I'm not too pig-headed to admit when I make a design flaw. Having 2 tough missions back to back with one of the hardest bosses in the game right afterwards was, in retrospect, a no-no. I didn't like when NES Ninja Gaiden tossed me all the way back to stage 6-1 and JAC doesn't have to be that way now.
And in fact, it's not anymore! I woke up this morning and immediately went to the comptuer and made some very necessary changes. And lo and behold, they worked right away (thank GOD).
It's a sign of a crappy dev who doesn't take criticism into account, and make changes where possible while still maintaining the integrity of his game.
So, without further ado:
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PATCH NOTES
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*Created a new area in between the 2 final stages of the game, complete with the choice to save your game there. If you do save and get killed, reloading your file will bring you right back to that point. Thanks to Doyledeth and his honest review for getting me to make this, as the game's honestly much better off now.
*Fixed some code for the Church / bless discounts triggering earlier than they should. Sorry, but it wasn't supposed to be cheap that early!
*Increased the raw material requirements of the Katana at P.P. Smith's. This thing just destroys everything, and for a silver class weapon it had to be nerfed a bit materials-wise. The damage and etc remain the same otherwise.
*Sandstorms can now happen during the regular playthrough during the 'Isle of Denial' mission.
Thank you everyone!!