Happy new year, adventurers! It's the most exciting month for us yet as we near the completion of Tangledeep 1.0, exiting Early Access and sharing the game with the whole world.
Something you'll see sooner than February 1st is a new trailer, which will feature the voice of one of our favorite actresses. She's someone who embodies the character of Tangledeep's heroine perfectly. There's also more badass new digital art in the works which will launch with the game as part of Steam trading cards and profile backgrounds.
As always, there's lots more to share, so let's dive right in!
NEW GUEST COMPOSER
In addition to my own ongoing work on the soundtrack, I'm pleased to welcome the work of esteemed composer Norihiko Hibino to the world of Tangledeep! Hibino-san has worked extensively on such series as Metal Gear Solid, Yakuza, and Bayonetta, among many others. He's penned the theme to a very important Tangledeep character that has not yet been revealed... stay tuned for more!
LOADS OF VISUAL AND SFX POLISH
Our big focus has been making the game look, feel, and sound as awesome as possible. Loot and coins now 'pop' up out of enemies instead of just appearing on the ground, the screen shakes with mighty critical hits, many SFX have been added where there was only silence before, a number of abilities have new visual effects... We want the game to be a real joy not just to play, but also to watch.
EASING THE DIFFICULTY
We've decided to make some small adjustments that should make the game a bit easier, especially for those not accustomed to roguelikes. For example, the resource costs of using abilities has been reduced across almost all skills, Campfire floors now show up more consistently, and you will find a Fountain near each campfire as well. Rumors are now more rewarding and offer a chance of legendary items, and certain overwhelming floors have been toned down.
BOOSTING MELEE
Another balance issue we've been looking at is how melee combat is often far riskier and less rewarding than ranged combat, particularly early on in the game. As you accumulate skills and equipment this gap diminishes, but it was still a problem as playing a class like Edge Thane or Paladin was substantially harder than Hunter or Floramancer.
The ideal tactics in Tangledeep should involve multiple types of combat, not just ranged, and so we've been making changes to help bridge this gap. For example, there are new "Whirlwind" champions that pose little threat to melee, but will give ranged fighters a harder time. Hitting monsters in melee may now generate a bonus powerup, and *ranged* monsters will deal less damage if you're standing right next to them.
GETTING UNSTUCK IN ADVENTURE MODE
One frustrating thing that can happen in Adventure Mode, particularly if it's your first time playing the game, is running out of all resources and being unable to continue because you have no way of healing yourself. In Normal or Hardcore modes, permadeath is expected, but Adventure mode is intended to be more forgiving. This "lame duck" situation is not a fun way to lose the game and we thought about how to address it.
Now, if you're between levels 3-9 in Adventure Mode and you return to town with an empty Flask and minimal healing items, Percy (the healer) will offer to restock you for free - in exchange for one experience level. Think of it as a "get out of jail free" card. You can do this twice (ever) but it should help those who might have made early mistakes to keep playing the game.
Naturally, this won't help you BEAT the game, but hopefully the lesson of resource management will be remembered!
NEW CONTENT? WHAT?
Oops, I said we were going to lock down features and content but I guess I couldn't help myself! Since the last news posts, there have been new legendary items, new quests, and various new convenience features like cooking from your recipe book. Had to get a few last ideas in there...
HERE'S A GOLDFROG PLUSH
Here's a limited edition plush of everyone's favorite loot-filled critter created by Deia "DragonAvenger" Vengen! Right now this is only one of two in the world, but hey, if you want one, let us know!
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