![[images/6GE2kXiF1I0_thumbnail.jpg]] **Creator:** Edym Pixels (Mattias) · **Published:** 2026-09-16 · **Length:** 2:43 · [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GE2kXiF1I0) > *This is my first devlog – I hope you like it! … The game is called Mirklurk: Every Step Matters. It has a free demo and if you like that – get the EA version!* (from the video description) *Summary written from yt-dlp English auto-captions plus screenshots of the on-screen mechanics.* ## 1) Detailed outline ### [0:00] A health bar is a health bar ![[images/6GE2kXiF1I0_00m03s.jpg]] - A health bar, chopped into segments, becomes **hit points**. Restyle them (e.g., hearts) and they are still the same thing. ![[images/6GE2kXiF1I0_00m15s.jpg]] - A weapon (dagger) has a **damage number**, like 3. Attack, "pow," subtract. Every version is really the same mechanic. ### [0:22] What if HP were a grid? ![[images/6GE2kXiF1I0_00m30s.jpg]] - Proposal: **HP as a 2D grid of cells**, and instead of damage numbers, each weapon has an **attack pattern** (a shape of cells) that can be placed in different positions and orientations on the grid. ![[images/6GE2kXiF1I0_00m45s.jpg]] - In-game: an **"unwieldy felling axe"** pattern applied to a **swamp troll's** grid. The troll **regenerates**, and you strike again. Each attack shows an **attack cost** (action points). - **Healing items** are also applied as patterns on your own grid. ### [0:58] Armor on cells ![[images/6GE2kXiF1I0_01m00s.jpg]] - The numbers on cells are **armor**. Grid cells can hold armor instances ("Armor Points to Distribute: Even / Random / Done"), and weapons with **high pierce numbers strike through** armor. ### [1:05] Damage classes: poison vs. bleeding ![[images/6GE2kXiF1I0_01m15s.jpg]] - In most games, **damage over time** from poison and bleeding is basically identical (a ticking bar). ![[images/6GE2kXiF1I0_01m30s.jpg]] - In Mirklurk: **poison spreads to adjacent cells randomly**, while **bleed spreads in a direction you choose**, but **not diagonally**. ![[images/6GE2kXiF1I0_01m45s.jpg]] - More damage classes and "cool stuff" are teased (a fire-lit enemy with a tall, narrow pattern and a 6-point attack cost). ### [1:50] Leveling up - **On level-up you choose how to expand your HP grid**, so the shape of your body becomes a build decision. ### [1:55] Outro: meet the dev and the Steam page ![[images/6GE2kXiF1I0_02m15s.jpg]] - Mattias appears on camera and thanks viewers. He asks them to visit the **Steam page**: a niche game, but reviews are about **95% positive**. Ends with a flubbed "like the video" joke ("lick the bike"). ## 2) Things mentioned **Game** - *Mirklurk: Every Step Matters*: pixel-art, tactical/roguelike-style game with a grid-HP system. Free demo plus Early Access on Steam (app 3972980) **Game-design concepts** - Health bar vs. hit points vs. hearts (same abstraction) - Damage numbers replaced by attack patterns (polyomino-like shapes) - HP grid, per-cell armor and armor piercing, regeneration - Damage classes: poison (random spread), bleed (directed, orthogonal spread), damage over time - Attack cost / action points; grid expansion on level-up **Items and enemies shown** - Dagger, felling axe, healing item, swamp troll, fire-lit worm-like enemy **Platforms** - Steam ## 3) People **Mattias (Edym Pixels).** Solo indie developer "with a passion for pixel art and retro vibes," and creator of *Mirklurk: Every Step Matters*. This is his first devlog. He narrates the mechanics and appears on camera at the end.