First Update

It's been two months since LoJam 2025 when I initially made this game. I'd first like to thank anyone who has played the initial version in that time. It means a lot to me.

However, I was pretty unsatisfied with the initial release of this game. The planning for it was poor, and the gameplay was unsatisfying and filled with bugs. In these two months, I completely redid many sections of the game and added many new features (TL:DR at bottom).

Changes for 3D Assets

Some small changes were made to the monster 3D model, such as larger mouth and horns as well as a brighter skin material. It also has a few animations now, which can be seen in the cutscenes. If I had one thing that I liked about my initial release, it was this monster model, and now it's even scarier!

Some changes were also made to the castle. Most of the modular assets used are still the same, but due to changes in gameplay, the layout of the map was changed.

Changes in Gameplay

Many massive changes have been made to the gameplay. First, the clunky monster navigation in the initial version was removed and replaced with a chase sequence with set paths to take. Hopefully, players will have fun being chased by the monster around.

A new main mechanic has been added - the player can now pick up rocks. I know that sounds boring, but there are two main reasons for it. One was that despite all of these big changes, I wanted for the game to still be connected to the theme of the game jam - "Men trip not on mountains, they stumble upon stones." Another reason is that the rocks serve as part of the new puzzles added. In the future, the rocks will also have a special purpose that I will not reveal yet.

Speaking of puzzles, a lever puzzle has been added! In future updates to the game, players can expect other types of puzzles as well. In order for the puzzle to work, several new items were added, such as lever handles and the aforementioned rocks.

While very rudimentary (and pointless due to how short the game is), a checkpoint system has been added. This was mainly created so that I can use it in future updates.

Changes in Cutscenes

At LoJam, I introduced the game by saying it had more cutscenes than gameplay. While that may not be true anymore duee to the increase in gameplay, the cutscenes have been changed.

The initial fountain cutscene remains largely the same, but a screaming animation for the monster was added, and a few small tweaks to certain parts were also made. A simple skip cutscene feature when the player sees the cutscene for the second time was also added.

Due to the changes in gameplay and story, the second and third cutscenes were removed and replaced with a cutscene at the end of the aforementioned chase scene. A few new assets such as a broken column and falling rubble have been added for the new cutscene.

Changes in UI

First, the UI for the pause menu and inventory was completely redone and now looks a lot better (in my opinion). The UI redesign can be seen in one of the new screenshots. In addition, item and collectible pages were added to the inventory. The inventory also now has the ability to be used with not just the mouse, but also the keyboard (for anyone who wishes to do so).

The title screen is also slightly different now. It's funny, but I'm thinking of changing it again in the future.

Some simple settings, such as volume and brightness, were also added.

Changes in Audio

Not much to say here except I went online and downloaded some sound effects and music and added them to my game. My music choices probably weren't the best, but thankfully I have added the volume setting so you don't have to listen to them.

Changes in Story

Now, I know no one cares about the lore (which I totally understand - I feel the same way about my lore, but the game did not feel right without it, and I had already made the note reading system in the initial release). But, I redid the lore as well, and tried my best to come up with an interesting story with mysteries (most of which will be revealed in future updates).

Future Updates

While I fully intend to add updates for this game in the future, that will be quite far in the future (maybe 2027). I've had enough of updating this game and want to work on other projects now.

TL;DR

Small monster + castle changes, including new animations

Monster navigation replaced by scripted chase sequence

New pick up rock mechanic

New lever puzzle

New checkpoint system

Replaced some old cutscenes with new cutscenes

New redesigned UI that also allows keyboard input

A few new setting options

New sound effects + music

Changes in the story