Today, we'd like to take a moment to share some insights into the puzzle development of The Tartarus Key. During the early stages of the game's creation, we experimented with many different ideas of varying complexity and depth. One of these concepts was a puzzle that involved swapping paintings of horrifying creatures to unlock certain areas of the game. As you can imagine, the process of designing these creatures was both fascinating and challenging. Basing the designs on historical demonic beings, we aimed to create a sense of dread and unease in the players as they uncovered and examined these terrifying demons. We painted each creature with the goal of eliciting a unique emotional response, ranging anywhere from disgust to outright terror. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40813934/07be5f93a69079bfc5398da702cbe0ff26ceeb86.jpg[/img] Unfortunately, during playtesting, we discovered that the puzzle was too confusing and detracted from the overall experience. As a result, we made the tough decision to scrap the entire puzzle, including most of the artwork we had created for it; though a keen-eyed player might notice a couple of the paintings do make an appearance. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40813934/580c3edef89b5bd559136f47920c7c6bf3d8d987.png[/img] While we were disappointed to lose the puzzle, we took solace in the fact that we had the opportunity to design some truly grotesque creatures. Even though they didn't all make it into the final version of the game, we are proud of the work we did and are excited to share it with you. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40813934/3aa4c702668bca3fed6b1c9d7d02764b33dfdd7a.jpg[/img] We want to assure you that we are committed to creating the best possible experience for our players, and we’re not afraid to experiment with new ideas, even if they don't always pan out. We hope you enjoy exploring the twisted world of The Tartarus Key as much as we enjoyed creating it. Thank you for your support, and we'll see you in the game! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40813934/4592a78bec2817a16c918e0738b72b7411ef027f.gif[/img]