March Progress Report

You know the drill.  Month is nearly over, so it's time for a recap of the progress I've made since last time.

First of all, April Demo. When is the release date?  Right now I'm aiming for mid April.  I'm still working out the updated credits video and I will hold off until that is 100% finished since I want to make sure every actor in the game is properly listed there.  So still no exact date but I should be able to set something concrete by the end of next week.

Chapter 1

I've already shared images so I won't be reposting those here but Chapter 1 is more or less 100% complete now.  I spent yesterday adding some additional sound effects and tweaks and I think I'm pretty happy with it.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 on the other hand I think I'd like to add another image or two to smooth out the ending sequence.  So I'll pry take care of that over the weekend before giving it another play test and deciding if I think it's officially done or not.  It also needs some new SFX that I should take care of relatively soon.  Maybe even today, who knows.

Chapter 3 and Beyond

Now for the more miscellaneous updates.

The Alchemist as well as the cutscene that plays out when you first reach the Merchant Camp has mentioned crafting for a long time now.  And I'm happy to say a rough placeholder system is finally in place.  There's only a handful of things you can make, but you can actually use your item drops from defeating enemies to get some of the best healing items in the game.  You can also trade in monster drops to draw a random card from the Tarot deck and add it to your inventory.  This is currently the only way to get extra copies of rare cards like Death.

The Blacksmith has also been updated.  Not only does he have his own form of crafting specifically for bullets, but you can now upgrade Red's Knives to create more powerful versions.  + Weapons come with greater stats than their default counterparts, as well as a unique special effect.  In this case the Sharp Knife + boasts a 5% increase to Red's Crit Rate while wielded.  But what's that you say?  It doesn't say it allows Red to use the Sharp Knife's unique skill?  Why would you upgrade the Sharp Knife if it meant losing the Slash skill? Well...

That's because there's another reason to upgrade.  Every knife you upgrade will have Red master it's unique skill, adding it to your skill list for use with all of your weapons.  Your ability to build Red will be vastly improved from here on out, with lots of flexible options for weapons, armor and skill combinations.  But remember Weapon Upgrades will cost resources.  Ore and Gold.  So don't go selling all those rocks you've been mining from the cave.  They don't respawn after all.

Speaking of the Abandoned Mine, you'll be meeting some new faces the next time you go in there.  Meet the Golem.  A sturdy creature made of stone.  Most of your attacks will be ineffective against these things and you'll pry want to run away from them if you end up in a battle. They are very strong but slow creatures.  If you want to take them down you'd best get your hands on some water magic.

The Imp enemy will also be found in various maps moving forward, but you'll likely first encounter him in the Mine. These guys are trickster style enemies and will use a wide range of spells to make Red have a disadvantage in combat.  Try and take them out first in any encounter before they can hinder you.

Jumping forward a new scene can be accessed in the Broomhill Inn.  Simply put on your Bunnysuit and speak to the Innkeeper to unlock the ability to use the Kitchen next to him. Doing this will allow you to further make use of ingredients and certain monster drops to create items with a variety of powerful effects.

Again this system is still just a rough placeholder, but it'll give you an idea of what will be included in the full game.  5 dishes will be available in the April update for you to experiment with.

Heading into the Sewers under Broomhill you'll encounter another new enemy.  The Plague Rat.  Riddled with disease and magical corruption these feral beasts aren't to be taken lightly.  Especially when they come at you in a pack.  

And lastly we have the custom icon sheet that continues to be updated.  It's still far from complete but by the next time you play you'll be seeing a lot more of these in the game.  They should make things much more clear with status effects and what items cure what or what skills or weapons inflict what damage type.  Still a long way to go but progress is progress.

Don't forget there's also a HUGE amount of new voice acting that will have been added to the game.  Cheshire and Scarecrow are now fully voiced, but there's lots of other fun bits.  Some brand new voiced segments are even replacing old events that lacked any commentary from Red but I'll let you discover those on your own.  For those of you interested I'll say that in regards to the inclusion of Chapters 1 and 2 it took me about an hour and a half to reach Cheshire's shop for the very first time in play testing.  Of course it all depends on how much you engage with the game and what not, but I think it's safe to say that the new chapters alone could add between 15-30 minutes of play time.  They're not too long but chapter 1 in particular has a variety of routes that can even end in game overs so how long you spend there is really up to the choices you make.

One last thing I'll say, there is a live poll on my patreon right now, available to ALL members (this includes the free tier, where you don't have to spend any money.). So if you're interested in voting on some additional last minute content for the April Update feel free to head over there and cast your vote before the month ends! Vote Here

As always I want to thank you all for your patience and continued support!  The next update will be in your hands in just a few short weeks!