Hey everyone!
I’m hard at work getting the demo ready for Steam Next Fest, and things are coming along nicely. The plan is to have a solid, playable chunk ready before the event—and then open up Early Access shortly after.
Here’s a look at what’s been happening behind the scenes:
Elemental effects now hit harder (and look cooler)
Elemental damage now packs more punch. Burning enemies like mages ignite immediately, and frozen foes will shatter into satisfying icy shards when smashed. Combat just got a whole lot juicier.
Dual wield skill is finalized and fully working
One of the trickiest parts of our skill system is ensuring different abilities and elemental effects can combine seamlessly. Dual wielding posed a unique challenge—it affects how the player attacks, reloads, and triggers other effects. After a lot of tweaking and accounting for edge cases, it’s now working neatly with all elemental builds.
Main quest progression and new boss: the Flamethrower Baddy
Development on the main quest continues, bringing new story content and fresh enemies—like this brand-new boss wielding a brutal flamethrower. The footage is from an early test map, but… you get the point. WOOSH.
New enemy tech and UI polish
I’ve also expanded general enemy behavior, adding projectile-throwing types to keep you on your toes. On top of that, the enemy name UI and various visual polish passes make everything look sharper and feel more refined.
Destructible environments (with loot!)
Destructibles are in! Blowing things up is always fun, but they also help make the world feel alive—and sometimes they drop loot too. This is a small taste of the broader loot system that’s planned for expansion after the Early Access release.
Optional lore system: readable tomes and books
For players who love world-building, I’ve added a system for reading tomes, scrolls, and ancient books. It’s completely optional, but offers rich lore if you want to dig deeper. And yes—it already looks pretty neat!
Major progress on the main story (but no spoilers)
The largest additions are actually in the main quest and story… but I’m deliberately showing less of that for now. If you’re part of the Discord, you may have seen a few extra glimpses. For everyone else: it’s shaping up to be something special.
👉 Don’t forget to wishlist Under a Desert Sun: Seekers of the Cursed Vessel
It really helps with visibility and keeps you in the loop for Early Access and Next Fest!
🎮 Want to see more and join the community?
Hop into the Discord and chat with fellow adventurers, give feedback, or just lurk for sneak peeks.