naturally I am now interested in your game. Great Name btw, it is very fitting and sounds great. Its cool to see that people are inspired by kingdom hearts, it really got that whole fun combat down. Right now (very slowly) trying to go through all games on steam!
Depending on what your future ideas are, I'm a new viewer of the channel also, maybe create a city as a hub world as a start. And then maybe do mission based system that can highlight the gameplay on the front. Just a suggestion. No pressure. Hehe. I look forward to the finished product. 👌
It’s nice to see the scope being downscaled and a much finer and personalized focus on the game! Was a bit worried when first watching that inspiration made you feel like making a complete Kingdom Hearts clone which woulda not only been a huge task, especially for a first game, but also maybe bland. Taking from your own life and experiences to make something unique from what you often saw was lacking in Arabian representation is sick. Also the new art direction super solid too. Can’t wait to see from all these KH inspired indie devs what’s in store
Wishlisted and keeping my eye on your project because there's not many games that go for the full Arabian/desert town aesthetic. Story is a BIT generic in concept but you can easily make up for that if the characters are fun/engaging.
I just played the game as part of the playtest and absolutely loved it! I've been a Kingdom Hearts fan since a very young age and have played every game for hundreds, if not thousands of hours. The combat is good, the level design is great, and I really like the whole aesthetic style of the game. I played it on my Steam Deck and it ran at a smooth 60 fps on max settings. You're basically giving us the Kingdom Hearts game that the fanbase is so desperately wanting right now. I'm looking forward to playing the finished game when it's done! I could really see it taking off if enough people can find out about it.
I'll definitely follow this game now. It's so cool looking and I love the concept! I agree with other comments that your old version did look like an unofficial Kingdom Hearts game and I wouldn't have been interested. Honestly this is the first time I've seen any video on your channel and if I had seen the old version I wouldn't have been interested since it wasn't original.
having the whole world trapped in darkness it would be interesting if the Villain's lair or area be completely lit and decorated with gold in a way that shows how they are hoarding or restricting the light instead of allowing the rest of the world to have easy access to all the light.
Well done! It's wonderful to see such passion and love for something you create. What was the weapon the main character had before the change? It looked like a keyblade but it wasn't.
I've been watching this project for along time and I just have to say. this is looking far more interesting and unique then what you had before this feels like a game that was inspired by kingdom hearts with its own world and characters rather then a kingdom hearts clone. I cant wait to see it developed more. P.S your wife did an amazing job with the art really great designs and color
I say if you can polish the combat physics to resemble that of KH2, you will have a great game on your hands, you already have a unique theme and aesthetic, so if the game itself is fun, even those who might not get much out of the story, will enjoy it more than items and synthesis, my favourite aspect of the combat in KH2 is the unlocking of new skills and combo extenders, you go from simple 3 or 4 hit combos to insane flashy moves zooming everwhere and casting spells. Not only creating and refining such combat mechanics, but implementing them along with a balanced difficulty curve can be extremely challenging, so keep at it, hope your game does well
You reminded me of 2 important things, one i dont know how to code despite wanting to be a game dev and 2ndly i dont have a pc to play this masterpiece
I can see this as being like a full game set in Traverse Town and Agrabah simultaneously. It’s honestly shocking how long it took for someone to try KH on an indie scale I look forward to seeing the game evolve. By the way, if you’re gonna have a lot of NPCs, a character creation system could streamline development, letting you swap out different outfits, heads, skin tones, hairstyles, and other such things. Nintendo used such a system for Breath of the Wild.
Finally talking about the story & the theme! Really excited to make more colorful art for Luminous Nights 🤩✨
yo its pluvias wth? hiii :D
Ohhh helloo~!
Hi pluvias.
I’m infinitely more interested in this project after this retheme. The old videos, while interesting, made it look as though your project was just going to be an unofficial Kingdom Hearts. This new direction feels like a much more unique idea. That being said, using “forced” in the title does make it sound like you got DMCA’d.
