Intro
Hey everyone,
It's been a while since we discussed more about the game itself and what's coming. This post is our first Developer Diary. We'll go into the basics of Wraithwood and reveal new information about the town that comes after. Also, we've got an update to the Demo releasing this month which fundamentally changes how one of our core systems works. Please skip to the end to see a TLDR if you're not in the mood for some reading ;)
A Detailed Wraithwood Dive
The fun bit comes first. We've been working on Wraithwood steadily over the past few months. It's now feature complete, and only polish remains. While it's a much smaller town, it's by no means empty.
Containing six procedural, randomised houses, Wraithwood also has three unique points of interest.
Medical Morgue
Overrun by the dead at the last minute, the morgue is in relatively good shape. Despite the name, its a doctors. Teeming with corrupt, syringe-wielding ghostly foes, this level challenges you with an overwhelming barrage of acidic tricks. However, the storage room gives way to a higher tier of medical loot that greatly helps as you progress through this difficult region.
The Cultist's Cabin
There are few places in the Famine Frontier quite as bloodied as this. A map plastered with skeletons and golden daggers, remnants of Stickstead and an aggressive, strengthened leader. The Cultists dare release the spirit of their godlike ancestors, but talk of the town is that there's loot to be had through a mysterious underground tunnel...
Wraithwood Farmhouse
The Farmhouse is the first Horde Level you'll encounter in Defiled West. Enemies are pouring in from all over, breaking windows as they feel the urge to feed the growing rift. If this rift gets what it needs to expand, Wraithwood stands no chance. You must defend the Farmhouse by barricading windows, crafting new traps and using new weapons to turn your sole existence into an army. Don't be alarmed by the disgruntled shotgun-bearing farmers crashing through the glass. They might be fast, but the rift is what they're after.
And that's all we'll reveal for Wraithwood until release. Expect more images to follow, but we want some of it to be a surprise!
The Screaming Caves
With the rift in Wraithwood closed, you can make your way through the rocky mountains deep into the caves on the other side. What was once a mineshaft for the local workers, is now a chorus of death. The ceiling drips with blood, the floors vibrate with anger. If your soul struggles anywhere, its here.
The second major location in Defiled West, The Screaming Caves is a region entirely underground. Explore and master five new locations with three challenging bosses to defeat. Enemies from Stickstead are too weak to be found in here - you'll have to make do with Petrighouls - crafty little duplicators; Pincers - organic traps aching for food and Oxidised Miners - Unable to move when being observed.
(of course, there's more!)
In a place with a cave called "Arachnids Embrace" you wouldn't expect anything short of creepy corruption. We'll share more as we open into 2026.
Dev Diary
Spectralisation
Our biggest point of concern with the release of the Demo was that players didn't understand the Spectralisation process very well. With that in mind, we've been working on a new solution.
Old tutorial? gone. Hearts? broken. Spectralisation? Not forgotten.
We've reworked the process so that players no longer Spectralise on death (thats when you turn blue!). Now, you may only spectralise if you've consumed Withered Whiskey. A new item which allows your Inspectre friend to pull you from the depths between worlds and keep you stabilised. Think of it like a ghostly defibrillator.
That's not all.
Balancing has been adjusted to accommodate this change. Withered Whiskey is only obtainable by killing bosses or looting very specific hidden areas. We want it to be a life saver. Keeping your soul balanced is now more important than ever - so be careful. You can play on Easy, Normal or Hard mode and each of these has slightly different affects to both soul balancing and health.
These changes will make their way into the Demo this month. We're also reworking Spectral Phase, one of the later-acquired abilities which allows you to spectralise on command, becoming invincible and providing a dash ability. Currently, it doesn't make sense to allow you to spectralise on command because you have to pay a high price to save yourself from death usually. So this part of the ability will be removed. However, there are other benefits to being a complete ghost...
Wraithwood Polishing
Its been a week or so of polishing Wraithwood up. Bug fixing, balancing and art redesigns are the focus. Especially with our Horde Level mechanic which needs some work still. Currently, you can only fortify windows facing upward. But there are windows on the side and bottom of the farmhouse which also need fortification, otherwise you'll be overrun.
Fortifying windows was a unique challenge because we do allow simple fortification on rifts within the Saloon bossfight, but these windows require you to be able to shoot through them and enemies need to be able to break them apart. So they're slightly different systems. Good thing someone left multiple boxes of wooden planks lying around?
A special highlight of this level is the Bow weapon. Being able to occasionally pin enemies to walls is very satisfying, and really gives that weapon a unique feel to it. I've also really enjoyed the sound design here. There's unique SFX for the rift closing and starving (not receiving enough food for a prolonged period, aka the win condition!). Sounds in Defiled West are mostly built by us, but from purchased clips. We dont like using sounds you might hear somewhere else, so everything has to be uniquely adjusted. Sounds like the rift starvation are heavily layered and stitched together to match the animation in the scene, and remind you of the power it holds.
The map itself is also quite visually pleasing - compared to Stickstead, Wraithwood doesn't use a repeating texture. Every part was drawn with purpose and that's how it'll be going forward. Enemies dont emerge from fog, they simply crawl out from tall cornfields. Time to make some corn particles.
The Screaming Caves - Design
Very little has been done for this area just yet. There's a lot of work ahead of us, but we were consistently slowed down by new systems, UI and animations previously. Two major systems are still yet to be implemented - Localisation and Level Replays. Currently you can enter previous levels to buy goods, explore or change cosmetics. But we want to provide the chance to attempt the level again with your enhanced gear and skills. Not to mention, complete all objectives for each level!
The major point of uniqueness with this map is that its all in a cave. There's still going to be levels (yay, loading screens!) but the "outside" is really "inside" and the Hallowed Halls contains everything you're used to.
There's an emphasis here of spectral energy, and most enemies will be ghostly in some form. So we want the player to really manage their ability to stay physical and not die from disrupting their soul scale. Additionally, we've got new enemy logic to keep things interesting. The last thing we want is reskins everywhere. Dont get me wrong, reskins have their place. Enemies with different speeds and health pools serve their purpose. But why visit a new region, if everything is the same with a new face?
Thats also where weapons and gadgets come in. Although we wont share what the new gadgets for the caves are, we can confirm a new mechanic which allows you to damage spectral enemies in a completely new way. We're trying to gradually increase the strength you'll need in order to defeat each horseman of the frontier. Psyanite is the orchestrator of this rift and requires a significant demonstration of power to defeat.
Detailed Planning for Banshee's Bluff, the next minor town on your journey to death, will begin shortly.
The Rest of the Game!
We do get distracted from time to time, adding thors hammer, lightsabers and whatnot. Stuff like this isn't currently available to players but perhaps in the end game! Either way, we're always improving parts here and there.
The Objective system is a new mechanic we've introduced to give players a goal in each level. Its completely optional and only affects the grade you receive at the end of the level. Its built for completionists, really. That isn't to say its pointless for everyone else. Completion of all buildings within a town grants a small bonus based on the grades you received in each one. This isn't a significant advantage over other players, but it adds up! Its up to you, if you want a little bit more health ;)
Thats all for now, thanks!
Mindmoss
TLDR:
Loads of work has been done over the last few months, and we've improved areas of the demo as well in response to feedback. The tutorial has been made simpler, and the spectralisation (going blue) mechanic has been reworked.
This month, we will release a holiday themed update with some quality of life improvements, two new weapons and some decorations. More information on that soon!