Platformer Progress - Animation Testing with Newer Tools, Concept for Title Screen, and quick Boss Concept WIP

Heya once again to everybody, recent developments have been kind of slow, but a majority of the cause has been testing out and learning more about recently acquired tools I have on hand.

Recently I've been looking more into what I can do with Clip Studio's animation features, and their recent update to 4.0 having new additions to tinker with, I'm still working on seeing what I can work with but I do have a bit of a test run.

Currently just trying out keyframes for things like the run and slide, but I'm doing a fair bit of trial and error to see what options I'm given. If all goes well, I could use something dynamic like this for a title screen animation.

Speaking of said title screen potential, I also wanted to see about a stylized background for a menu, as surprisingly the menu screen was one of the trickier things to get a decided style over of all things.

One potential maybe was something funky like a 90s 2D platformer kinda tone, with a funky background grid that'd slowly move in a loop and equally funky shaped buttons for the modes

I do know the Gallery might likely be a Database server in theme around the main Antag's computer designs. However options, main menu, and if I can, save file blocks might keep the same tone, maybe with different colors in use to make them a bit diverse even if just by color.

I would show more, however I'm sort of free working this to learn through trial and error and most of the other stuff is things like small head rotations for future sprite uses which aren't much to show for yet.

Last thing I want to show is definitely smaller now but useful more for the future, attempting to make a proper Character Sheet / Reference Sheet for the characters used in here, bosses, support and the likes.

For some it's straightforward as Ashra, Moof, and most others are just them themselves, however the first one being worked on due to the additions he has is one of the earlier bosses, Pierce, the Hyena.

Pierce's ability is a weird case as his is the only one of the four main antags that has a physical form to it, which makes it need a design too. I worked with Pierce to have a mix of a Metal and Circus feel, so the ability I wanted to be similar, but not exact, and a thought came to me from that..

Jester theme, This is the beta concept so far for Pierce's ability, Mirror Mirror for beta name, cause yes the abilities have names, all 4 main antags will have named ones but for them it's all mainly body focused, Valentine shapeshifting and that kinda stuff.

Pierce is the only one that will need this extra effort in it, and I feel like it's turning out well so far, something Persona esque in regards to being part of him that can be summoned and retracted.

A lot of design and experimentation, Pierce's specifically not entirely a new addition as the ability was decided long back, just no design was in place for it yet. I'm wanting to keep up making progress to show, unfortunately that's something that only comes in time.

So that will have to be all from me for now.