Hi, Ells&Pills is here!
This major update includes the following changes:
Bonus Mode:
- A new type of enemy has been added. This addition slightly expands the game's world and bridges the gap between the harmless madmen from the upper floors and the monster at the end of the game.
- The new chair-bound enemies have gotten a bit smarter. Now they can move backward, just like the main character.
- New enemies can now deal damage to the character. In the bonus mode, you can die just like in the main game. But it's worth noting that this mode still remains a place to have some fun and unwind after beating the main game.
- The shotgun's knockback force has been significantly increased. To make all that wild fun look and feel even more epic.
- The bonus mode is now unlocked after 19 restarts, you don't have to complete the main game. In Ells Tales, the number 19 is special, so this is a nod to other games.
Main Game:
- Added one mutated enemy, appearing with a 50% chance.
- The leaderboard player list has been increased for the last time. Now it will display the top 46 places (and the zero GG:WP, of course). The number 46 is also a reference to Ells Tales.
- Difficulty levels have been renamed from Easy/Normal/Hard to Normal/Hard/Unreal. We decided these names would look better for new players. In fact, if you get the hang of chair control, the difference between all difficulty levels is minimal, but new players should really start on the first difficulty level.
- Light sources have been given small animations so the game location feels less static.
- Flashlight range increased by 25%.
- Now, after madmen's death, blood appears under them, just like in the Bonus mode.
- The pistol's knockback force has been slightly increased.
Well..
That's it, our exciting adventure of improving the game, which lasted a whole 3 months, has come to an end! We tried to fix and add a lot of things, and today the game looks significantly better than on August 1st when it was released. It's a shame it didn't look like this right away: some players encountered physics issues, others were turned off by the overly high difficulty, and some unclear aspects of the level design. We'll try to take this experience into account in the future.
This year, the game will receive one more small update, quite possibly quietly and without a news. In honor of the winter holidays, during Steam's winter sale, a Christmas theme will be added to the game. It will be available in the main menu, just like the Halloween one. Otherwise, we're sending the game on its own path with a clear conscience. Once again, we want to thank you all for your support and feedback — A HUGE THANK YOU TO YOU ALL! All these new features and fixes were made for the people who supported us and liked the game's idea. Because for someone who didn't like it for any reason (which is absolutely normal, especially double for these rage-inducing games!), they've already deleted it or refunded it, so the number of updates and work done doesn't matter to them anymore.
From what players asked for and what has never been added to the game:
- Support for user mods.
- Cooperative mode for playing with friends.
- Fan-requested bonus mode with races against madmen.
- More weapon types for bonus mode #0809.
We received so much feedback about the cooperative mode that if we ever decide to create Chairbound 2 in the future, we'll definitely look into developing online games. So if there's a sequel to the game, it's highly likely it'll be a cooperative one: new characters and locations, new rules, new devices and challenges, new enemies (mutations are a hint), and a new dose of fun. But for two players! :D
Right now, we're throwing all our efforts into developing Ells Tales: Idols, since the game's release has already been delayed by a whole year. So practically all our online activity (Steam, Discord) will be tied to it. We might try out the "dev diaries" format a bit to keep the game's page from being empty until release and to avoid disappearing from the internet for months, as usual. :D
Alongside Ells Tales: Idols, next year we're planning a more narrative-driven horror game involving freight elevator control, plus another fun game that's sure to induce rage (shoutout to Egg and Chairbound). In the meantime, to stay in the loop and not miss out, you can follow us right here on Steam, on Discord (clickable links above), or just follow the game in development:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/3234970/Ells_Tales_Idols/
And finally, at the very end of the news, we simply wish you all a good, kind end to this year and an excellent upcoming 2026. May next year bring everyone a better life than now, and may all your wishes come true. Take care of yourselves and don't lose your humanity in this crazy world. <3