Hello players, this is ethereal fish studio
After a few months of silence, we're here to share some major progress with you.
To put it simply: we've completely reworked the game's core gameplay and overall structure. If you've played our previous demo, then congratulations, you're about to experience a "brand new" game.
We'd like to start with a system you might be familiar with.
【Combat Evolution: From "Rage Ultimate" to "Fury Attack"】
Remember the old Rage system? You'd fill up a bar to unleash a single, powerful attack.
Now, it has evolved.
We've upgraded it to a three-segment energy bar. Each use consumes only one segment and has its own dedicated button, so you'll no longer trigger it by accident when using a heavy attack.
But that's just the basics. The real highlight is that once you've stored all three segments, you can unleash the true ultimate skill with a specific command: the "Fury Attack."
This new mechanic is just the tip of the iceberg of our massive updates. Next, we want to talk about some deeper changes.
【On the UI: A Much-Needed Overhaul】
To be honest, we don't have anyone on our team who specializes in UI design. The UI in the previous version was... rather hastily put together, and we received a lot of complaints about it.
At first, we thought that as a "poor" indie dev team, players might be more forgiving. But it turns out that a clean UI is crucial for the overall game experience.
So this time, we were determined to make a change. We hired a professional UI designer to completely remake the game's entire user interface.
The new UI finally makes the game look like a "proper game." We hope you'll be happy with the new design.
【Core Gameplay: A Complete Restructure】
Now for the main event of this update: the complete overhaul of the core gameplay.
The old progression system revolved around "level up, pick a weapon, pick an upgrade." The advantage was its simplicity, but the disadvantage was also clear: the experience was relatively monotonous, with limited room for players to create their own builds.
We want every run of the game to offer more strategic depth and randomness.
So, we reworked the "Insectoid Core" system.
Previously, Insectoid Cores mostly provided simple stat bonuses. Now, we've given them various elemental properties like Cryo, Pyro, and Dendro. When you collect a certain number of cores of the same element, you'll activate powerful "Affinity" effects.
For example:
Equip two "Cryo Cores": An ice ring appears at your character's feet, with a chance to freeze enemies on hit.
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Equip two "Dendro Cores": Vines will automatically seek out and attack enemies.
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The highest-tier Red Insectoid Cores come with powerful unique effects that can fundamentally change the strength of your build. This way, figuring out the optimal combination based on the cores you get in each run becomes a new source of fun and challenge.
To allow for free experimentation, we've also redesigned the inventory system. Insectoid Cores must be socketed to take effect, and they can be freely removed and swapped at any time.
If you get a core you don't want, you can combine it into a higher-tier one at the shop, or dismantle it for materials to reforge and reroll for the affixes you need. We want to give players enough agency to build their ideal character step by step.
By the way, the old weapon upgrade system has also been reworked. It's no longer tied to your level but now appears as a "unique affix" on high-tier Red Insectoid Cores, which can also be socketed or removed at will. No more being locked into a choice for the rest of the run.
【And There's More...】
In addition to these core changes, we've made many other optimizations and additions:
Equipment System: We've removed some stat-stick items and added more new equipment with unique mechanics.
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Meta-progression: We've added an out-of-run progression system. But don't worry, its purpose is to make the game more enjoyable, not to gate your progress.
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Other: We've also added a base, streamlined damage types, optimized the room reward mechanics, and more...
Our goal with all these changes is simple: to raise the gameplay ceiling and enrich the game's content.
The brand new Demo 2.0 is now available for download, where you can experience most of these changes firsthand. (Of course, we've still saved some surprises for the full release.) Stay tuned for major news about the official launch next month~
We eagerly await your discussions and suggestions in the comments. Every piece of feedback you provide is invaluable motivation that helps us make the game better.
Thank you for your patience and for reading.