Hey everyone! It's that time of year again, so let me first wish you all a very happy new year!
Just like last year, I want to thank everyone who has supported Lost Marbles this past year; from all of the old timers, so any new players that picked up the game in 2025. It really does mean a lot that you guys have chosen to spend your time and hard earned money on my game!
So, last year I said that 2025 was the year that we would be leaving Steam Early Access, and well... clearly this wasn't the case... In fact, looking at the list of to-dos from last years post, it actually remains essentially the same... With that being said, I do genuinely believe this time, that 2026 will actually be the year we leave Early Access! Despite the to-do list staying basically the same, a lot of progress has been made on level creation, which is by far the biggest time spend on the list.
So lets do a little bit of a run-down on what still needs to be done.
Completing the standard level set
The original plan for this was to release 60 Time Trial levels and 10 to 10 Gem Arenas. I think now though, its looking to be closer to 70 Time Trials, as I want to make sure each difficulty has roughly the same number of levels, and at the moment, the easy section is pretty full (and I still have ideas for new easier levels).
Pretty good progress was made towards new level in the latter half of 2025, with approximately 3-5 levels dropping each month. If I am able to keep up this pace, I should be able to complete the level set comfortably before the end of 2026.
Level Rush (Arcade mode)
As mentioned in last years post, I do still need to rework the code for this mode. Its not an essential change, as the mode is fully playable right now, but I do have some ideas that I would like to implement to make the mode a lot nicer to play.
In-game Store
It was briefly mentioned in last years post when the currently had been recently introduced, but I do still intend to create a shop within the game. This will be for in-game currency only, and wont include any extra paid content.
The implementation is fairly easy, but I'm struggling to decide if I want the shop to be completely offline, or tied to the servers. On one hand, the server-side store prevents cheating, and allows store changes immediately without the need to update the game. On the other, I'm kind of in favour of trying to keep as many things offline as possible, as server stability is never guaranteed, and with the store containing levels, It would be nice for these to be playable (and unlockable) offline
The first iteration of the store will likely contain only levels, but this will likely be extended to skins in the future (likely once out of early access). I have slowly been shifting bonus levels into the remix category, and once the in-game store is implemented many of the non-derivative levels will likely end up in the up-coming store.
Game info and polish
The final essential content required to leave early access is the completion of various "info" pages, such as the "How to play" section and the game statistics. On top of this, various parts of the game need a little polish, such as sound and visual effects, and UI elements.
That pretty much sums it up for my requirements for leaving Early Access, and my goals for 2026. Thanks for reading, and an even bigger thanks for sticking with me! <3
Small Game Update
Along side the message above, I will be dropping a small game update, mostly consisting of bug fixes and difficulty changes. The update does include one level though, from one of our Lost Marbles veterans, Booster, so more info on that below.
New Level
I wasn't planning a level with todays update, but with Booster showing some interest in designing levels, I wanted to take the time to try and include one here today. If anyone else is interested in submitting levels for the game, please don't hesitate to reach out to be on Discord! <3
Edgy | As mentioned, the layout for this level has been brought to you by community member "Booster", who was kind enough to take an interest in designing some levels for the game. This is the first of those levels, and I'm hopeful it wont be the last. The level its self is short but fairly difficult, coming in at a 10 rating in the extreme category. It can currently be found in the bonus section of the standard time trials levels, though as mentioned in my 2026 plans, this will eventually find its way into the store upon its release. |
Difficulty Changes
There has been a number of difficulty changes made, as I have felt for a while some have been under/overrated, and with the final levels being made to the standard set of time trials, I need a more accurate representation of where the gaps lie in difficulty so I can create levels specifically to fill them. The changes made in this update are as follows:
Divided: 4 -> 3 (Intermediate -> Easy)
River of Ice: 3 -> 4 (Easy -> Intermediate)
Space Race: 3 -> 4 (Easy -> Intermediate)
Flow State: 5 -> 4 (Intermediate)
Constant Motion: 4 -> 5 (Intermediate)
Island Hopping: 5 -> 6 (Intermediate)
No Sine Of Life: 9 -> 10 (Hard -> Extreme)
Checkmate: 11 -> 10 (Extreme)
More changes will likely come in the very near future, and if you feel any levels are underrated or overrated, please do let me know, because this is something I have honestly really been struggling to hone in correctly.
Additional Patch Notes
Fixed various typos in text areas
Vaulted levels have been moved into "Remix" from "Time Trials"
"Hole in Two" has been renamed to "Risk Assessment" and is now part of the standard level set (Easy)
Vaulted levels now load correctly in Liveplay
Vaulted levels now contain remix modifier icons (any vaulted level with a legacy icon is not required for the two legacy achievements)
The update should be dropping some time today (Sunday 4th January), so keep your eyes peeled for that Steam update and go show some love to Boosters new level! Thanks for reading! <3