Jump Logs: Gameplay Loop (#3) | June 2026

This is the third Jump Log, and I'm really glad I've managed to stick with these so far. The long-term plan is that once the Steam page goes live, I'll start making video content, showing gameplay, and slowly building hype around the game.

It'll also give me a way to gather feedback from people before I move into more structured playtesting, which should be really valuable for shaping the game going forward.

The previous Jump Logs have covered a general overview of the project and a deeper dive into the room system, so it feels only fitting that this time I talk about something more fundamental: the core gameplay loop. This post is a breakdown of what players can expect moment-to-moment, based on the current design direction.

*Things may still change as development continues, but this is the foundation I'm building from, along with the inspirations that have helped shape it.

Inspiration

To understand the gameplay loop, it makes sense to go back to the beginning of development in 2024. At that time, I knew I wanted Dimension Jumper to take heavy inspiration from Sorcery, while also pulling ideas from the original version of the game I made almost ten years ago.

Around the same time, I was also playing Hollow Knight, and like many indie devs who experience that game, I briefly convinced myself I could build something just as ambitious. That early influence pushed Dimension Jumper towards a large metroidvania-style structure, originally imagining well over 100+ rooms spread across a huge world.

As development went on though, that idea naturally started to shift. The more I worked on it, the more it felt like the game wanted to be something a bit more focused and contained, much closer to Sorcery in structure, with interconnected rooms designed around smaller, self-contained experiences.

Therefore, instead of building a massive world to get lost in, the emphasis became on replayable planets with fewer rooms, clearer flow, and a stronger focus on moment-to-moment gameplay.

Planets as Levels

In the current design, the player moves between planets, which act as self-contained levels made up of interconnected rooms (see figure 1).

Figure 1 - Dimension Jumper (Pre-Alpha v0.4), Level Select [Video Game]

These planets are grouped into star systems, giving the player some choice in which order they tackle them. However, progression through a system will require completing all planets within it before moving on. This structure is partly inspired by late 90s platformers like Crash Bandicoot, particularly how they present level selection and track progression in a clear, visual way. I also wanted to capture a bit of that Super Mario Galaxy feeling, where selecting a planet gives players a preview of the environment and a sense of what they're about to step into before the level begins.

Gameplay

Once a planet has been chosen, the player will typically navigate around 20-30 rooms, either solo or in a group of up to four players in local co-op.

Figure 2 - Dimension Jumper (Pre-Alpha v0.4), Gameplay [Video Game]

The main objectives are:

• Locate and rescue a set number of stranded astronauts

• Defeat the planet's bosses

• Explore rooms and survive encounters along the way

At the moment, levels are not time-limited. Players can take as long as they need to explore, but they must eventually trigger an extraction event to complete the level. Once extraction is triggered, the level ends, and the player's performance is essentially evaluated.

Scoring, Side Objectives & Rewards

During gameplay, players accumulate points based on their actions. This feeds into a high-score system that encourages replayability.

Points are earned through things like:

• Defeating enemies

• Finding astronauts

• Completing optional objectives

Like I've mentioned above, I also plan to include optional side objectives using my dialogue system. These will reward players with additional points and potentially unique items that can help them survive encounters within rooms.

Items & Sandbox Design

Items are something I'll likely dedicate a full Jump Log to in the future, but they play a big role in the overall sandbox feel of the game.

I've taken inspiration from Ratchet & Clank in terms of making the item system feel creative, chaotic, and fun to experiment with. The goal is for items to add variety and unpredictability to encounters, making each run feel a bit different. This is definitely an area I want to lean into more as development continues.

Planet Modifiers & Abilities

Another important system is that planets can modify player abilities depending on their design. Taking inspiration from Halo skull modifiers, planets can enable or disable certain mechanics, such as:

• Dash and jetpack usage

• Inventory size

• Fuel and health regeneration

At the moment, I haven't fully decided whether these modifiers will be fixed per planet or optionally toggleable for bonus points, but that's something I'm still experimenting with.

Local Co-op

One of my biggest motivations for this project was always co-op. Originally, I wanted to build a game I could play with my brother, who has joked for years about whether I'd actually ever make it happen. That idea stuck with me, and it's been a core driver for the local multiplayer design.

Figure 3 - Dimension Jumper (Pre-Alpha v0.4), Local Co-op [Video Game]

The co-op system takes a lot of inspiration from Castle Crashers, particularly in how chaotic but doable four-player gameplay can be. It's still being refined, but the core loop already supports up to four players, and honestly, adding more people just makes everything more fun in the best possible way (see figure 3).

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Summary

Players travel through interconnected rooms, either solo or in a party of up to four. They explore, rescue astronauts, defeat bosses, and complete optional objectives while building up a high score.

Once key conditions are met, they trigger extraction and complete the level. Alongside this, a light narrative thread helps tie everything together and (hopefully) adds a bit more personality to the experience, especially in single-player.

That about wraps up this Jump Log. Thanks again for reading! These posts have been really helpful for me to structure my thoughts, and I hope they're also giving a clearer picture of what Dimension Jumper is becoming. Until the next one!