Hey Trainers,
It’s been nearly a month since we released the first Montabi demo (June 3rd), and we wanted to take a moment to share some insights and updates with you all.
💛 First of all, Thank you!
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who supported us by wishlisting, playing the demo, sending feedback, and joining our Discord community. It truly means a lot to our small team.
Since launch, we’ve released two hotfixes (v0.1.1 and v0.1.2) to address major bugs reported by players, thank you so much for helping us improve the game!
📊 Demo by the Numbers
1,800+ players played the demo
33 positive reviews out of 34 on Steam
41 responses on our feedback form
8.1/10 average fun rating
📝 What We Learned from Your Feedback
Here are some of the key issues you raised, and what we’ve done so far to address them:
Double-click UX was frustrating → We’ve simplified most confirmations and replaced double-clicking with single-button actions.
Tutorial and intro text were too long → We’re redesigning these sections for the full game later to be more concise but still clear.
No way to remove cards → You can now remove cards via a new Café mechanic called Refreshment.
Game pace felt slow → We’ve sped up attack animations, made taming and result scenes faster, and added the ability to skip evolution sequences.
Area 1 Boss countered movement-based strategies too heavily → We’re re-evaluating Scorchpunk’s placement and may remove him from Area 1.
Difficulty was inconsistent → We’re considering multiple difficulty levels for better accessibility, an easier option for newcomers and a harder one for deckbuilding veterans.
🔧 What We’re Focusing on Next
Now that we’ve completed two hotfixes and addressed core feedback, we’re shifting our focus toward expanding content into Area 2 and Area 3. As we scale, a few challenges have emerged:
Battlefield feels cramped with fully evolved Montabi → We’re prototyping larger grid layouts and camera zoom adjustments.
Montabi skill pools may not scale well across full runs → Currently, each Montabi has 12 skills across 3 evolution stages. With longer runs and more Montabi, this risks repetition. → We're exploring a new system where each Montabi has 2 “tags” (like elemental types), and pulls skills from both tag pools and a unique skill pool. So each Montabi will have x unique deck pool + x tag A deck pool + x tag B deck pool. This could create deeper synergy and variety, though we’re still prototyping and testing the trade-offs.
Too many draft choices → With 6 units and multiple drafts per level, the current system can lead to 48 drafts per run, which is overwhelming. → We’re testing a system where you choose one Montabi to level up after each battle instead of gaining EXP across the team, requiring more meaningful decisions. Draft frequency is also being reduced.
Runs are too long (avg. 180 minutes++) → We're working to shorten battle duration and reduce the number of battles per run to aim closer to the 60–90 minute standard.
⚙️ New Feature: Equipment System
We’re also introducing a new feature: Equipment!
Think of it like held items (similar to berries in Pokémon). Each Montabi can hold one item to further customize their build and add new layers of synergy. Early tests are showing promising results!
💬 What’s Next?
We’re planning a small closed playtest next month to validate some of these new systems. If you're interested in trying out early iterations and giving us feedback, please join our Discord!
Also, we’re planning to post smaller dev updates in Discord in addition to major devlogs like this one on Steam, so stay tuned and help us shape Montabi together.
Thank you for being part of this journey. We truly couldn’t do it without you!
Boy "Bochi" Dozan🐾