I'm really happy to hear that ❤️
I too felt that with the old concept which is why I worked hard to move away from it and to make it more unique.
Well I was sort of forced my the circumstances. Like I really did feel forced because I was afraid of changing the name as it would affect the algorithm, but I'm glad it worked out and it didn't hurt the game's searchability 😁
@@YahyaDanboos I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m planning on requesting access on Steam today
Yeah I was worried for a moment when I saw the title thinking Square has sent you a c&d to you I'm relief to know that isn't the case
@@YahyaDanboos luminous night dark story happy story serious story
I don’t blame the players I blame the click bait meta.
I just like how y'all put both the English and Arabic names in the logo like that. For someone unfamiliar with Arabic like myself, I wouldn't have noticed if I weren't told, but now that I know it's there, it's a detail I really appreciate. :)
From the title I was worried you'd been hit by legal trouble, but actually this is all positives. Having a specific focus is great, and working within a set of limitations tends to help creativity bloom. I look forward to a more vibrant take on arabian nights than the "Desert Level = Tan Browns" standard.
Same. I remember hearing about this dev a year ago and was intrigued by the idea. Glad to see his game is progressing well. And that the name change was due to a change in scope and not legal trouble.
There's a VERY litigious old dev who made a game called Digital Realms or something, similar to Second Life.
He's known for suing any online multiplayer game with "Realms" in the name.
So when I heard the original name I assumed that guy had made a reappearance.
names, man... i've been working on my game for about 2 years too now and i still just call it "action RPG". getting a good name is so hard but you nailed it! really cool memorable stuff!
haha yeah its so difficult but also so important for marketing 😆
Btw big fan of your HeartsLike game!!! 😁
Fictionalizing your own life experiences and mixing it with your favorite media is the best way to make stories. Especially for a part of the world thats often poorly represented, as you point out in this video.
Indeed! I found that when I started doing that with my stories, they started to feel so much more alive and real. And I started to have a mote personal attachment to it 😁
It's amazing how much does a centralized theme bring a lot of the game's design together!
Faris, knight in Arabic, is such a great name for the hero of the story! It'd be neat to have a character called Nour (Light) or Layla (Night) in the game too!
Iv done a little gamedev before and honestly seeing you realize limitations and willingly dial back the game has me even more hyped for it!
Knowing you’re cognizant of potential limitations and having a willingness to dial back the scope builds a lot of confidence in the project.
Also awesome to see the story and visual direction getting fleshed out and I absolutely love the whole idea and vibe!
It's been an honour to be a part of your journey to create this game.
Btw, about NPCs being duplicated. I had that peeve too, but it can't be helped.
If I may suggest something, I think Final Fantasy 12 did a really good job on how they make their NPCs not feel like clones.
Maybe it has something to do with their design and colours?
The honor is all mine, I'm really happy to be able to have such awesome support like you Ejazz! ❤
Yeah, it really takes effort to make the whole game's NPCs feel and look unique.
My best example is Undertale. Every single NPC in that game is unique and it really feels that way because each one looks unique, has different attitudes, and talks about different things in life and their struggles.
That's the style I plan on following in Luminous Nights 😁
it can be found the same sistem in a mod for gta sa where the same npc has many clothing variants and i think its rsndomized like 20 shirt and 20 its already gives many possible clothing the same thing could be aplieed
A lot of bigger games "clone" npcs....even in Genshin Impact you See the Same looking npcs several times with a different hair colour or outfit
@YahyaDanboos
I just remembered Radiata Stories.
If you had the PS2, there was another game where every single NPC is their own character. Each with their own life, daily schedules, and name. Each of them are recruitable.
@@tasoganedude You made me remember Radiata Stories just mentioning it and I suddenly remembered that game also let you kick EVERYTHING and EVERYONE and they had even MORE reactions to that (including fighting back). Man that game was a solid little gem.
I've been following Luminous Nights dev since Luminous Realms, i'm really hyped to play your game, i know it will take time, but i fully support you my friend.
