Penance

Devlog

• Animating a tormented monk through rotoscopy, blending faith, guilt and motion in Penance
  October 13, 2025 by Scriptorium Artis#Game Animation, #2D Art, #Indie Game, #Rotoscopy

  I wanted Elías, the main character of Penance , to move with a human fragility slow, deliberate, almost burdened by guilt. To achieve that, I used rotoscopy , recording myself and others performing t... Continue reading

  
• In Penance, prayer won't save you: designing two Specters that sabotage your faith
  October 11, 2025 by Scriptorium Artis#GameDesign, #SurvivalHorror, #Godot, #2DGame, #Atmospheric

  The core of Penance is the deliberately slow, contemplative pace of Purification . Players must Pray to activate Elias's Staff and absorb the Guilt from contaminated objects blocking their path. But d... Continue reading

  
• Can a game stay slow without becoming boring?
  October 07, 2025 by Scriptorium Artis#game design, #horror game

  Most horror games build tension through movement, running, escaping, reacting. But while developing Penance , I discovered that real tension can also come from stillness , as long as that stillness re... Continue reading

  
• Designing a mechanic around inner conflict: Faith vs Guilt in Penance
  October 05, 2025 by Scriptorium Artis

  2

  #gamedesign, #devlog

  Hi everyone, I wanted to share with you what I consider the most important part of my game Penance : the duality between Faith and Guilt . From the beginning I knew I didn’t want a simple health bar... Continue reading