We decided some months ago to participate in this October 2025 Next Fest, and we wanted to prepare a special monthly update for the event, so this ended up being among our most packed updates yet.
We managed to include the very first pinnacle boss, new player character designs, a heavy UI rework, and a few more improvements. All of this better represents how the final game will look and feel. We even added new music for the first time in a monthly update, shoutout to our partner Mudeth for that!
Pinnacle Boss
Previously runs consisted of 3 maps, each with increasing difficulty and a boss at the end, but we wanted something after all of that to serve as the real end of your runs. We also have narrative elements that we want to mix with the gameplay, and there will be multiple zones in the final game, each with unique locations, enemies and narratives.
We added the first pinnacle boss to the game, this continues the narrative of the Shadow Woods, but also serves as the real final challenge at the end of your runs there. Now you'll be able to completely clear the 3rd map in a run (which includes getting a third Potential from its boss), before continuing to a small 4th map where you'll face the pinnacle boss of the zone.
Each pinnacle boss is meant to have a static power level, meaning they don't gain random items or have a random team of minions with them. That doesn't mean their fights always go the same way though, our goal is that they are a single big scary enemy that can challenge your whole team with their own tricks, which includes multiple phases.
Beating pinnacle bosses is how you'll unlock the next playable zones in the final game, and each one will also have its unique pinnacle boss to challenge!
Part of our goal with releasing this content in our demo is to gather feedback about the power level these bosses should have. Our intention is that they become the hardest challenge in a run, but we also want to have multiple teams be able to beat them if built and played properly. So any feedback here is appreciated.
New Characters
For a long time we used to have characters color swap to distinguish themselves from other characters using the same design. We decided to work on making every character design unique instead.
We updated the player character designs so that everyone has their own unique look instead of a simple recolor. This stands in line with a previous monthly update where we made all enemy designs be unique instead of also using color swaps. This approach of having unique designs is what we're going forwards with for the full game release.
Other Changes
Reworked most of the UI inside runs to better communicate its information and look more flavorful.
Added new music layers for when you're out of combat and fighting against bosses.
The grid highlights were reworked to be more visible, especially on locations where the floor was of their same color.
Added a spell targeting arrow to show better communicate which spell your using and how you're aiming it. This is similar to the character target arrows when you hover them while in combat.
Added a spell drag snap to prevent you from dragging spells outside the spell bar. An area highlight also appears when dragging spell to display the limits,
Characters with more than 1000 Maximum Health now calculate their health bar display differently to show less blocks, allowing you to better see their health bars.
The energy bar of characters now flashes in white when they take energy burn.
Added new unique corpses for every character and enemy. We also improved their blood splatters to be more dynamic.
Fixes
Fixed bosses not starting with the same skill again after a lost round.
More Next Fest Demos
Check out these other roguelikes from 2 Left Thumbs!
They’re also part of this Steam Next Fest and both have awesome demos. If you enjoyed Underboard, don’t miss these amazing games. they're launching soon too!