Thank you for all the support since day one ❤️
I hope to be able to deliver an awesome game 😁
I have a suggestion, this might be difficult to implement but when you defeat the boss of an area the power of darkness weakens in that area and you unlock a night and day cicle during the day new events happen like new missions, character interactions and the shops could have different items.
That would give more meaning to Luminous Nights you bring a new light to the Night by bringing the Sun back.
If it's a suggestion I'd like to build on it and drag in the concept of polar nights, where the sun BARELY doesn't raise above the horizon (there's various degrees of polar night/polar twilight too so the level of light at midday could still look dark). That way it would have a "sorta" day/night cycle but not a full one until the main threat is dispelled, giving a feel of the light getting stronger but not completely writing out the "nights" part of the title.
(also polar night still uses artificial illumination so that would prevent needing to redo the lighting of areas completely.)
Been waiting for so long to share with everyone the new story of the game and to talk about all the changed and improvements that I worked on! 😁
Kingdom Hearts 365/2 Days on the Nintendo DS had smaller worlds compared to the larger worlds of KH3. Those small worlds range from basic Plaza areas with free roaming up to puzzle areas where falling to the ground "resets" the room.
If you're making smaller worlds, you can interconnect it or add vertically to make it seem bigger. Alice in Wonderland is a good example of a puzzle world with its bush mazes as the theme of the world.
my partner and i was excited for the game before, but now were really excited, its really looking like its going to be inspired and unique, especially with it being closer to you as a person
First off, your wife's art is GORGEOUS~! I love colorful designs(especially in video games), so the designs are extremely appealing to me. The masked villain looks so cool and has me theorizing about your game already.
One of my favorite games of all time is Final Fantasy X and part of that is due to the vibrant, colorful world and the unique world building island inspiration. I do like the whole old European look with knights and such as much as the next fantasy lover, but it gets really boring with the over-saturation. So, I'm over the moon that you're doing an Arabian-inspired setting. Especially with the colors. The whole bleak, "impoverished" look that Hollywood constantly sets is frustrating. And, even with its flaws, Aladdin is my favorite Disney movie, so that makes me extra excited to play in such a themed world. I greatly look forward to more. Your game just gets better and better~
Also, a very smart move to scale back. I greatly struggle with containing my desire to do ALL THE THINGS in a project, so big thumbs up to you on that. It's hard to reign yourself in as a creative. Especially on a project you control.
I greatly look forward to playing your game someday and will continue to cheer you on. ^^
Thank you so much for these lovely comments!!
I'm really glad you like the Arabian theme, I was thinking of going for the typical fantasy look but indeed it is way too saturated and it would also be a shame to not take inspiration from my own heritage 😊
Hehe yeah it's very hard to stay focused and not get distracted with new ideas and overscoring the project, it's definitely a constant struggle that I have to keep maintaining.
Hope you enjoy the game when it comes out! 😁
Thank you so much! I've recently been really interested in trying to draw colorful Arabian-themed illustrations so this was the perfect opportunity to do that, while going for a color palette with an indie-game feel.
I'm very glad you enjoy the result and I can't wait to do more art for Luminous Nights!
@@YahyaDanboos Encouraging comments help keep a creative spirit alive through the grueling grind of making a dream come true, so I'm happy to root for you~
@@Pluvias I was blown away, for sure! Especially the clean lineart. Lineart is the bane of my existence in art. XD I look forward to more of your awesome work and I'm definitely cheering you on all the way, too~ Good luck!
Bit late for this, but honestly love what you're doing here. This finally gives your project an identity of its own, which I personally thought was lacking in prior updates. I absolutely adore the theme you're going with here! Can't wait to see more of that!
