Adding First-Person to Circle of Ruin — A Matter of Connection and Combat

Hey everyone,

Today I wanted to share something I’m genuinely excited about:Circle of Ruin now supports a switchable first-person perspective.

When I first began building this world, third-person made perfect sense. It gives players a grounded sense of place—where you can see your character in full, how they move through the environment, how their body reacts to the world around them. That visual connection between the character and the landscape is something I deeply value. It tells a story without words. It lets you see Ash as part of the world they’re trying to save.

But as I’ve continued developing the combat system—and spending more time inside those tense, life-or-death encounters—I felt something was missing.

That something was intimacy.

There’s a different kind of intensity that comes with first-person combat. You feel the weight of each strike. The nearness of each enemy. There’s less space between you and the threat, and that proximity changes everything. It’s not just about mechanics—it’s about emotion. Fear, adrenaline, resolve. First-person brings those feelings closer to the surface. It pulls you into the fight.

That’s why I’ve decided to make first-person an option players can switch to freely in Circle of Ruin. I don’t believe one perspective is better than the other—they simply tell different sides of the same story. Third-person gives you scope and context. First-person brings you to the heart of the moment. And I want players to be able to choose how they experience both.

The hope is that this flexibility lets you form your own connection to the world—whether you're admiring the sacred stones from afar, or standing toe-to-toe with a Roman champion.

As always, thank you for following along. More updates coming soon as the world of Circle of Ruin continues to take shape.

Stay rooted,—Justyn

#SidestepInteractive #CircleOfRuin #JustynDagg #GameDev #UE5 #GameDesign #IndieDev #IndieGame #UnrealEngine #UnrealEditor