Greetings surveyors!

I’m excited to announce the release date for the first free content expansion for Periphery Synthetic, titled: Wards of Andromeda. The expansion will debut on August 15 with exciting new features! Explore two evolving new worlds—with fresh abilities that change how you move and progress through the EP.

Continue reading for a short teaser trailer and a breakdown of what to expect with the expansion.

Announcement trailer

The trailer begins with quick zooming cuts of portals on the familiar worlds of Alpha Periphery. Emerging from the portals, it changes focus to a new world which exists inside them, with longer shots showcasing its non-Euclidean terrain. Its focus then shifts to the new moss planet, contrasting its dynamic and colorful terrain against its explorable alien structures. A recurring theme of these shots is how both new worlds combine land and water exploration. The trailer closes with a silhouette of the moss planet on the redesigned title screen.

The trailer is set to an excerpt of the soundtrack for the new moss planet. Its music system is heavily inspired by Brian Eno (Music for Airports) and Steve Reich (Music for 18 Musicians), combining warm synth pads with the randomness of wind chimes. The result is an always-evolving, never-repeating piece of music that’s unique to each play. The expansion also reimagines the EP’s title screen music within the new portal world.

The Wards of Andromeda

Periphery Synthetic is an award-nominated exploration of ambient music that’s couched within a non-violent metroidvania experience. Leading up to its 2024 release, the project had spent two years in early access, expanding from a barren prototype to three massive worlds filled with unlockable abilities and intrigue. It has since been recognized for its novel approach of using generative synthesis and terrain sonification to make it fully accessible to players who are blind.

Wards of Andromeda continues its legacy of feedback and iteration. The expansion offers many opportunities to improve the EP for new and returning players alike. Here are its main design goals:

• Expanded story. You became the Periphery Synthetic. By surveying the Alpha Periphery system, the EP introduced you to one side of a rising intergalactic conflict. Now it’s time to explore the other side.
• Improved economy. You collected raw materials to expand your abilities. New worlds and abilities provide more flexibility in where and how these materials are acquired.
• Improved feel. You overcame vast deserts, oceans, and mountains. Running, driving, swimming, and flying receive new playgrounds and enhancements to test their limits.

Key features

These design goals are supported by several exciting new features:

• Alpha Periphery D2. This new moss planet offers a colorful world of evolving vertical challenges. Its massive terrain, dotted with aerial materials to collect, contrasts against the underwater labyrinths which drive its story.
• The Interstice. This new portal world evolves in size and complexity as you level up. Acting as both the thread and mirror of your journey, it gradually becomes a hub where you can celebrate all of your abilities.
• Synthesizers. This new system upends how abilities are unlocked. It introduces two new currencies to turn materials from one to another. And you can downgrade and uninstall abilities to tailor your experience.
• Aerodynamics. This new system provides more control over the flying abilities. With its Trajectors you may turn any fall into a smooth glide. And you will safely land from any collision with the ground.
• Aquatics. This new system provides more control over the swimming abilities. With its Spelunkers you may get navigational assistance while inside caves. And you will avoid collisions with the floor automatically.

By the numbers

These flagship features are complemented by a number of smaller features, enhancements, and fixes, which make it the EP’s largest update yet. Here is a quick comparison between v3.2.12 and v4.0.0, which demonstrates the magnitude of the expansion:

Beware! These numbers are mostly locked in, but they can still change.

Price increase

Importantly, the price of Periphery Synthetic will increase to $5 USD with the expansion release. This increase reflects the new value which these changes bring to the EP. And don’t fret! Existing players will receive it—and all future expansions—for free!

Releasing August 15

I’m very excited to present the Wards of Andromeda expansion to you on August 15. Its two new worlds will nearly double the size of the EP with their dynamic challenges. Its new abilities will expand your choices and control over your journey. And its story will unveil the true purpose of the Periphery Synthetic.

In the following week, I will support it with hotfixes for any critical issues that arise. Then after a short vacation, I will start planning the future of Periphery Synthetic and support it with smaller patches as needed. I’m also hoping to start prototyping a few concepts for new projects in a shared universe. These might include more strategy- or action-oriented experiences that don’t make sense within the EP itself.

In the meantime, I’m excited to wrap up the writing for Wards of Andromeda. Thanks for reading!