Greetings Heroes!
Last week we launched our new trailer (go check it out if you haven't yet!) and announced a new way to play the game we call:
'Hero Mode'
Today we'll talk a bit more about this new mode and further development of the game.
Hero Mode is what we call an experimental new mode. It came to be as a side project when we asked ourselves the question: 'what if?'
Many of you have been suggesting a solo-play feature ever since we started and over time we've gotten quite curious and started to explore how it could look if we tried to put it into the game.
We were not disappointed and we think you all might have been onto something!
So.. What is Hero Mode?
Hero mode is a new single player mode where you get to challenge yourself and go on an adventure to face the dangers of Lumerea on your own.
That's right, it's all up to you to save the world and it won't be easy!!
This is our way of providing you with a way to play when you boot up the game and are waiting for your friends to come online, want to challenge yourself on a speedrun for bragging rights or want to practice a hero before queueing up for the real deal. Of course, if you don't feel like playing with anybody else that day, we think that's totally cool too!
We felt there was a real need from players to be able to jump into a game alone before queueing up with others and decided to take the plunge. Check it out!
(Lotus facing a new mini-boss on her own - are you ready?)
How do Hero Mode and Co-Op mode differ from each other?
It comes to no surprise that the biggest difference between the two modes is that you'll be playing alone rather than in a party of three.
This means that nobody will swoop in to save you if you need some emergency heals or somebody to peel some enemies away from you. Hero roles act differently and you will find yourself prioritizing different powerups than before. On top of that, Health will become a precious resource that you will want to hold onto at all costs as it will not replenish by completing islands...
Picking a hero is the first important step! Will you want to focus on playing a hero with more health and overshield to absorb the damage, pick a healer so you can sustain yourself or deal more damage so you never get hit to begin with?
Every hero comes with its own benefits and unique way to play and you might even learn a new thing or two about the hero you never utilized before in Co-Op mode.
There are however other differences that are worth noting!
To accommodate for solo play, we'll be making slight adjustments to the islands (rooms) and the enemies that spawn. You'll encounter different objectives and will face lower numbers of enemies than you would in the Co-Op mode.
But don't be fooled! This will not mean it'll be any easier and it'll be more crucial than ever to learn what each enemy does so you can avoid taking damage and strike them back!
(Health is a precious resource.. Be careful!)
Will your main focus shift away from Co-Op mode?
We've always said Co-Op is in our DNA and that hasn't changed! We still believe that Co-Op is the most fun way to play the game and that it's our most unique selling point compared to other games in the genre. We aren't changing direction, Co-Op mode is still our main focus going forward
Hero mode is currently still at this experimental stage where we are figuring out how we'd like to implement this mode next to the 3-man co-op mode without having to create and maintain two separate games when it comes to content, balancing, etc.
Expect more information on the new Mode as we work towards the next playtest, and who knows.. you might even get a chance to test it!
Do let us know your thoughts on our forums as it'll help us a lot to further develop it!
Till next time!