A huge thank you to all our playtesters!
Last year, we ran four waves of playtesting with over 5,000 players across all versions. We implemented countless gameplay changes, tested new ideas and features, and — thanks to you — finally found our direction. Since the last playtest, we've made massive progress, and we're now excited to share some insights on the changes and announce our final playtest at the end of January!
Start options
We introduce a new layer of strategic choice: you can now select one of 10 unique characters and pair them with one of 5 distinct locomotives. Additionally, you can choose an economy aspect that determines how you acquire new items after each battle. We're also introducing a Challenges system. After you complete a run on the classic difficulty, you'll unlock a new, harder challenge tier with stronger enemies who sometimes have new abilities!
Characters
Characters have different stats and starting amounts of Bones. Some are lucky or rich, while others specialize in specific projectile types!
Locomotives
Some locomotives and railcars can now function as turrets! They have their own separate weapon chain, which starts at the weapon crafting desk. You can even combine your personal weapon chain with the locomotive's chain to create powerful synergies.
Additionally, locomotives have different starting HP, firing mechanisms, and can launch different types of projectiles.
Inventory, Aspects, Stats
We did some changes at the inventory UX and UI, it's now more comfrotable to use. The weapon chain now scaling depends on how much items it contain.
Aspects
We have fully reworked the Aspects system. Aspects no longer have different levels; instead, they stack with each other, combining their bonuses when duplicated.
We now have 28 unique Aspects across 5 tiers. Some increase damage from specific projectile types, others grant bonuses when you buy or upgrade items, and some simply provide rewards after each battle or station visit.
Stats
Each character has 9 different stats that can be modified during a run.
The First Five (Melee, Frag, Arrow, Bullet, Ball): Govern damage for their source.
Agility: Determines reload speed for guns and attack speed for melee.
Speed: Controls the character's movement speed.
Crit: The chance to deal double damage from any source.
Bone: The chance to earn a Bone after defeating an enemy.
Enemies have 3 stats, which can also be modified during a run.
Power: Determines the enemy's health.
Thirst: Governs how fast they run toward your train.
Ferocity: Controls the damage they deal to your train.
Combat System Updates
We've made a lot of changes to combat, including dashes, critical hits, new item mechanics, shooting railcars, new arenas and more.
New items mechanics:
Effect Source: Oh yeah! We've reworked all liquids — now they're usable! You can apply them to any item, and the effect will last permanently.
When Melting: Oh, that's cool! Melting an item with this mechanic grants you a bonus afterward — like a stat increase, HP restore, or something else!
After Battle: Items with this mechanic trigger an effect after each combat, such as increasing their own stats or boosting your character's stats.
Kill Counter: Items with this mechanic accumulate charges with each kill they perform. Once fully charged, the item gains a temporary new ability for the current battle.
When Crit: The item's ability triggers when you score a critical hit with it.
Some other changes:
Boomerangs – A new arrow items!
Items with the "Rain of Arrows" ability!
Now you can shoot at melee
Now you can perform melee attack when reloading
New mini-game and Quest system
We've added a Wheel of Fortune for gamblers, offering a variety of random rewards!
We've also added 7 different quests across 3 NPCs. Each quest's difficulty is randomly generated, and the reward scales accordingly.
Our last playtest is scheduled to launch at the end of January
That's all the news for now! Happy New Year and Thank you for your support, and we'll be waiting for you at our final playtest at the end of January, which will feature a major update. Stay tuned, and welcome to our Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/fMCFMaZj3t