Following a public disagreement over Unity's pricing policy, Mega Crit, the game studio known for the successful deckbuilder game 'Slay the Spire', has triumphed again. After announcing its switch to a new game development engine, Godot, the developer has in a surprise move released 'Dancing Duelists', a game built using the new engine in a mere three weeks.
The rapid transition and the release of a new game came in the wake of what has been referred to as a pricing 'debacle' affecting Unity. Restating their commitment to their new choice of development tool on Twitter, Mega Crit declared, "We're moving to Godot and made a free little jam game over the last three weeks." The outcome is 'Dancing Duelists', described by the studio as an 'auto-battling deckbuilder' game which offered them a chance to get to grips with the Godot engine.
In 'Dancing Duelists', players choose from a variety of eccentric characters, such as Carnival Carry and Groovy Oracle, to participate in a tournament. The gameplay revolves around these characters automatically using their unique decks of cards until one side loses all health points. This might seem rather simple, but the complexity emerges as players navigate between matches, selecting new cards and upgrades to enhance their decks.
The creation of 'Dancing Duelists' came at the same time as the 'Jump Ship' game jam, an event that encouraged developers to produce a game using a new engine or tool. This initiative aims to aid game makers in transitioning to new engines in the aftermath of Unity's pricing controversy. All the games developed during this game jam can be found on Itch.io and 'Dancing Duelists' is also available as a free download on Itch.io.
Slay the Spire fans can expect more from Mega Crit. Despite the experimental and entertaining release of 'Dancing Duelists', a more considerable title is in the works. The game studio has also recently revealed that this new, yet to be announced, project will also be developed using a different engine.
In showing solidarity with Mega Crit's move against Unity, several other developers have stepped forward. Vampire Survivors' developers, for instance, announced they will no longer use Unity. Meanwhile, Terraria's developers generously donated $200,000 to other alternative engines, including Godot.
Unity's pricing fiasco has certainly caused a stir in the gaming industry, leading to high-profile departures and pushing developers towards exploring different engines. The move by Mega Crit, among others, has proven that when controversy strikes, resilience and innovation can flourish, bringing forth new possibilities and exciting outcomes in gameplay.
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