Hey Survivors!
As promised, today’s update is all about the final part of the big Stage System Overhaul—the changes to combat and rewards.
With the introduction of Free Movement, Remore is becoming an even more immersive space. There are a lot of changes coming with the new environment, but the biggest one has to be "Combat."
Since the heart of our game is battling monsters in a medieval apocalypse, this new space rework sets the stage for more thrilling combat. And honestly, what really makes or breaks the game is how fun the battles are.
Direction: More Frequent and Varied Combat
In the old stage system, combat was all about keeping the tension high. You were constantly dealing with waves of monsters—sometimes sneaking past their sight to ambush them, other times coming up with strategies to wipe out enemies surrounding your allies. This “intense, tactical combat where your strategy can drastically change the outcome” is a big part of our identity and something we don’t want to lose.
But we heard a lot of feedback that this kind of non-stop, high-pressure combat in one big stage made the game feel too exhausting after a while.
Now, simply lowering the difficulty to reduce fatigue wouldn’t work, because that would mess with the game’s core identity. Instead, by “keeping the challenging combat but breaking it up into shorter, more manageable encounters,” we can deliver the same excitement without wearing players out as quickly. That’s one of the main things we wanted to achieve with the stage system overhaul.
- With the stage system revamp, each "Map" is now the smallest possible unit of gameplay, meaning the maps themselves have gotten smaller.
- Since most maps (but not all) have enemies on them, combat has shifted from one long, continuous battle to a series of shorter, more frequent encounters.
Plus, with the increased variety of maps, you’ll face more diverse battle scenarios, with different terrain and enemy combinations to keep things fresh.
In the past, you had to keep strategizing within one big farming map, planning for each “room” as you went. Now, each "map-stage" is its own tactical experience, and there are plenty of them to dive into.
Thanks to these changes, we’ve been able to keep the “high difficulty” combat just as intense, while making it less tiring for players. Plus, with “different environments and enemies in each stage,” you’ll face even more varied tactical challenges.
Before, even if we had a wide range of enemies, they all had to fit the main theme of one big farming map. But now, as the spaces change, you’ll go from areas with lots of humanoid enemies to zones swarming with monsters. The types of monsters you face will also evolve with the different environments and story elements.
Our level designers have been hard at work, but it means you’ll get a much richer experience in the game overall!
Adjusting Combat Rewards Tempo
Since Early Access, the main way to get rewards in Remore has been by looting item chests. This system fits well with the current stage exploration, so we didn’t see a reason to change it. You could also earn rewards through special events or after battles.
In the old version, most character growth rewards were only applied once you got back to the hideout. Experience points were tallied when you returned, weapons could only be equipped during the maintenance phase, and even Ember Memories—a core part of character growth—could only be bonded at the hideout.
Now that the stage system involves alternating between combat and free exploration during a single expedition, we needed to tweak the reward system. If you had to keep going back to the shelter to use your rewards, it would make the game feel repetitive.
To fix this, we’ve adjusted the reward tempo. You can now earn and apply growth rewards during expeditions and battles without having to return to the hideout, making the gameplay feel more seamless.
First off, experience points are now earned immediately after defeating enemies. This means you can level up during combat, with stat boosts, skill upgrades, and trait acquisitions happening in real-time.
Weapons can now also be equipped or unequipped during expeditions. So, if you find a weapon in a chest or loot one from an enemy, you can freely equip it on the spot.
However, to keep the fun of making tactical decisions by preparing weapons in advance for upcoming encounters, weapon swapping during combat is still limited. This means that during free movement, you can equip two weapon sets per character, and when facing enemies, you’ll have to rely on the weapons you’ve prepared in advance to take them on.
(The image above shows a temporary implementation effect)
With these adjustments to the reward system, we’ve been able to add more "momentum" to the gameplay. Now, your character can level up in real-time during combat, allowing you to adapt your strategies on the fly. This also encourages new playstyles, like exploring previously overlooked areas for farming, all in the name of furthering your growth.
Changes to Ember Memories: Introduction of “Fallen Memories”
One of the biggest challenges was how to handle the bonding of Ember Memories. As mentioned in the previous section about the memory bonding system (link), this system is a key element of both character progression and the gameplay-narrative connection in the current overhaul.
Through memory bonding, characters gain "Skills" and "Strengths," which can sometimes change the combat experience even more significantly than leveling up. However, previously, bonding memories could only happen at the shelter using the power of the Ember, in line with the narrative. This meant that during multiple stages, you couldn’t make major changes to your combat experience, which didn’t align with our goal of providing "frequent, dynamic shifts in gameplay."
To fix this, we’ve changed the system so that, like with weapons, you can now freely bond memories during expeditions in free-roam mode (we’ve also adjusted the narrative to match this, which we’ll explain in more detail later). As a result, characters can now level up in real-time during expeditions by gaining experience, increasing their "influence," and instantly bonding more Ember Memories on the go.
More importantly, we've added the concept of "Fallen Memories," which are randomly generated in each stage.
In the previous version, you could obtain "fixed memories" with predetermined names and stats by progressing through the story or defeating specific enemy units. These were planned to tie into the narrative as "memories of those who met their end in that particular space," and were essential for future gameplay progression.
However, as the variety of stages has increased, we realized that relying only on fixed memories wasn’t enough to create the feeling of "constantly changing experiences." To address this, we introduced the concept of "Fallen Memories," which allows for more emergent and dynamic combinations.
- "Fallen Memories" are generated randomly based on specific rules and can be obtained by defeating enemies.
- Unlike fixed memories, which are predetermined, these memories offer combinations of skills, strengths, and stats that aren't pre-planned (though there are rules in place to prevent them from being too weak or too overpowered).
- This allows for a much wider range of character customization options, and it adds a fun element of surprise as you discover what kind of memory you've gained during your playthrough.
By going in this direction, we made “Fallen Memories” a way to introduce unexpected elements during gameplay, while “Fixed Memories” offer rare skills or strengths that are hard to get from Fallen Memories, or content that will definitely help in the next stage. This sets up clear, distinct roles for both.
So, Did It Make the Game More Fun?
The feedback was really positive. The pressure and fatigue from combat were significantly reduced, so even players who usually preferred sneaking around started engaging more in fights. This led to a wider variety of tactical strategies being used.
Players also felt a stronger sense of character progression. The quicker pace of leveling up characters during expeditions increased the desire for growth, encouraging more active looting and combat.
Of course, since we put a lot of resources into this new structure, there are still some UI/UX improvements needed. And since the overall game flow has changed, we’ll need to rebalance things, which is a bit daunting.
Even so, with this big overhaul of the stage system, we’re confident that we’ve created a foundation for a more exciting and dynamic experience for you. We’re thrilled to share these changes with you.
Next week, we’ll be back with details on the new Combat System.
Thanks, Survivors!
REMORE