Devlog 002 - Two Ways of Seeing

In this entry I want to share the first shape of the Denial Lens. This is not a finished mechanic, but a "tester" level to experiment with how it might feel to the player to traverse one space that has two different interpretations.

This level is not meant to be completed, it's more of a sketch than a chapter. A place to ask a specific question to see how the world responds.

The Overworld

Overworld without denial lens

This is a space that exists without the Denial Lens. It is incomplete by design: Some paths don't connect. Some spaces feel too open or too quiet. It's a version of the world that simply is what it is, even when that makes it difficult to keep moving.

At this stage, that “difficulty” is not challenge in the platformer sense. It's emotional friction. The world is less willing to shape itself into something navigable.

The Denial World

The world with denial lens

With denial active, the same space becomes more coherent. Routes appear. Certain gaps feel filled, not necessarily with “truth,” but with structure... the kind of structure that allows forward motion.

This is the core of what I'm trying to express: denial isn't ignorance, and it isn't stupidity. It's a survival response. When the full weight of loss is unbearable, denial can function like scaffolding. A temporary architecture that makes it possible to take the next step.

However, even where denial can help us bridge a path forward, it will just as easily hide some necessary truths.

The Goal of the Mechanic

I've been trying to resist the idea that denial is simply about hiding things. That framing leans too heavily into “the player is refusing to see the truth,” which can feel judgmental.

Instead, I'm treating this game as a broader exploration of perception: how emotions are felt, how we choose to define them, and how we sometimes allow them to define us in return. Emotions don't just change what we see... they change what we believe is possible, what we interpret as safe, and what kind of world we think we're allowed to live in.

In that sense, the Denial lens is less like a flashlight and more like a stance. A way of walking forward when reality feels unwalkable.