One of the most interesting aspects of our game, The Tartarus Key, is the implementation of reflective mirrors. While most modern games rely on screen space reflections or render targets to achieve realistic mirror effects, we decided to take a different approach and draw inspiration from classic games like Mario 64. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40813934/aa728060e4f5c3285e0deb04e3ac79eec5973f4d.jpg[/img] For some of the mirrors in the game—take the bathroom mirror, for example—we duplicated the entire room and cut a hole in the wall for the player to look through. This process is lengthy, but it allows us to achieve a realistic mirror effect, while also remaining authentic to the era of games that inspired us, without using any camera trickery. The end result was worth the effort, as the mirrors look great, function how we hoped, and during playtesting were a feature that stood out to players. A surprising number of players would comment on the mirrors, and other devs would theorise about the method we used to create them. We never realised people liked mirrors so much! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40813934/1cd83bd8ed708a8dd5a12485220bea63250ed0e3.jpg[/img] However, due to the time-consuming process of creating reflective mirrors in this way, we opted for different solutions for the majority of the other mirrors in the game. For example, we intentionally made some mirrors "broken" or "dirty" to work around the limitations of our aesthetic and development time! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40813934/4f2288349a8f2742e1debd2cd38f2a65e2b8917d.jpg[/img] During the implementation process, we also encountered an issue where the player character, Alex, would poke through the mirror if she got too close to the wall. To address this, we simply detect the player's proximity to the wall and shrink Mirror Alex to a teeny tiny size whenever necessary. Some solutions are more entertaining than others! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40813934/4e6fda690591d6b6433e209c0eeac462ba9b5fb5.gif[/img] Our decision to use a unique method to create mirrors in The Tartarus Key provided a distinct visual style for the game. While it was a lengthy process, we believe that it was worth it for the special mirrors that are featured in the game. We’re excited to see how players react to these mirrors during key moments, and how they impact the overall experience of playing The Tartarus Key! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40813934/4592a78bec2817a16c918e0738b72b7411ef027f.gif[/img]