Hello all! I've come today with a new update that is actually rather large, but for the sake of being brief, I'm going to categorize them. As for a general idea of how the project is going, it is going very well. Lately, the focus has been on getting boss fights, cut scenes, and main stages done. A majority of them are already complete and are going through polish/expansion phases as we speak.

As for the final demo, there is no word for it yet since right now, the game's database is in testing mode, so many rooms and other resources are scattered about from their home folders to make sure everything is up to par with what I expect from it. With that said, here is a list of things that have been completed since last time.

Major Updates

• Final Boss complete(for now)

• Next 5-10 guests are either in development or being planned

• New NPCs and bond abilities

• 25+ new cut scenes have been completed

• World map has been updated and/or expanded

Gameplay Updates

• Pepe can now attack enemies when thrown. He can also merge with the current element and collect certain items.

• Updated battle system scripts

• Asha can now toss Pepe in four directions

• You can now unequip elements

• Double tap controls in all four directions are now available

• Asha can now climb faster when you press up twice while climbing

• Asha has been re-coded to have the abilities of her original format and more

• Shantae elemental specials are in development

• Asha can now charge downward when down is double tapped in mid-air. This will lead directly into Hip Drop.

• New specials in development

• Final/Secret battle mechanic in development(yes, I thought it was done too.)

• Hit notifications now appear on screen instead of in a live message

• "Always" running type has been added to the options menu

• Shantae can now use a magic pistol

General Updates

• New quests have been completed

• New special services are now available

• Introduction credits are done for the most part

• Chapter Cards are now available

• Books are able to be read by pressing left and right while reading. They can also be closed by pressing the cancel key.

• Southern Island returns

• New boss(es)

• New hazards and gimmicks

• 40+New Face Cards

• Shantae Backdash Update: Reverses when idle, but you can choose the direction

• Boss difficulty has been updated and/or tweaked

• About half of the sound effects have been externally exported

• 12 game mechanic books have been created

Minor Updates

• Training areas are near complete

• Slope script has been updated

• Compression bridges have been added

• Heart Orb graphic has changed

• New special effects

• Updated collision scripts

That is all I have to report for now. I hope this gives you an idea of what is going on and what kind of new content you'll be able to sink your teeth into with the next demo and eventually the final product. Until next time!