Devlog Update – Animated Cutscene Dialogue System

For this week’s update, I’m excited to finally show a first look at the Animated Cutscene Dialogue System that will be used throughout Deadlock. This system is designed to deliver story moments with more personality, atmosphere, and tension—without breaking the game’s retro 2.5D style.

Bringing Characters to Life

The dialogue system now supports fully animated portrait scenes, allowing characters to emote and interact while conversations unfold. In the example above, Earl—caretaker of the Ravenwood Hotel—greets the player with a weary warning as a storm rolls in. Each character portrait uses hand-drawn pixel art with subtle shading and ambient animation to help sell the mood of each moment.

Instead of static text boxes, the system plays out like a cinematic panel:

• Dynamic character portraits with expression changes
• Smooth text scrolling that mimics classic survival horror pacing
• Pixel-art lighting and weather filters to match the current environment
• Cinematic framing that darkens the edges and pulls you into the scene

Even though Deadlock keeps its retro-inspired visuals, the cutscene layer gives major story beats a more immersive presentation.

Adaptive Dialogue Flow

The dialogue UI scales depending on which character is speaking. Nameplates shift automatically, and portraits animate on cue. The system already supports:

• Line-by-line delivery
• Branching choices (for future scenes)
• Sound cues and ambience triggers
• Screen shake or flash effects during dramatic moments
• Seamless transitions back into gameplay

Everything is designed to feel “authentically old-school,” while still letting us deliver rich narrative moments without cutting to pre-rendered cinematics.

Atmosphere First

Deadlock’s world is all about tone—quiet tension, creeping dread, and the unease of being trapped in a dying Appalachian town. This dialogue system lets us lean heavily into that atmosphere.

The scene shown here introduces the vibe immediately: muted lighting, warm sepia tones, and the sense that everyone in Ravenwood knows something they aren’t saying.

More to Come

This is just the beginning. Upcoming updates will include:

• The full intro cutscene in the Ravenwood Hotel
• Side-character interactions around the city
• Crest-related lore sequences
• Boss encounter introductions
• Player dialogue options

If you want to follow along as the system expands, stay tuned for the next devlog where we dive deeper into environmental storytelling and the new NPC state machine.

Thanks for following the journey—and welcome to Ravenwood. The doors are closing soon.