Playable Teaser! Tomorrow! Here!

Last month I launched the first playable teaser exclusively to my patrons.  We tested it out, caught some bad bugs, and now this month it's time for a public release.

First thing's first.  What is the difference between a Playable Teaser and a Demo?  Good question!  I'm phrasing it differently so that you know this update has LESS content than the currently available demo.  If you're just interested in the story and characters there is very little here for you in this Playable Teaser.  The PT covers only chapter 3 in full, and ends with defeating the Slime King in chapter 4.  So you get roughly 1.8 chapters of the full 13 to run around in and explore. 

What's Different in the PT?
The PT features a complete overhaul of the games mechanics and at times its structure.  If you've played prior demos you might be surprised to see updated level layouts, different enemy behaviors, and completely rebalanced...everything really.  If all previous demos were firmly rooted in the old style of gameplay with a focus on updating the story via voice acting, music and artwork, this PT is finally showing you what 2.0 (the version expected for launch!) will actually PLAY like.

Okay with that out of the way consider this an addendum to the prior devlog about the first PT.  Anything mentioned there is of course present in the updated.  So I'll go ahead and breakdown whats new in PT2

This is a big one right off the bat.  Project Red now has enhanced movement.  Pictured above is a frame of Red mid jump. Yes you can jump now.  Pressing C will trigger a jump.  Jumping can be used to hop down from certain ledges into lower areas that normally would require a bit more work to access.  It can also help you to clear small gaps or jump over bits of water.  Aside from Jumping Red also has gained the ability to Dash by pressing the V key.  Dashing gives you a small boost in speed and can be the difference between losing an enemy giving chase and ending up in a tough encounter.  Both skills have a small cool down so don't expect to be able to spam them to get out of situations.  But use them right and they'll prove pretty valuable.  While they have surface level functions in the current PT expect them to have even more interesting uses in the full game.

Ambushes!  A brand new mechanic.  When triggering a battle by sneaking up behind an enemy, Red will ambush them.  Ambushes allow Red to use a special skill that its ALL enemies on screen and does NOT cost a turn icon.  They can be super helpful with dealing with tougher enemies.  Just be careful because enemies can ambush you as well.  Some times it might just be better to stand your ground and fight rather than trying to get away from an enemy chasing you.

The placeholder level up screen has been overhauled and replaced with a much more functional version.  In PT1 this system was painfully boring and every level up costed 100 Memory Fragments and always produced a static growth to whatever stat you invested in.  In PT2 this is much more in line with the final vision.  Everything is variable.  Most importantly, the cost of each upgrade will increase with every subsequent upgrade.  I'm sure you recognize the system.

As mentioned above, some maps that you have walked through numerous times may catch you off guard with some minor tweaks to their layouts.  Some however have been entirely replaced.  But I'll let you discover that for yourself.

On top of that are some 100% new maps as well.  In particular the route to the Abandoned Mine received a massive overhaul.  You'll now have to accept that sidequest in order to gain the key that lets you enter this optional dungeon.

A new camper has been added to the Merchant Camp.  This guy has been on the cutting room floor for a hot minute but I finally made the time to create his sprite.  He has a dedicated sidequest but since it can't be completed in the PT I left it's proper trigger out so as to not be confusing like Skolls was for a lot of people.

Lore related items have seen a few QOL changes.  First being a graphics update to look MUCH nicer.  Second being that picking one up now automatically starts reading the item.  So if you WANT to read the lore, you no longer have to sift through items to find whatever you just picked up.  And if you DON'T care, well, just press skip and it'll be done and out of your way.  There are also several new documents found in the Abandoned Mine that expand the existing lore of Project Red for those of you interested in seeking them out.

PT2's biggest deviation from PT1 is the updated Abandoned Mine.  New rooms, different layouts, new lore and new enemies you've never seen before.  Mining Puppets abandoned long ago can still be found in these caverns.  Some of them are harmless, completely out of power.  However others...

Will be out for your blood.  Puppets are basically robots so, Red's knife isn't going to be super useful.  I would really recommend you stay away from these guys.  They might just be the reason this place was abandoned.

The Mines can be tough dungeon as once you dive in, you'll be stuck with no way out.  Heading deeper will be the only way to find the drawbridge and gain access back to the outside world.  So go searching if you dare!

Lastly I have included 2 brand new Super Bosses.  If you've encounter Quiberon before you're probably familiar with the concept here.  The Serpent of the Depths can be found in the abandoned mine, and another boss, the Greater Kaiju is hiding out someplace more familiar.  But I won't spoil that one.  I think it should be fun to stumble upon that.

I will be completing my own playtesting tonight to make sure I'm happy with where everything is at and then you can expect to have it in your own hands tomorrow.  It goes without saying that save data from demos will not work here.  The game is so completely reworked you will just break it if you try.

If you'd rather wait for the proper final demo which will be compatible with the full games save, you'll have to wait a few more months.  Well I hope.  Currently things are sadly still in a depressing place for adult games.  And I'm not sure where the full game will release once it's complete. But I'm not gonna slow down over that.

In the mean time, if you'd like to support me in the final leg of development, consider becoming a patreon support here.  Or if you want a free way to support, why not leave the game a rating?  Share it around. Post some footage.  Tell someone it exists.  That all helps too.  As always, thank you for your patience and support.  Now back to work for me.