March has been a truly defining month for us at Glueplant Games. From securing our third round of funding to strengthening our presence within the Norwegian game development community, this period has brought both professional milestones and personal growth. Alongside these achievements, we’ve continued shaping Steps through technical breakthroughs, design refinements, and valuable player feedback.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s been happening.
A Third Round of Funding
After a longer wait than expected, due to a record number of applications, we received the incredible news that our latest funding application has been approved. It still feels surreal to say that we have now been funded three times in a row.
The feedback we received after our earlier rejection from NFI played a crucial role in strengthening this application. The effort we invested in refining our documentation and strategy truly paid off. It’s so true that with each project phase, we gain a clearer understanding of what is expected from the outset and what we should prioritize in future pre-production stages to better each application period going forward.
This funding represents a significant boost of confidence in our work. Since last summer, we have now received a total of 600,000 NOK from Østnorsk Filmsenter. Seeing this number in perspective feels almost unreal.
We are deeply grateful to Østnorsk Filmsenter for making this journey possible, and to our small but dedicated team for the countless hours invested in reaching milestones like this.
Strengthening Our Place in the Industry
March also marked a deeper involvement in the national game development community. In connection with the Norwegian game award ceremony, Spillprisen 2026, a new Testbonanza event was organized in Hamar.
Unlike previous editions, this showcase featured over 20 games, including bachelor projects from the game school in Hamar as well as titles from professional studios. Being part of such a vibrant event made us feel connected to a larger movement within the Norwegian games industry.
The collaboration with Spillprisen attracted developers from across the country, giving us the opportunity to meet many new faces and engage in meaningful conversations with creators whose work would later be celebrated at the awards ceremony that same evening.
Sitting in the audience at Spillprisen was incredibly inspiring. The conversations, feedback from testers, and the overall atmosphere sparked a renewed sense of motivation. For the first time, we even allowed ourselves to dream about the possibility of Steps being nominated in the future.
While parties may not be our strongest suit, we left the afterparty a bit early and instead spent the drive home discussing new ideas and directions for Steps, fueled by what we had been through. That Thursday turned out to be one of the most energizing days of our journey so far.
Honest Inner Thoughts
Being a game developer, or of any creative profession, often means being your own harshest critic. Even though this is our dream, inner criticism is something I have struggled with throughout this journey.
Despite the progress we’ve made, the funding we’ve received, and the positive feedback from players, I’ve sometimes found it difficult to fully accept that what we are creating holds real value for others. Questions have lingered: Are people simply being polite? Is our game forgettable? Are we dedicating our lives to something that ultimately doesn’t matter?
As a small, colorful, and cozy game, I've occasionally worried that Steps’ simplicity might cause it to be perceived as less serious.
However, something shifted during this month’s Testbonanza. Presenting Steps to fellow developers, people who could truly appreciate the craftsmanship and attention to detail, changed my perspective. Their genuine enthusiasm helped dispel these doubts.
For the first time, I began to fully embrace the authenticity of the positive responses we’ve received. Steps has always held a special place in my heart, but now I can clearly see the quality and joy that emerges from our little pearl of a game. This realization has added a new dimension to our work and renewed my excitement for the journey ahead.
I’m truly looking forward to the day when players around the world can experience Steps in its entirety.
Progress Toward the Vertical Slice
As March marked our first full month in the vertical slice phase (a vertical slice is a small, polished part of the game), the overall quality of Steps has begun to rise significantly.
Visual Enhancements
We’ve started implementing and refining:
- More particle effects
- Weather systems
- Lighting and rendering improvements
- Shaders and normal mapping
These additions have transformed the visual atmosphere of the game, making it more vibrant and immersive. The base line of the game has never looked more beautiful. We have also updated certain assets to make them more intuitive for players.
Programming Breakthrough
March was also a breakthrough month from a technical perspective. We’ve refactored key aspects of the movement system, resulting in:
- A cleaner and better performing movement system with a reduction of over 1,500 lines of code
- Improved overall performance
- The resolution of nearly one-third of our known bugs to date
These changes have made Steps feel smoother and more stable, and enhanced the overall player experience.
Expanding Beyond Rivergreen
As part of the vertical slice, we are now developing one level for each of the game’s regions. Moving beyond the familiar Rivergreen biome has been both exciting and challenging. Each new region introduces unique visual themes and puzzle mechanics, requiring us to rethink our design approach completely.
This transition has reminded us that iteration is a natural part of development. The art of level design needs time to mature, just as our early Rivergreen levels were eventually redesigned (and will be changed in the future)
Clarifying Player Objectives
One design challenge we’ve been aware of for some time involves the Essence Cubes hidden throughout the levels. In our early test builds, all essences were reachable. However, in the final game design, only some will be accessible during a player’s first visit. We will invite players to revisit levels after unlocking new abilities as the game progresses.
To make this clearer and more intuitive, we’ve introduced a visual distinction between reachable and unreachable essences:
- Reachable essences now appear white and glowing, signaling that they can be collected.
- Unreachable essences are gray and subdued, giving them an “empty” feel and allowing them to blend more naturally into the background.
- As players acquire the necessary abilities, previously unreachable essences will illuminate and become collectible.
We hope this change reduces confusion and enhances the sense of progression, ensuring that players don’t feel stuck trying to reach an essence that isn’t yet accessible.
As always, we warmly welcome your feedback on this and other topics. Feel free to share your thoughts with us on our Discord server.
Reaching Out to the World
This month also brought one of our first significant setbacks: our application to Wholesome Direct was not successful. From the very beginning, we’ve shaped Steps with the hope that it would align with the values and atmosphere of this showcase, making the rejection naturally disappointing.
Being featured in a global showcase can significantly impact a game’s visibility and sales, so this rejection was a tough moment for us. While we felt discouraged, we also understand how competitive the selection process is.
There are several other showcases taking place in the coming months, and we have naturally applied to all of them. That said, our expectations remain modest, as Wholesome Direct felt like the most natural fit for Steps. Still, you never know what opportunities might arise.
We intentionally waited for the Wholesome Direct decision before reaching out to the gaming press, as an inclusion would have shaped our communication strategy. Now that we have clarity, it’s time for us to take the next step. Since the chances of appearing in a global showcase seem uncertain, building visibility through gaming press and media coverage has become even more important.
Until Next Time
Thank you for following our journey through these DevLogs. March has been a month of incredible achievements, renewed confidence, and valuable lessons. While there have been moments of disappointment, we still look ahead.
We are steadily progressing toward our goal of releasing Steps by the end of 2026, and we hope you’ll continue to join us for the remainder of this adventure.
Seed you next month, Buds!