Hello everyone,
This is Toru Nakamura, Director of Vivid World.
Today, I’m excited to introduce a brand-new feature that adds fresh choices to your adventure:
💎 Dungeon Unlock 💎
🔮 So... What is a Dungeon Unlock?
“Dungeon Unlock” is a system where you use “Spirits” earned under certain conditions to gradually unlock various systems and upgrade elements through a panel-based interface.
By unlocking each individual panel, you’ll gradually open up new functions and systems as you progress:
Panels that grant access to entirely new features
Panels that expand limits, like increasing your item capacity
Panels that add new recipes for Gem Fusion and other expansions
…and much more.
Many of the important elements we’ve introduced before also become available through this system.
In short, it’s a way for you, the player, to expand the world at your own pace and in your own style 🧬
Let’s take a moment to meet the mysterious NPC who manages the unlock system...
💎 Vitruvius the Grim Architect
Vitruvius is a self-proclaimed architect working to “bring better living to the Underworld.”
He’s supposedly overseeing renovations, managing dungeons, and improving the quality of (after) life.
In reality? He does none of the work himself.
All he really does is broker deals and still collects Spirits as payment. Ruthless!
You’ll always see him with a fancy gadget in hand, pretending to be busy.
But the rumors say… he may also be making deals with demons behind the scenes.
🌳 A Panel System that’s easy to navigate
The dungeon unlock system is presented as a branching tree of panels.
Unlock one panel, and you will reveal the adjacent ones.
Any panels you cannot access yet are darkened, so you would not get lost.
Rare panels with powerful effects are color-coded to help you spot them at a glance💫
Every decision, which path to take, what to prioritize,
shapes your progression and becomes part of your strategy!
But wait… Will some features in the demo be locked at the beginning?
If you’re wondering if the features like Orbs and Gem Fusion will not be attainable from the beginning in ver. 1.0,
The answer is yes... You will need to unlock those features again in the full version!🥹
BUT, have no worry, we have placed those fundamental features early in the tree, so you will have them back quickly.
The idea is to help players ease into each system, one at a time, rather than getting overwhelmed from the start.
Think of it this way:
The early panels serve as a gentle path to reacquaint you with the systems, not as obstacles to slow you down👍
🤔 Addressing the “Wow, There Are So Many Systems” problem our way
This dungeon unlock system was actually born from internal playtests, where we kept hearing:
“There’s so much going on, I can’t keep up…”😫
And yeah… we totally get it.
Throwing everything at you all at once can be overwhelming.
So we thought, what if players could choose how and when they open up each system🤔
And that’s how this system came to life.
But that’s not all. It’s not just about easing new players in.
Many panels offer core upgrades and strategic options such as:
New skill activation rules
Unlocking unique fusions
Tactical enhancements that can change your entire approach
So yes, it's a tutorial system and a meaningful progression path. It does both. 👍
💎 In Closing
All gamers, including myself, have run into this once in their lifetime:
“Suddenly I had several new features and I didn’t even notice… OK, I am officially confused.”
We wanted Vivid World to be different.
We want you to choose how you expand the game.
To learn by exploring.
And to build your own shape of adventure.
No one tells you where to go.
You pick the path. You make the calls.
When the full release comes, I hope you’ll give it a try!
Thanks so much for reading to the end!
By the time the next blog goes up…
We might be able to officially announce our release date!! ✨
Please look forward to it! 🎉
See you in the next dev blog.
Toru Nakamura
Vivid World Director