The demo has been updated with a number of changes:
Big Changes
Movement / Controls
The way the somersault/roll ability worked in the previous version of the demo seemed to be a bit contentious, so now rather than rolling automatically when landing jumps, rolling is bound to a button instead. Double tapping forward to roll has also been removed. I personally quite liked the automatic rolling so it is still able to be toggled on in the control settings but it is toggled off by default. This should make Pixa easier to control for most players.
Magic / Controls
The way magic abilities are grouped has been changed. Previously there were spells that required you to press a dedicated button (quick spells), and spells that required you hold a different dedicated button (focus spells).
Now, spells are grouped into wand spells, which use the same button as your normal attack, and specials, which use the same button as the somersault/roll. Spells can now be unequipped from the pause menu in order to use the normal attack or roll, and there are also buttons to toggle equipped spells on/off during gameplay.
The magic equip screen has also been completely redesigned. Although less thematic than the old menu, the new menu is faster to use, as you can move the cursor to any ability in only 2 presses. There isn't much use in this menu for the sake of the demo as you only acquire 1 spell of each type but its there none the less.
The blue spell has been changed from a water attack to a bubble attack. The old attack had some performance issues on older computers and also some drawing issues in certain instances.
Level Layout
Pixa now receives her weapon near the beginning of the level rather than midway through. This makes dealing with enemies much easier.
The very beginning of the level has been modified slightly to teach you the aerial kick attack before you encounter the first enemy. I noticed players tried to jump on the enemies like in Mario at first, which hurts you if you’re not using the kick attack.
Small Changes
- Checkpoints now restore your magic as well as your health.
- Moving platforms now reset their position during screen transitions to make it easier to predict their positions.
- When leafolk create platforms for you, any previously created platforms disappear before making new ones.
- Fixed bug that caused you to be affected by moving platforms if you were dead.