Hello everyone,
First of all, thank you so much for taking part in the playtest, your participation exceeded all of our expectations!
When will the game release?
We originally planned to release in December, but we most likely won’t make that. Right now, we are aiming to be ready for Early Access around mid-January to early February.
How much will the game cost?
We’ll announce the price together with the release date (once we have one).
We’ll be basing it on similar games and will most likely adopt Steam’s suggested regional pricing.
What did we learn from the playtest?
The core gameplay concept is very well received.
We’re aware that there were plenty of bugs (especially early on), and we’ll do our best to fix them. Thank you all for reporting them so actively. It really helps us a lot.
Guidance & progression
The game doesn’t always tell you what to do next, that’s intentional. We want the world to feel mysterious and real, without explaining every mechanic. However, some essential systems like leveling and completing missions were unclear or not explained at all. We will improve this so explanations aren’t needed (e.g., making level-ups at the candles) and by giving clearer descriptions for how to complete missions.
Attack readability
We know that the overhead attack and the right-side attack (from the enemy’s perspective) look too similar and are hard to distinguish.
We’re working on a solution.
More diverse missions
This was planned even before the playtest, but we simply didn’t have the time to implement them yet.
Mouse & keyboard controls
Some players had issues with the default keybindings. We don’t see this as a major problem, as keybindings can always be adjusted to personal preference.
Balance
Some spells are currently too strong. We want them to feel powerful, but they shouldn’t reduce the fun for other players. One possible solution is adding a short cooldown (e.g., 4 seconds).
Our goal is to keep pressing skills fun, but in co-op (especially solo queue), it isn’t enjoyable for melee players to engage enemies only to watch, for example, a chain-lightning mage wipe out the entire group before they even arrive.
We’ll be working on improvements to make combat more balanced and enjoyable for everyone.
Thanks again for all your support and feedback
-Duel Corp Team
Final Playtest Results and Analysis
1. Survey results showed a clear preference for multiplayer. However, the solo mode with AI was appreciated for its relaxed, self-paced play, while co-op was described as a faster, action-packed "moshpit." Both styles were enjoyed.
2. Survey results surprised us, as the solo gameplay loop was the most common, contrary to our expectation of a more balanced split.
3. The results show a slight preference for roaming bosses over those in special “arenas.” This suggests that we should also offer bosses that do not just roam around.
4. We were surprised that competing on the leaderboard scored very low, as it was previously the main motivator in our last playtests.
5. The feedback suggests the difficulty may be slightly high, but we plan to maintain it for now.
6. The results show that we have successfully achieved our goal of giving the game a sense of openness and giving players a strong feeling of freedom.
7. Players slightly preferred the mechanics of directional attacks and parries over the use of skill buttons.
8. Overall results are satisfying. We are aware of the bugs and will prioritize fixes, and we note that player tolerance was high due to the free, playtest nature.