Thanks, glad you like the new direction! 😁
Okay, I was keenly interested in this game before, but now I'm genuinely excited for this game. Congratulations on your progress, Yahya! I used to not be super fond of Agrabah in KH before, but seeing your version of an Arabian fantasy world has me extremely hopeful; the logo being a crescent moon with a lantern was also a stroke of genius! Wishing the best for your game!🌙🏮
I'm extremely excited for the new direction your taking with the game and story. Proud to be supporting you, man. You're killing it!
the art, name, and logo are fantastic. wishing you the best of luck with the development process. :)
Thanks, glad you like it! 😁
7:04-THERE I AM, GARY, THERE I AM!!
I've been following along since the first Luminous Realms video you posted and I gotta say, the new story sounds really interesting and Luminous Nights actually sounds way better. I love the idea of incorporating aspects of your culture into the world, it makes it unique and more tangible. I'm doing something similar on a project I'm working on too. Good luck!
Deeply excited for this! I was quite moved by your clear passion in this project. I will be keeping a close watch on updates of the project, and I would absolutely love to create videos on the game! ❤
The new logo and look for the game is amazing!! I'm super excited! I know that this is going to do well! It has so much heart!
Thank you so much for those kind words, they help me keep going and striving to make the best game I can 😊❤️
The art and logo look amazing! It’s been great to see how this game has been developing and the thought process behind the scenes!
Thanks!
I'm really happy with how the logo turned out too! ❤
Your support has been really helpful Nathan 😄
Loving the atmosphere and the colors on this one! Deffo gonna add it to my wishlist and looking forward for more updates!
game looks amazing! can't wait to play the finish product! also love the new character design, first one looked like sora and squalls kid haha, the new one seems more relatable and original
Thanks! I'm glad you like the new design 😁
This looks amazing! The platforming reminds me of KH1 which made me squeal with delight! Best of luck to you with development despite the name change. Things change but you're still doing good work. I hope to support you and Luminous Nights when you're ready for an official release.
Cool logo too btw wow
Thank you so much! 😊
Yes, I specifically made the platforming more like KH1 as that was the better platforming in my opinion. And I made the combat like KH2 which I think was the best one 😁
Loving the new concept, art and general idea. Can't wait to see what you will do with Luminous Nights
IDK if this game is for me but I love your passion and it's cool seeing how the name and story went from something a bit more generic to something really personal to you and your culture. Very cool that your wife did the artwork/illustrations for the characters too it's fun when you get to make something with someone you know makes the whole project feel very personal.
That's exactly what I was hoping to achieve! It's been a really special experience working on this with my wife 😁
Heads up, you don't _neeeed_ all your npcs to have unique models, but if you still want to, you can try to compose them from a set of a few different hair, face and clothing models and textures. So hair 1 has 3 colors, can be paired with 5 faces and 2 clothes. You can still have special models for special npcs too.
Of course I don't need to, but I want to.
I want to make it feel more alive and real by having each one be unique, similar to Undertale 😁
@@YahyaDanboos you'll just become another case of no man's sky, focus on the actual game first, mechanics.... environment.... sort the small details later
im excited to see where this project goes. i definitly would love to see the cut ideas in a similar style when you're team is able to do so.
I really like the concept. We need artistically inspired Arabian games as you say. The logo is the stuff of dreams, with all those little details ! As someone who’s been watching your videos on this since it’s early history I’m so excited with how far it’s all come. It’s really shaping up to be something great!
Great work man ive also had that problem starting my journey as well and a name never came across my mind. I spent hours designing maps with no world names just ideas of how i want them to look and function. Just keep up the good work. sometimes the best names come when your wrapping up your story
Oh, I’ve been following this game for awhile now! Everything ran smoothly and I am still very much excited as I was day 1! I can’t wait to see the weapons and characters you create!
Its great to hear your story and progress through this game. It's easy for someone to come up with ideas you want to implement, but it's hard to learn you have to compromise and fit the game into a reasonable size as an indie dev. I'm glad this did not discourage you and helped you make something that hits close to home.
I haven't been following the game's development for a while, so I didn't notice the name change in my steam library.
