Greetings, adventurers!
The project is back on track after blackouts, major reworks, and a sudden career change. Currently, we are working through the remaining tasks and actively playtesting the game. If nothing critical arises along the way, the project will launch this Summer.
We want to take a moment to outline what makes Aftermath different from the original Dragon Ruins II, as the project changed significantly over the course of development. Since the list of changes is quite extensive, we will cover the major changes here.
Character System
Intensive Training: characters can be leveled up without meeting the EXP requirements by paying extra at the Guild.
Stat Growth Manipulation: Stat progression can be nudged in the desired direction by using weapons that utilize the stats you want to grow.
Exhaustion: whenever a character dies, they might get exhausted, temporarily halving their maximum HP. Letting them rest in town for a while will remove the exhausted status.
Reserve Party: reserve characters will level up to match the average active party level whenever you complete a quest, giving you additional space to experiment with different lineups.
Battle System
Improved Pacing: the battle system flows faster compared to DR2 and is now closer to DR1.
Critical Strikes: characters will sometimes perform a follow-up attack for extra damage.
Varied Targeting: certain weapons can hit enemies in the back or target all enemy groups participating in battle. Certain monsters can also attack from the back at a slower rate (reserved for archers and monsters with breath attacks).
Equipment
Revised Upgrade System: The upgrade system now resembles the one from the first Dragon Ruins, with some adjustments -- weapons and armor can be upgraded individually to boost their power.
Item Modifiers: weapons and armor will sometimes have stat bonuses/penalties, and upgraded versions of various items can be found in the dungeon as well.
New Items: various new items have been added, as well as new equipment types, such as Spears, Greatswords, and Shields.
Dungeons & Quests
Revised NG+ mode: each quest gets progressively more difficult after completion, so if you find yourself enjoying a particular map, you can keep replaying it and enjoy the challenge for a while.
Revised Repopulation Rules: instead of repopulating the dungeons each year, they are populated differently on each run to reflect the passage of time.
Healing Spots: dungeons have healing spots where you can regain a small amount of health to keep going for a bit longer.
Important Notes
Due to various circumstances, the Japanese localization will be added to the game after the initial release. Apologies for the prolonged wait.
The store page will be updated soon to reflect the project's current state.