Hello everyone!
I see a lot of new faces following us, so I wanted to give you a glimpse of what’s next for the game. Internally, we’ve had many discussions about our approach to launching in Early Access, so here are a few key topics we’ll be addressing until then:
When will Early Access start?
We plan to launch between June and July, unless we encounter another major issue like we had in the past with the Unreal 5 migration. That is likely our final deadline.
What will be improved when Early Access begins?
We aim to start Early Access on Steam with the prologue content included. The story might not be fully complete, but our goal is to have the introduction quest where Kalyskah speaks with the members of her Legion before the events that led to the fall of her temple. From there, the story progresses up to the point where she performs a ritual in a nearby village, triggering a chain of events that set the stage for her free-roaming adventure. At this point, she will be exploring the island she controls while dealing with pirate factions. So, in short, the first months of Early Access will include both the introduction arc and an early stage of the open-world experience before the Great Fall.
We also want to refine combat, though we are unsure if we will complete these improvements before or after Early Access begins. The updated combat will feature better animations (including those we recorded with motion capture) and new mechanics that emphasize the build-up of Kalyskah’s excitement during the thrill of the hunt.
All the cutscenes in the current demo are subject to change. However, we might not focus on them right away, as our priority is balancing polish with new content. While we want to offer a great experience, improving animations takes a significant amount of time. At this stage, we believe those efforts would be better spent refining combat animations since fighting is what you will be doing most of the time.
The user interface will also be improved. Elements like the health bar, stamina (which, for Kalyskah, is called Vigor Mortis), blood points, and quest navigation are all on our list for enhancements. However, these updates will likely happen during the Early Access phase since our main focus right now is expanding the game’s content to allow for longer playtime.
Anything about audio?
Yes! We are also working on improving the audio. Before The Great Fall, Kalyskah’s world had steampunk-inspired technology, and we plan to add new soundtracks that incorporate metallic vibrations and other elements to reflect that era. This will help differentiate it from the post-fall world.
Vampire Roleplay
Fully immersing you in the role of a vampire is our highest priority. Many players might be familiar with the personal horror of becoming a monster: the guilt, the fear of losing one’s humanity… But Kalyskah? She has been a vampire for far too long to feel any guilt about her actions. She does not fear becoming a monster; she knows she is one—and she makes that everyone's problem.
Instead of focusing the narrative internally on her struggles, the game will revolve around her actions and how she interacts with the world. Whether she is compassionate, arrogant, or sadistic is entirely up to the player. But do not worry, you can fix her! A key part of the story will be about her relationship with humanity and how she chooses to navigate the world that still fears her.
Romance
As I mentioned, Kalyskah is a monster, and she is well aware of it. She sees love as an illusion, an act of pity because everything she touches eventually falls apart. She does not form romantic attachments, nor does she care enough about others to do so. She may flirt, she may toy with emotions, but ultimately, there is a darkness within her that prevents her from feeling true human connection.
Most of the time, romance is simply a means to an end—her way of charming people into inviting her into their homes so she can feed on them later. With that in mind, we will be adding relationship mechanics in the future, primarily as a way for Kalyskah to gain favour and build a willing herd. But maybe… just maybe… if you fix her, she might become capable of truly feeling something for someone again.
The Lore
Kalyskah’s world is part of a larger universe we call Night Paths. Throughout the game, you will meet characters who may appear in future projects from our studio. So take notes, we are in this for the long run!
I hope this clears up some of your questions and gets you as excited as we are for the future of the game!