I'm very happy to see you find a new theme that helps differentiate this project from its inspiration. Been excited about this game since I first saw your devlogs but couldn't help but get the feeling that the game would just be a worse Kingdom Hearts. The Dauntless to Monster Hunter. But this change along with the change in scope and worldbuilding I think will lead to some more unique creations. Just the fact that the enemies are now Djinn will help you figure out their design sensibilities and how they are part of the world.
Best of luck with all of this!
thank you for these kind words!
Indeed, I too had that fear of the game being just a KH clone and this is why I strived to make it unique and be able to stand on its own 😁
Bro I'm cheering for you I really like the new direction, I remember watching the first video an thinking "this is going to be great" now I'm sure it'll be awesome
I'm so stunned by this, I can't wait to see more!
I was worried it was some type of copyright or corporate issues were at fault. But I'm really happy to hear that you've been the driving force. Pressing on into your growth and harnessing the limitations you have as a catalyst for progress is just... magnifique. So cool! I'm excited to see where it goes next.
I've checked on your stuff for the last 2 years. I love how it's all developing.
I'm looking to create my own game, but I'm taking some necessary steps before I get started.
I've been excited for your game for a long time. Pleased to see it coming together so well!
My only feedback so far is, your visuals and gameplay are looking GREAT! The only area I see that could use some big upgrade would be the sound, primarily the sound effects. Kingdom Hearts is a visual, gameplay, and audio feast. You have 2 of the 3 down, if you can refine the sound effects and add more sound fx, then I think this whole experience will really start popping and grow even more in popularity/excitement!
Thanks! Yeah I'm constantly working on improving stuff and everything right now is all placeholders 😁👍
I just binge watched all your devlogs. This game is amazing!
Yes, yes, and YES!!!! This looks so awesome!! Keep it up! I love how your KH inspired game is REALLY stepping into its own identity!! Great work and keep it up!!
Oh man, I'm glad you brough up the NPCs, I love when games have NPCs that feel alive, and yeah, Undertale does an amazing job at that. I also like when NPC dialogue interactions change as the game's story progresses, ala Tales in the Sky or Psychonauts. I spent so much time in those games just running up to every single NPC I could find just so I could see what all the characters were up to. Really makes it feel like the world is breathing.
This video has done a lot to raise my estimation of this game. Really seems like you're giving it more of its own identity now, one that isn't really seen often in the video game medium at that. I can safely say that I am actually anticipating this project now. Also glad to hear that the exploration has been scaled back by a good degree. I wasn't a major fan of the idea that the game would take a lot of inspiration from "Breath of the Wild" in how the character traversed because that would have clashed with the kind of gameplay that you seem to be going for.
On the topic of NPCs, having any at all would be a big improvement over the original "Kingdom Hearts" games where finding them out and about in the world was an all too rare treat. So you're already on the right track there.
All I can say is you're doing a fantastic job bringing the game world to life, everything looks well put together and I'm super excited for the final release, All love and support from Morocco ❤
4:24 just a small thing I noticed I think a more fitting translation would be : الليالي المضيئة but I can see why you chose that translation instead and it works too.
Good job bro! Looking very good so far, I’m very excited for the final release❤
Eyy, thanks dima!! Glad you like it 😁👍
Hyped! Can’t wait to follow LN’s development and to grab the game when it finally comes out!
Bro it looks fire, i hope u make it really enriched in your culture don't hold back on making the story dark since ur free to make it as you wish.
You did great on the design 👏🏿 👌 both of you. 🎉🎉🎉
Thank you! 😊
I genuinely hope this game sells well on Steam, and I hope you do mod support cuz I'd KILL to mod this game
Also hope you make updates that collab with other indies
My friend, your game looks awesome and I hope the best for it! Honestly with the environment, I think you should implement some parkour elements. Not with the whole game, just the parts where you're getting up on a ledge or something like that when you press the jump button at the right time, making it seamless and fun to traverse through. Kind of like a more agile prince of persia
i was fond of KH and Prince of Persia back in middle school/high school. This hits that sweet spot.
great work so far and all the best.
