You can take part in a player satisfaction survey for Wartales.

Thanks Couchpotato!

The Turn Based Lovers checked out Astral Throne:

New Fire Emblem-Inspired RPG Arrives This February - Demo Available Now

I talked about Astral Throne back in September, though it feels like much less time has passed. This game borrows its combat system from Fire Emblem while introducing a much more dynamic single-player campaign filled with Roguelite elements. It’s called Astral Throne, developed by Zero Sun Games, and it’s gearing up for release next month on PC.

Astral Throne is a Roguelike Strategy RPG that combines tactical combat with procedural design and player-driven choices. Set in a land cursed by Stardust from a fallen star, the game challenges players to build and lead a party of heroes through handcrafted encounters and dynamically shifting overworld maps. Core gameplay focuses on synergizing character classes, utilizing the weapon and magic triangles, and navigating the risks of permadeath to secure victory.

As said in the intro, the game roguelite-nature emphasizes replayability through its procedurally generated maps, recruitable characters, and varied outcomes based on player decisions. Party customization is highly flexible, offering the ability to adjust skills, equipment, and strategies between runs and an evolving story that adapts to your choices and a suite of difficulty modifiers for tailored challenges.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Broken Alliance has been released into Early Access:

Broken Alliance is out in Early Access Now!

It is time! We now open the gates of Broken Alliance to the public after more than 3 years of work ^^

Hello!

It is time! We now open the gates of Broken Alliance to the public! So excited to get people playing the Early Access version of our game that we have been working on for a bit over 3 years and will continue the development with the players feedback!

If you are not sure whether you would like to get the game; try out the demo, it is not a fresh one - so some things have already been fixed in the EA release version but it gives a good idea of what you might expect from the main game!

I think our team members experience of working on games like Death and Taxes, Disco Elysium, Pentiment and Heroes of Might and Magic series etc, have come together in a beautiful story filled fantasy world quite well and I am very proud of what we have achieved thus far!

If you would like more info about our Early Access release, you can take a look at our last blog post.

Enjoy and if you have time, please give us feedback in the forums or in discord, you can be in direct contact with our indie dev team members there. Would love to hear your thoughts!

Again, we are excited for this big milestone for us!

Thank you for your support - whether it be buying the game or giving us feedback in our community discussions or discord! 

Leene

Couchpotato spotted dev update #4 for Solasta II:

Dev Update #04 - A Chat with our Art Director

What exactly changed between Crown of the Magister and Solasta II in the art direction?

Hello there you fine folks!

I hope our previous article gave you some reassurance regarding our character models! Today we’re going to be having a little interview with Thierry Dunter, our Art Director, in order to better understand exactly what changed - and how - between Crown of the Magister and Solasta II to make such a difference. But as usual, before that….

Getting to know our Art Director

Hello Thierry, can you give us some information about yourself?
Hello there everyone. I am Thierry Dunter, the Art Director of Tactical Adventures. I’ve been with the studio since the very start, and have worked in quite a range of different games before that - such as XIII, RUSE, the Ghost Recon and Steel Division franchises. In my spare time I enjoy painting, cooking and I’m quite into airsoft!

RUSE and Steel Division? That’s thematically quite a far cry from Solasta, isn’t it?
It is! However, as an Art Director it is a challenge that is very interesting to tackle - I believe growth as an Art Director comes from exploring new horizons and challenging your existing views and techniques. The high fantasy world of Solasta as you currently know it took a lot of experimentation and researches - we’ve shared some early concept art in our Solasta Sourcebook, but there are many more sketches lost on hard drive or even my iPad (got to keep my hands busy during those train rides).

And what a world it turned out to be! If you don’t mind me asking, players have noted that while the environment ended up quite striking in Crown of the Magister, our character faces were fairly rudimentary. What happened there?
A hard hitting question, but one that resulted in our character models taking a big step up in quality with Solasta II! Let’s start from the beginning: You have to remember that our team started very small developing Solasta I. I’m talking no more than TWO people doing research on faces during pre-production - as you can imagine, that did not give us a lot of time to experiment.

Pre-production? Could you explain a little more for those who may not know this term?
Of course. Pre-production is the period during which we do research, experiment and establish pipelines. So for example here: How do we make a character face, from drawing it in 2D to having it available in-game. What are all the little steps, and how long do they take to create? This is an important step because it allows our Producer to estimate how much time it would take to make 20, 40, 100 different faces - and more importantly, if we have the time to make that many different faces during Production (which follow pre-production)!

So if I understand correctly, you’re saying that we had to settle on a pipeline during pre-production?
Exactly. Once pre-production ends, we can’t go back and keep changing the pipeline - so we had to settle with what we had. As you saw in-game, the result was… not ideal. We had a very limited amount of polygons to play with due to how scenes were handled in Unity, and our limited budget and time meant we had to quickly move onwards to start production.

