Update 1.1 - The Maw
The first big update since launch. There's a new mechanic at the heart of every run, and a long list of fixes that came almost entirely from player reports.
A huge thank you to rustman2828, who played Mutant Tide on Steam Deck and did a review finding a few overlooked bugs. Their video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy8qrSISVnw Most of the fixes below exist because of it. If something feels broken, please tell me and it will get fixed.
NEW: The Maw
There is a pit at the exact center of every arena. It is sealed when your run begins and about ninety seconds in it opens.
Stand in it and hold your ground. A channel begins - seven seconds at the surface and progressively longer the deeper you already are. Taking damage doesn't interrupt it however stepping out of the ring bleeds your progress away.
Hold it, and you descend: a barrier snaps up, every XP gem left on the map flies to you, and the arena is remade one Depth lower.
Each Depth means:
- More enemies. Curse rises 25% per Depth, and it keeps rising - there is no ceiling.
- Better loot. Rarity odds shift in your favor on every roll.
- Less light. The water eats red first, then green, and the deeper you go the more the world falls toward the blue-black of real deep water.
Descending costs health, and the Maw seals itself again afterwards while it recharges. How deep you're willing to go is the decision — standing still in a bullet-heaven is the price, and it gets more expensive every time.
Your survival timer, the mini-boss and the boss are all unchanged. Depth is a risk you choose, running alongside the clock, never replacing it.
Steam Deck & Controllers
- The D-pad moves your character. in menus and in game.
- Fixed the controller cutting out mid-run.
- Dash and confirm bugs fixed.
- Stick deadzone reduced
- Local co-op fixes
The Level-Up Menu
- Fixed upgrade picking bug.
- Rerolling bug fixed.
- Levelling up with a button held no longer auto picks
- co-op bug fixes and QOL changes
Collision
- Large scenery is solid. Rocks, statues, wrecks and cave mouths block you and block ground enemies instead of everything sliding through everything.
- Solid objects are outlined in a thin dark line so you can tell at a glance what you can hide behind and what you can walk through.
- Small props stay walk through - kelp, shells, coral, debris. Bumping into a shell feels terrible, so you don't.
- Flying enemies pass over terrain by design. Fliers that bunch up behind rocks stop being a threat.
- Ground enemies path around obstacles instead of piling into them.
- Nothing spawns inside a rock any more - not enemies or pickups.
Seeing What's About To Kill You
- Every enemy has an outline
- Flying enemies cast a ground shadow
- Backgrounds pushed back. Floors and scenery are darker and less saturated.
- Fixed enemy tints
Impact & Feel
- Enemies flash on hit, and kills land with a brief freeze.
- Screen shake actually shakes.
- Fixed the game running in slow motion late in a run.
- Accessibility option.
- Repeated sounds vary in pitch.
Clarity
- "Insight" is now XP Gain. "Pulse Radius" is now Blast Radius.
- Elements are explained - a new guide page covers infusions, stacking to III, and how elemental evolutions work.
Other Fixes
- Purchase character bugs fixed
- Back on character select goes back instead of forward.
- Escape in Settings bug
- Fixed the level select highlight jumping a slot on load.
- Fixed dropped XP and items landing inside scenery where you couldn't reach them.
Thank you for playing, and thank you for the reports. Keep them coming!