(Update day note: We'll be monitoring the Steam forums and our Discord for bug reports and will be fixing any issues with this update. You can report bugs on the Steam forums or on our Discord: https://discord.gg/JUBfXamCcG.)
Hey all, the massive "Rise of Ventra" update has been RELEASED TODAY! This update adds a new character, an endgame progression system, a "Zadean Research" skill tree, and a lot of other stuff.
(Edit: We had a release date planned in this post, but we decided it's better not to rush things. So we'll announce a release date later as we work on promoting the game and polishing things up. Sorry for being so confusing!)
Is it possible this release could be delayed?
No. Today's build is the one we're using for release. Anything we add before then is a bonus. Our main focus up until then will be remaking the trailer and Steam page.
Rise of Ventra Update!
Let's talk about what has been added in today's update:
Gideon Rework
Previously Gideon was the only character, so his card pool was *literally every card*, meaning it could be hard to put synergies together. Gideon has been reworked, with many cards removed and replaced. He now feels more like a cohesively designed roguelike character. Let's talk about some of his themes.
Gideon can now get ahead by playing Defensively. The new Structure cards reward you with repeated bonuses... as long as you can protect them!
Structures are our favorite new mechanic - they make the battle ebb and flow in interesting ways. And we love the "I'll just be defensive while I watch you lose" gameplay style, it's our favorite! :)
These are returning themes that can be interacted with and manipulated in various ways. Since Gideon's card pool is now more focused, you'll find it's now a lot easier to build around these themes.
New Character - Ventra
Ventra is a new character with a card pool of 70 cards! 52 are brand new, while the other 18 are mostly the elemental (Poison and Enflame) cards removed from the old Gideon's card pool.
Ventra is adept at creating big, splashy turns. She can use cards like Overcharge to enable these turns, and cards like Deathstrike to take advantage of a mostly-cleared monster board. This brings us to the Momentum mechanic - once Ventra gains the advantage, she can be hard to stop! The overpoweredly-huge Deathstrike is an example of this.
As a master of undeath, Ventra can summon a Spirit by playing cards with Invoke, which will grow your Spirit each time you play them. This can lead to a gigantic Spirit, with no Equipment needed!
Enflame is one of our favorite mechanics, as it lets you create a true "burn deck" like in a TCG. This is because Enflame burns away the enemy's deck, but does little to protect you from the monsters on the board. Enflame cards do extremely high damage for the cost, and it's so fun to see those monsters flying out of the monster deck as you destroy them!
Poison is a classic damage-over-time mechanic, and some of the Poison cards combo together to create huge turns!
Ventra of course has her own one-off and build-around-me cards. We're excited for you to try her out!
New Endgame System - Plights
We've added a new "Plights" endgame system. This is a customizable system that lets you add Plights (extra challenges) to a run. The more you add, the higher your Plight Level, and the more rewards you can unlock. This allows advanced players to challenge themselves and gain bragging rights by winning at high Plight Levels!
New "Zadean Research" Skill Tree
New Skill Tree unlocked! Now every time you fight Zadeus, you'll gain XP for a new skill tree. These skills will give you bonuses in future Zadeus battles. Mix and match your skills, and decide which are the best fit for you. NOTE: There is also a new reward for defeating Zadeus, *and* the Zadeus battle has been integrated into the Plights system. Good luck!
Bazaar Rework
We realized it just feels better if you're constantly customizing your deck and building a huge ball of combo. So everything is cheaper, and there's more stuff to buy!
More New Content
There's a lot of other new stuff added, and most of it adds new synergy potential and deckbuilding options!
New Visual Effects
Patch Notes?
This post has covered all the major changes. Since we reworked Gideon, added Ventra, and reworked the Black Market cards, almost every card you see will either be brand new or was changed in some way. Rather than just list every card and its current wording here, we'll let you explore the new cards and mechanics. Here are some notable changes that weren't mentioned:
-"Mastery Levels" were replaced with four difficulty levels, plus Plight Mode. The four difficulty levels are exactly the same as the old Mastery Levels 1-4. Plight Mode is the new fully customizable endgame difficulty.
-"Gaining" cards is now keyworded as "Conjuring", so it's more clear which cards trigger it.
-Negative cards (like Confusion) no longer count as card-gain/Conjuring (they don't use the keyword).
-Lots of art was updated, and there are a lot of new sound effects.
-To access the "Zadean Research" screen, go to the Logbook from the title screen and click the tab at the top of the screen. We'll likely add a notification for it later so it's less easy to miss.
Roadmap to Release!
Today's update will be very close to the final release version. Anything we can get done before February 10th is a bonus. The Run History screen is mostly done, but if it were delayed it would not delay the release of the game. We will create a post-release roadmap at a later date.
So we're going to get to work on adding that final polish, and we look forward to finally releasing the game. We hope you're looking forward to the release as well!
-Brett
Mage Tower Discord: https://discord.gg/JUBfXamCcG