Following our first public playtest, where hundreds of players jumped in and shared invaluable feedback, we’ve spent the past weeks refining the early experience of Desert Revenant 2: The Reawakening.
The next playtest will run from April 9 to April 15, with a focused goal: improving the first hours of gameplay while introducing new systems.
What We Learned
The first playtest gave us clear direction:
Early progression felt too linear
Desert encounters didn’t feel like meaningful alternatives within a run
Some enemy mechanics were difficult to read and understand
This next version builds directly on that feedback.
What’s Changed
🔹 More Meaningful Decisions
We’ve started introducing more dynamic decision-making across the map, with choices that carry more weight and influence how your run unfolds.
This is an ongoing area of improvement and will continue evolving.
🔹 Desert Encounters (Work in Progress)
Desert encounters are currently being reworked.
In the previous playtest, they often felt too simple and not impactful enough as an option compared to other paths. Our goal is to turn them into more meaningful decisions with clearer risk and reward.
You’ll start seeing the direction in this playtest, with more improvements coming in future updates.
🔹 Improved Combat Clarity
We’ve added a new interaction highlighting system.
When hovering cards, buffs, or effects, related elements now visually react — making it easier to understand how abilities interact, without reducing the depth of combat.
🔹 Enemy Adjustments & Balance
Several enemies have been refined to improve readability and fairness.
Notably:
Adjustments to enemies like the Jinn of Destruction and Sand Ogre
Clearer behavior and more understandable mechanics
🔹 Expanded Build Options
We’ve added new cards for the Leper, giving you more ways to shape your build during a run.
🔹 Improved Boss Rewards
Boss fights now offer more satisfying rewards, better reflecting their difficulty and importance.
🔹 UX & Immersion Improvements
We’ve made several quality-of-life and immersion improvements:
Reduced the number of mini loading screens for a smoother experience
Added lore introductions for bosses and mini-bosses
Lore screens no longer auto-skip — you can now take the time to read and immerse yourself
New System: Minion Perks
One of the biggest additions in this playtest is a new system focused on minion customization.
You can now acquire Minion Perks during your run — allowing you to customize your minions with unique passive abilities and shape how they contribute to your strategy.
Choose from a selection of perks
Assign them to your minions
Each minion can hold one perk
This opens up new synergies and build paths, giving you more control over how your run evolves.
Focus of This Playtest
This playtest is intentionally focused.
You’ll once again play as the Leper, across the first three regions, as we continue refining the early-game experience.
We’re specifically looking for feedback on:
Progression and decision-making
Desert encounters
Combat clarity
The new Minion Perks system
Join the Playtest
The playtest will run from April 9 to April 15.
If you’d like to participate, you’ll be able to request access directly via the Steam page.
This update is a step toward making Desert Revenant 2 more layered, more strategic, and more rewarding to play, while preserving the strength of its core combat.
We’re looking forward to seeing how this version plays in your hands!