Hello everyone! We’re back with another monthly recap! Getting a bit chilly here in the north, some snow has already started falling. It’s been a pretty productive month, so let’s dive right in!
First up, Fred has spent a lot of time sketching designs for the Totems mentioned last month:
On the gameplay side, we’ve decided to make one significant change: Totems now spawn alongside mobs that must be defeated before the Totem itself can be destroyed. Previously, it was a bit too easy to rush in and take out the Totems first, so hopefully this change will make them stick around a little bit longer!
Fred has also made some animations featuring the titles of the enemy pins, so you’ll actually know what they’re doing! Here’s a bunch of his suggestions:
Which one is your favourite? :D
Next, we’ve had a meeting where we discussed how the potions are going to function when starting and looping through Newgame+. We decided that instead of redoing potion quests to unlock the potions & potion slots again, your rewards for completing the quests will be key items that give them a passive boost. One increases their effect duration, another makes them x% stronger, and a third speeds up their recharge rate. For every loop of newgame+, these key items will grow stronger as well.
We also decided that to unlock the third catalyst, players won’t need to collect all the cards again (after all, you’ll begin your newgame+ run with a full card album). Instead, you’ll face off against Grindea herself! The two other catalysts will be required to unlock this fight, and empty slots symbolizing them will replace the cards on the cave wall.
Initially, we considered replacing the Bishop fight with the Grindea battle, but decided against it. The Bishop fight is a pretty fun and memorable encounter in our opinion, and we didn’t want to lose that experience entirely in Newgame+ loops.
We also took some time to discuss the bow: in Newgame+ you’ll now be able to purchase a +1 upgrade for your bow with each Newgame+ loop. Just a small money sink that will increase your bow’s strength and keep it viable!
Other than that, the production of our Secrets of Grindea art/production book is now officially complete! We’ll be ordering proofs soon, and once they’re approved, the book will be ready for purchase. As mentioned before, our plan is to time its release with a major game update, so stay tuned for more details on that front!
That’s it for this month’s recap! We’re excited about these changes and updates, and we hope you are too. As always, thank you for your continued support and feedback – until next time!
