Hello everyone! Today, I have good news for this project as well as some information about post-game content that will be available at a later date. I'll try to be as brief as I possibly can, so let's get going!

Save File Creation

One of the biggest steps up with project creations for me is finally learning how to make save files! I began using Game Maker a long time ago and a majority of things I learned were from just messing around with it and reading the manual, but there are many things I skipped over; including save file creation.

For nearly 7-8 years, I've been using the highly unreliable default save functions of it and this alone has held me back for an incredibly long time. The default functions save all the data at once, so when you update your game in any kind of way, it won't be effective and most of the time will make save files unusable because it does not recognize the edited content or the new content. There was even one occasion where I update a room and the things I placed in there would not appear. Ugh!

I am happy to say that I'm no longer dependent on the default function and from this point on will never use it again! This also means that I can update the game with new content and it will update as if it were an official game. Every project I create from here will use this now and I'm glad that the worry of save file corruption is now laid to rest.

Monster World Legends Connectivity

Adding on to the previous point, with save files being able to be manually crafted, that also means that projects can connect with one another! While the connection will be manual, it is possible that you will be able to place your save file into another game's directory and gain new content when it reads the data.

The reason why this is being done is because Monster World Legends and Shantae and Asha are connected in terms of plot and many other things. While MWL is not finished yet, it is advised that when you do clear the game, to save it to the first save slot and to keep your save file.

The Otherworldly Staircase



The Otherworldly Staircase is the name of the large ex-dungeon expansion that will begin development after the release of the base game. It is an extra area that is composed of stages, scenes, and concepts that I could not fit into the main game. This includes areas that were both seen and unseen such as Dribble Fountain from the original Shantae as well as Orb Tower from Popful Mail.

Due to the fact that the game can be updated, then when you download the newest version, the new content will instantly become available. So, I figured since the main game is basically finished, then when I polish what is left over, then the ex-dungeon will be provided via a 1.1 update.

What will be available in the 1.1 Update?

When the base game is released, there will be a function or two that will not be complete. With the update, it will be instantly available and will contain various DLC elements. DLC of various kinds will be provided over time, so I hope you look forward to that. The following will be included via DLC...

1.1 Update

• Otherworldly Staircase

• Costume Edit System

• Extra Character(s)

• Extra Boss Fights

• Extra Cut Scenes

• Expanded/Edited Maps(I will not touch the save sages)

• New Moves/Specials

Common DLC

• HUD Styles

• Costume Edits

• Music Track(s)

• Voice Pack(s)

Monster World IV 26th Anniversary Update

This year, the 26th anniversary of Monster World 4 will be on April 1st. It is highly possible that an update of some kind will be available then also. I'd like to make an event where characters celebrate Asha's birthday with her or something. Stay tuned for it when the time comes!

New Guests!

Originally, I said that I wasn't going to do this, but there are two characters that have been added that I've wanted to add for an incredibly long time. Today, I proudly present the following...

Cress Albane



Cress Albane is the very first swordsman of the popular Tales of franchise. Not only that, but he's one of the most powerful ones of the series. Within the game, he is very fun to use! He has some special techniques that only he is able to use such as being able to run with a shield raised. He's a high-class fighter in Shantae and Asha. One of the biggest dreams I had was to create a Tales of platformer/action RPG. So, this allows me to have that dream come true without actually having to make it anymore.

Since this game is heavily Tales of-inspired, it would have been a letdown if I didn't get at least one playable rep in from the series and what better place to start than the origins?

As of yesterday, Cress' first version is complete with four artes as well as a Mystic Arte. If you want complete research on Cress, you can get a brief overview of him in the link below.

Cress Albane


Hamel



Hamel is the first (and probably only) playable character to be in the game that isn't originally from a game at all. He's from a manga known as the Violinist of Hameln. The manga was then developed into an anime and a game made by the JRPG giant; Enix. It's an incredibly well-made action RPG/puzzle platformer and I've adored it ever since I laid my eyes on it.

Since the beginning, I said I wanted a musical/bard-type character in the game, but could not find one. Hamel was the very first thing that came to mind. Flute also comes along with him, but due to the fact that this isn't their game and the pace is faster, she is only part of his special attack.

Hamel is almost complete and is one of the last things that needs to be polished before version 1.0 is released.

Closing Words

Alright, I believe that is all I have do discuss with you all today. Words cannot describe how happy I am to finally have found certain things out and I'm glad that certain worries can eternally be laid to rest with this new knowledge. I hope you're all looking forward to it! If things go super well, the base game will be released in a month or less. More content will probably be revealed later this week as well.

I'll see you all in the next update! :D