TLDR; The original demo intensity is still in the game, but right now it only kicks in on Nightmare difficulty. Lower settings add knockdowns and simplified AI, which reduce tension and chance for kill animations. The next update will make the demo intensity the default.
We have seen some of you mention that Macabre feels less intense than the demo, and we totally understand where this confusion is coming from. During Alpha and Demo testing we received a wide range of feedback. Some players felt the game was too punishing, while others wanted it harder.
To address this, we added five difficulty settings that can be changed on the fly for each run. On the lower settings, the monster is more forgiving and players get a knockdown chance (essentially an extra life).
The issue is that we've made the game start on the lowest setting by default, and then unlock higher difficulties after each successful run. This means experienced players are beginning on the most forgiving setting, which makes the game feel less scary and reduces the chance of seeing kill animations, since those only trigger on death.
We are already working on a fix. The next update will restore the original demo difficulty as the default, bringing back the intensity you expect. From there, you will be able to raise or lower the difficulty as you see fit.
For now, Nightmare is the closest setting to what we had in the demo and Alpha tests, with no knockdowns and no second chances. Macabre is... well... only one person has completed a subrift on Macabre so far.
We appreciate everyone who has spoken up about this. Your feedback is helping us get Macabre back to where it should be. If you have any other ideas to increase intensity, please drop them down below!
See you in the Rift, The Weforge Team