Greetings adventurers!
We’re back with another big update for the Runeborn demo (0.5)—and this one’s all about opening the gates to more players, improving the experience, and making each run feel better paced and more rewarding. Let’s dive in!
🌍 Now Localized in 10 Languages!
Runeborn is now playable in nine additional languages:
Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Spanish.
We worked with professional translators for Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese to ensure high-quality localization.
The remaining languages were translated using machine translation and AI assistance. While we’ve done our best to polish them, they might not be perfect—please let us know if you spot anything off!
We’re also officially launching in Asian markets on June 5th, 2025. Welcome to all our new players—we’re thrilled to have you on this journey!
🎮 Partial Steam Deck & Controller Support
You asked, we listened. Runeborn now has partial controller support for Xbox, PlayStation, and other modern gamepads.
It also runs great on Steam Deck so you can take your roguelike deckbuilding on the go.
🎥 Updated Launch Trailer
To celebrate all the improvements and our global rollout, we’ve released a brand-new launch trailer! It features updated gameplay and new trinket art—perfect for sharing with a friend who’s curious about the game.
Let us know what you think—we’re proud of how far Runeborn has come!
📅 Coming to Steam Next Fest – June 9th
We’re excited to announce that Runeborn will be part of Steam Next Fest, starting June 9th!
This is your chance to jump into the updated demo, experience all the latest changes, and share your feedback with us.
We’ll be hanging out during the event, streaming gameplay, answering questions, and talking with the community. Be sure to stop by our store page and join the fun!
🧭 Better Game Flow & Run Length
With the addition of Chapter 3 in Early Access, we noticed that complete runs were starting to feel like a slog, especially once Chapter 4 entered the mix. To keep runs engaging and rewarding:
Chapters have been shortened from 9 levels to 7.
This change keeps the pacing tight and lets players reach elite and boss rewards more frequently.
To compensate, we’ve increased the difficulty of the first three levels, so your journey still starts with a challenge.
🎨 Visual Improvements
Over 100 trinkets have received updated artwork to better match their theme and rarity.
Tooltips got a visual facelift, making it easier to quickly parse important info mid-run.
And to spice up boss encounters, we’ve added a new effect for each boss—see if you can spot them!
What we're dubbing "Hot Trinkets" - a new visual way to see how much a Trinket is contributing towards your Cast
🐞 Bug Fixes & Patch Notes
We’ve squashed dozens of bugs and made various under-the-hood improvements.
Full patch notes are below.
Patch Notes
Summary
100+ NEW Trinket Art
Added Localization: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Spanish
Added Basic Controller Support (Virtual Cursor)
NEW Tooltip Art to improve readability
Bosses now have additional abilities
Removed most error popups and implemented error sounds and animations in their place
Added Trinket Slot Reward animation feedback
Vypras Forced Hold visuals updated
Added click to skip cutscenes (Comic, Elite & Boss Intros)
Balance Changes
Chapters now have 7 levels
HP Curve updated to account for new Chapter length
Removed Ghorlock boss from Demo
Curse of Replication will now target non-Unique trinkets if possible
Enemy abilities no longer trigger after they die
Trinket Updates
Jade Bell: Double your Coins gained from Interest (Previously: +1 Coin for every 5 Coins owned when an enemy is defeated (Maximum +10 Coins))
Gift Box: +2 Coins per Common Trinket you own at the start of a fight (Previously: Conjure 2 Common Trinkets at the start of a fight)
Nugget of Wisdom: +2 Coins when you deal greater than or equal to 50% of the Enemy's total HP in a single Cast (Previously: +4 Coins when an enemy is defeated)
Faberge Egg: After 3 more Enemies are defeated, Evolves to make a copy of a random Trinket, including its Gem (Previously: After 3 more Enemies are defeated, sell this to make a copy of a random Trinket, including its Gem)
Flickering Flame: +50% to all listed Amulet values (Previously: Retrigger all Runes for the next 5 Casts)
Peg Leg: Degrade value changed from 3 -> 1
Axe Akimbo: Damage changed from 300 -> 400
Jeweler's Loupe: xMulti changed from 0.5x -> 0.4x
Wild Card: Moved from Rare to Legendary
Ocarina: Now works with Elite and Boss Chests as well
Frostbite: Now only activates on Meditate and Cast
Sigil of Speed: Now starts tracking when you get the trinket rather than from the start of the level (If obtained mid way through a level, you can now still earn the highest rarity trinket)
Sprinting Shoes: Removed
Nullification: Removed
Added a new Duplicate keyword on Trinkets that have been duplicated by Curse of Replication, Faberge Egg
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where changing resolutions in-game caused an error
Fixed an issue where the end of run jingle was being played as a sound effect, using the incorrect volume slider setting
Fixed an issue where destroying a trinket slot that was being copied by Chameleon Tail would cause an error
Fixed an issue where match previews did not work with Double Trouble
Fixed an issue where Black Ice Amulet did not work with Daoist Bracers
Fixed an issue where Helping Hand and Avia would cause Wild Runes to morph into their final rune prematurely
Fixed an issue where Dark Magic would not connect to Wilds
Fixed an issue where hovering trinkets during a cast would display incorrect values for Grow trinkets
Fixed an issue where Mobius Scroll Case would work with Forbidden Scrolls that add amulets
Fixed an issue where Coin sound effects would play on the Game Over Leaderboard Popups
Fixed an issue where Prismatic Eye, and Skipping Stone would show incorrect match particles when fighting the Siren enemy
Fixed various issues with Scroll of the Ram
That’s it for now! Whether you’re diving into a new language version, picking up a controller, or testing out a new build during Steam Next Fest, we can’t wait to hear what you think of the changes.
As always, we’d love to hear your feedback in the forums or Discord. Thanks for playing—and stay Runeborn.
- The Runeborn Team