It's already been 2 years !!!😮
Yeah crazy how fast time flies 😅
This update looks so much more polished. Great work!
aaaaah this is amazing! I grew up with kingdom hearts, and I love that style of gameplay. So to see more games following that style, but make it your own is fantastic.
first time seeing your channel. this game looks really cool i'm definitely gonna check it out
Hehe thanks! Glad to have you with us 😁
Yea, this is a great idea. When you over-stretch, you might think you're adding 1 new thing but not realizing that it is dependent on 20 other new things. I think you can still add a "mysterious outside world" without it being too heavy, just repeat vegetation and add a lot of mist. If you add something like that a bit later in the game, the player gets both excited and cautious because its suddenly a new place that is very different from what they're used to.
Agrabah making it's glorious return yet again!
This looks awesome! I really hope to see and more importantly play this game someday!
New name is cool. Lookin forward to seeing how it develops
i cannot wait to be able to play this game it looks amazing and hope that it works as a platform for you to make more things in the future
I LOVE the new concept! The Arabian influence lends a cool and unique perspective to the KH roots and inspirations. Keep going!!
Hi, I'm new to this channel. This is the first video of your's I have seen and I just wanna say, I am excieted for your game. You already had me at Kingdom Hearts Style Gameplay, but once you mentioned that the game would be given an Arabian inspired setting and story, man, I'm sold.
I love seeign new perspectives from various cultures, and all the beauty that can come from a unique (to me at least) setting that doesn't get enough love.
So far, I love your approach to game design, realizing when you need to scale back, but not necessarily scale down. I'm definitely wishlisting Luminous Nights as soon as I can get on Steam.
So cool! Wish much success for you!
Thank you so much ❤️😊
Well that was a great click in the morning, not knowing what I'd be getting. Bit late from the algorithm, but I've discovered a new Kingdom Hearts-like AND finally I'm getting an architectural treat in more desert-y towns/cities that AREN'T going to go for all-brown-all-the-time?!
Love the area you chose for the new theme demo, btw, it's got solid Traverse Town vibes in that good, slightly gloomy but still definitely warm way. I'm looking forward to seeing this little gem pop up in KH spaces!
(Also that bilingual title logo is amazing (the art in general is, I'm very glad that you've got talent around you for this!))
The game is really looking good and coming along man Happy to see it doing so well and happy to see that people are really liking it. The final product will truly be fantastic. And maybe if this game does really well. You can make a much larger and bigger in scope game. It would be cool if you and the other person that we're working on a Kingdom Hearts inspired game. Decided to combine both of your games together to make a truly big beefy KH inspired game instead of 2 smaller in scope ones. Just an idea. Keep up the great work.
Just downloaded the playtest. Super excited to try it out!
You should look at games focused on one setting. An example is Super Mario Sunshine. They took the island vacation setting and came up with creative ideas for the locations in the game.
Decided to scale down your game was definitely a smart decision for a first time project, too often have I seen people drop projects because they overestimated their capabilities for a large project.
And who knows depending on how you make the story play out you could end up making Luminos Words as the games sequel.
You are such an inspiration I am just staring out with game development and finally got my first pc. Before I was doing everything from a laptop 😅
From a fellow dev, the game is looking great so far! Keep it up!
I love kingdom hearts! Naturally I am now interested in your game. Great Name btw, it is very fitting and sounds great. Its cool to see that people are inspired by kingdom hearts, it really got that whole fun combat down. Right now (very slowly) trying to go through all games on steam!
