Version 0.5 is out now for the demo of Dragon Hop!
Changes:
- Introducing two different difficulties: Hardcore & Exploration
- Added unlockable skins
- Added 2 new token types you can collect
- Added new teleport mechanic available in Exploration mode
- Massively improved climbing onto platforms
- Improved controls
- New tutorials to explain updated content
This new update aims to tackle the problem of game difficulty and accessibility for players of different skillsets and interests. Through speaking with many of you it became apparent that different players often enjoyed Dragon Hop for completely different aspects. Some players are really keen to test their jumping skills and constantly looking for a stimulating challenge while others like to sit back, take it slow, and enjoy exploring the game and it's many secret treasures.
To solve this divide in interests we made a very simple but fun addition to the game: 2 difficulties. The new Exploration difficulty introduces checkpoints in many parts of the game that can be unlocked. But unlocking them is not free. You'll have to seek out Feathers to unlock them and they can sometimes be... hard to find. Those who like exploration should have no problem though as many times it only takes a bit of sniffing around to discover them. Also, you probably won't find enough Feathers to unlock every single checkpoint, so choose wisely and aim to get the ones where you struggled the most!
In the meantime, the intended game difficulty is still Hardcore and as the name suggests, it's where there can be quite a bit of struggle before the reward. But there IS a reward, for those who choose to play on Hardcore difficulty the Feathers you find are different: they serve as a special type of currency used to unlock Hardcore specific rewards. The current reward for those who venture into Hardcore mode is a special appearance for your dragon, but there may be different types of rewards in the future.
In both difficulties we are also adding another new collectible: Coins. These Coins serve the same general purpose as Feathers in Hardcore mode, only this type of collectible is accessible in both modes.
With this update you'll be able to unlock 2 new appearances for your dragon (inside the demo!), one for Coins and one for Hardcore-mode Feathers.
A new jumping challenge has also be added at the end to make it a bit more interesting for those who have already played.
And if you DID play before, and had little success, you may want to give it another shot, as the movement has improved in all aspects so you might find it much easier to perform the "Hopping" part than you did previously.
I hope you all enjoy this update, and I'm always open to your feedback about the game!
Happy Hopping!