STRAK'S PROFILE

Episode 8 is up! It doesn't look like this episode has the latest update, as there are some graphical changes to the switches in the Towers with v5.9.6, but it's here nonetheless!

Episode 7 is now available, featuring a critical bug when collecting side missions (fixed now), a weird typo that I never noticed that's been around for well over a year, and a cutscene that I'm only now realizing has some implications that made sense in my head, but not within the current narrative of the game up to this point. Thanks for the episode, watching someone else play through this game so thoroughly really helps me see what other players think about it, and gives me a lot to work on!

I'm not going to make a whole new blog post for this, but version 5.9.6 is now available. It's a fairly minor update, but has some cool enhancements based on some player feedback. Here's what's new!

Concentrate will no longer regenerate MP, but will now add a 4% critical hit bonus instead. The reason behind this is twofold. First, the MP regeneration was causing the skill window to refresh every time it triggered, causing players to accidentally select the wrong skill. That's fixed now. The other reason is that in my mind, Assassins should have the highest critical hit chance of any other character. Now they can. With Concentrate, Assassins can hit a maximum critical hit chance of 20%, as opposed to the previous cap of 16%.

The second change comes from some player feedback regarding Shroud. As useful as this skill is, it can seem like a waste of a turn if all it does is negate physical damage when an enemy HAPPENS to target them. Now, Shroud will increase the likelihood of being targeted by enemies, by a significant amount. As in, twice as likely to be targeted than any other character. This makes the skill far more useful, but also increases the risk of being targeted by spells, so it's a tradeoff. I've also updated the targeting algorithm, so fighter characters are the most likely to be targeted, with mages being the least likely.

I also added some graphical updates, but they're pretty basic. Overdrive gauges will now turn iridescent when full, signaling that the skill is ready to use and calling attention to it. Also, I've added valves to the Tower of Lux to make it easier to navigate and figure out how the switches work.

Finally, I added a bit of character interaction right before the final dungeon, and enabled party selection for that dungeon, so you can basically take your whole party with you for the last trek. To avoid spoilers, I won't say any more.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback! Happy to keep improving this game and make it even more fun for you all. Happy playing!

Interesting choice for a feature. Congrats! I'll have to check this one out soon.

Absolutely, and yeah it can be tough to nail them all down, especially when you're going against the engines regular battle system. The more you fight the engine, the more it fights back, but overall I don't think any of the bugs were too bad, especially since you can save anywhere. I just got into the habit of saving before entering the next room, and it took care of most of the problems.