Depending on what your future ideas are, I'm a new viewer of the channel also, maybe create a city as a hub world as a start. And then maybe do mission based system that can highlight the gameplay on the front. Just a suggestion. No pressure. Hehe. I look forward to the finished product. 👌
OMG I WAS WAITING FOR THIS ❤❤❤ THANK YOU!! ❤🎉
It’s nice to see the scope being downscaled and a much finer and personalized focus on the game! Was a bit worried when first watching that inspiration made you feel like making a complete Kingdom Hearts clone which woulda not only been a huge task, especially for a first game, but also maybe bland. Taking from your own life and experiences to make something unique from what you often saw was lacking in Arabian representation is sick. Also the new art direction super solid too. Can’t wait to see from all these KH inspired indie devs what’s in store
Wishlisted and keeping my eye on your project because there's not many games that go for the full Arabian/desert town aesthetic. Story is a BIT generic in concept but you can easily make up for that if the characters are fun/engaging.
Realms can still be used for dimensions. U can use the dimension rift to enter new areas that would be cool for your idea.
This is awesome,getting to see an arabian inspired game is a breath of fresh and I hope that the development goes well!
yooo so much progress!!!! Love the way the game is shaping up 😁
Hehe thanks man, big thanks to your help for that ❤️❤️
This Looks really good, can't wait.
I just played the game as part of the playtest and absolutely loved it! I've been a Kingdom Hearts fan since a very young age and have played every game for hundreds, if not thousands of hours. The combat is good, the level design is great, and I really like the whole aesthetic style of the game. I played it on my Steam Deck and it ran at a smooth 60 fps on max settings. You're basically giving us the Kingdom Hearts game that the fanbase is so desperately wanting right now. I'm looking forward to playing the finished game when it's done! I could really see it taking off if enough people can find out about it.
I'll definitely follow this game now. It's so cool looking and I love the concept! I agree with other comments that your old version did look like an unofficial Kingdom Hearts game and I wouldn't have been interested. Honestly this is the first time I've seen any video on your channel and if I had seen the old version I wouldn't have been interested since it wasn't original.
having the whole world trapped in darkness it would be interesting if the Villain's lair or area be completely lit and decorated with gold in a way that shows how they are hoarding or restricting the light instead of allowing the rest of the world to have easy access to all the light.
Can't wait to wishlist this!
This is starting to look really awesome!
Man, this is looking so cool 👀 love that logo
Thanks! 😁
Well done! It's wonderful to see such passion and love for something you create. What was the weapon the main character had before the change? It looked like a keyblade but it wasn't.
I cannot wait to play it!
really excited for the game
I've been watching this project for along time and I just have to say. this is looking far more interesting and unique then what you had before this feels like a game that was inspired by kingdom hearts with its own world and characters rather then a kingdom hearts clone. I cant wait to see it developed more. P.S your wife did an amazing job with the art really great designs and color
I say if you can polish the combat physics to resemble that of KH2, you will have a great game on your hands, you already have a unique theme and aesthetic, so if the game itself is fun, even those who might not get much out of the story, will enjoy it
more than items and synthesis, my favourite aspect of the combat in KH2 is the unlocking of new skills and combo extenders, you go from simple 3 or 4 hit combos to insane flashy moves zooming everwhere and casting spells.
Not only creating and refining such combat mechanics, but implementing them along with a balanced difficulty curve can be extremely challenging, so keep at it, hope your game does well
I loved the new story, feels really unique and genuine ❤
Thanks! Glad you like it 😁
As someone who loves symbolism and easter eggs, both the new name and the logo are fucking fire.
I love them.
I really like it! I hope that it will be at leat 30-50 hours of game with many sub quests! It will be very interesting!
I. Just now hearing of this cant wait.
The update looks great!
Thanks man 😊
You reminded me of 2 important things, one i dont know how to code despite wanting to be a game dev and 2ndly i dont have a pc to play this masterpiece
I can see this as being like a full game set in Traverse Town and Agrabah simultaneously. It’s honestly shocking how long it took for someone to try KH on an indie scale I look forward to seeing the game evolve. By the way, if you’re gonna have a lot of NPCs, a character creation system could streamline development, letting you swap out different outfits, heads, skin tones, hairstyles, and other such things. Nintendo used such a system for Breath of the Wild.
I'm even more excited to see this develop now