The process of bringing Sho'guul to UnderMine 2

Hello, Peasants!

UnderMine 2 has recently received it's fifth major update and it's a special one. 0.8.0 Demon Rivals brings Sho'guul back to the Undermine! I want to take you through the thought process a bit, because it not only explains how we brought Sho'guul back, but our design approach for UM2 and how it relates to the original UnderMine.

Classic, but New

Many elements and characters in UnderMine 2 return from UnderMine. Our goal is to bring back the familiar, but give it new context. We are inspired by classic games such as the Metroid series and specifically the transition from Metroid to Super Metroid.

In Super Metroid, you return to Zebes, the same planet the events of Metroid took place on. You find similar areas, but the context has changed. Some late stage areas are now early, some early stages are late. You see how the planet has changed since you left. Old bosses return, but are bigger and blown out compared to their original form.

We want the return to the Undermine to feel familiar, but provide a new sense of awe and curiosity. Who are these new characters? What has happened with the old ones? Admittedly, at Early Access launch, we leaned too heavily on the classic, and not enough on the new. With the last few updates we've been trying to bring that balance more in line with our original vision.

Sho'guul -- Bigger, Bolder, Buffer

We always wanted to bring Sho'guul back, but we had a far more elaborate plan for UM2. We wanted to make him more central to the entire world and we wanted to give him a counterpart. Visually, Sho'guul has had a major glow-up.

We've always loved Sho'guul's design and sprite, but we want these demons to feel monumental and so we've invested a lot to make them feel that way. We've done more than improve his art, though. There is an entirely new system to support Sho'guul, along with a fair amount of lore.

Tendency

In UnderMine 2 we expand on the word's lore, but in subtle ways. Most of this is learned through item descriptions and optional dialog with the characters, but also through the initial cutscenes with the demons.

The Aether is all of matter -- all of existence. On either side of the aethereal plane are two extremes. One is chaos and entropy, represented by Sho'guul, and the other is design and creation, represented by his sister Order. Along this gradient, the elements interact in the world and are naturally aligned with one demon over the other.

Tendency is your connection to the aethereal plane and it changes based on your actions. Choosing certain items, or performing certain actions will tilt it towards one demon or the other. When you descend floors there is a chance you'll have an audience with one of the demons, but it depends on the state of your tendency.

Order

On the opposite side of the aethereal plane to Sho'guul is his sister Order. Representing creation, design, peace, and justice Order works against her brother's pull toward entropy. If she had her way, she would freeze the cosmos in a crystal block, preventing all change. You now see that both of these demons are foolish, and their wills both lead toward ruin.

In addition to Tendency and Order being added to the game, there are also plenty of new legendary relics to play around with.

This update has been very exciting to work on as it fulfills a design goal we've had from the very outset of UM2's development. We hope you find it as cool as we do.

Cheers!

• Thorium