It is also important for artists to check in-game from time to time. Is that an old character model? Is the lighting off? Etc…

But that’s different with Solasta II, correct?
Absolutely, and there are many reasons for that! First is switching to Unreal Engine, which allowed us to basically multiply by 10 the number of polygons in our character faces. Second is our areas of focus - with Solasta II, making faces better was a goal from the start, so we started working on them earlier to make sure we’re satisfied with what we have before production

Would you say anything changed in our philosophy regarding character models?
Yes, in Solasta II as we’re able to add more details we want characters to be able to tell their story through their appearance. In a way, we’re keeping a realistic artstyle.. But also exaggerating a few traits a little more for visual storytelling. Something similar to characters you would describe on Tabletop - the Paladin stands tall and strong, their appearance noble and unblemished. The grizzled old veteran sports a cleanly shaven beard, a heavily scarred face eyeing you with a stern look.

We’re also leaning back into more classical medieval fantasy codes, with characters that are more visually appealing overall. You know, how characters in med-fan shows always have white teeth or look fairly fine after trekking in the woods for two weeks. That doesn’t mean everyone will look perfect, far from it - but that should reduce the amount of uncanny valley some Solasta I faces gave off.

Can you give us some juicy bits of info about the upcoming Character Creator?
Well we’re still very much working on it, but we do want to push customization a lot more than in Crown of the Magister. No promises, but we’re currently playing with sliders quite a bit and I’m sure you will be able to be much more creative this time when building up your party of adventurers!

Thank you Thierry! I’m very excited to see what happens next with the Character Models!
Thank you! Look forward to our Character Creator once it’s implemented!

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

PC Gamer checked out Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen:

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is an aggressively old-school MMO that hates hand-holding so much it won't even give you a map—but a certain type of player might just love it

If you like having no guidance, murdering rats and working very hard for stingy rewards, man do I have good news.

"What the heck is a Dire Lord?" I asked myself, staring at Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen's character creation screen. This was my first inkling that I was about to start playing an MMO that would rarely tell me anything I needed to know. From the absence of practical information about classes and races, to the lack of any in-game map, Pantheon is aggressively against any sort of hand-holding, which makes for an excruciating new player experience.

Amongst the veteran MMO crowd, though, Pantheon's been making waves. Understandably, too. EverQuest legend Brad McQuaid was developer Visionary Realms' chief creative officer until his death in 2019, and the promise of an extremely social MMO that maintains a lot of the friction that modern games have done away with sounds compelling. But it's been a decade since its announcement, and it's only now in early access, where it will be for at least two years, and it still doesn't feel close to prime time.

[...]

Thanks MAHak!

A second closed beta for Within the Cosmos is coming:

Second Closed Beta Playtest Announcement

Hi again everyone!

It's been a little over a month since the first closed beta ended, and I want to say a heartfelt thank you to the beta testers. The feedback you all gave was truly invaluable. I've been able to polish the game in ways that would've taken me months to achieve on my own. Thank you so so much for everything! 

I’ve addressed all the bugs you reported and implemented most of the feedback I received. For those in the Within the Cosmos Discord server, you’ve probably seen my weekly changelogs/patch notes detailing the progress that I've been able to do. I'm really excited for you to test this more polished version, and see the improvements since the first beta.

The previous beta was a tremendous success, and I genuinely loved the experience, largely because of the amazing people who took part in it. Also, while I do as much testing as possible on my own, a larger group is essential to catch issues I might miss. These two reasons are why I've decided to run another closed beta, and I aim to double the amount of testers this time. Priority will go to those who are active in the community forums or social media and who have expressed a genuine interest in Within the Cosmos.

If you're a previous tester, I'd really love to have you participate in this beta as well.*

You can apply here via this Google form.
This survey will close on 19 January at 00:00 UTC.
The beta itself will run from 17 January at 00:00 UTC until 20 January at 00:00 UTC.

Over the next couple of days, I will reach out to those selected via email with an invitation to the beta Discord server, and instructions to download the beta.

Google Form: Apply Here

What to Expect:

• Access to a portion of the game, including the starting area and the first city.
• Most gameplay mechanics, and features are in place.
• Your feedback will help refine the gameplay loop, improve performance, and identify bugs or areas needing polish.
• If you have any suggestions for Quality of Life improvements or changes, please feel free to share them!

How to Join:

Fill out the Google form to apply.
I’ll review applications and select testers based on the information provided.

Thank you so much to everyone who applied last time, I hope you'll apply again! There were many of you that I wanted to invite previously, but due to my limited experience in running betas, I had to keep its scale manageable, but I’m excited to expand this time.

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts and see how you enjoy the improvements!

- debdev

* For previous beta testers: If you don't want to go through the effort of re-applying through Google forms, simply message me on Discord, and I'll send over the beta key when the beta begins :)

Thanks Henriquejr!

Lost Pilgrims Studio looks back at 2024:

A Review of 2024 and Happy 2025

Fellow vagri,

With 2024 behind us, we're closing the book on those adventures and looking forward to what 2025 brings. For this occasion, we thought we’d look back on the past year and list some of the things that happened around Vagrus.

How It Started
We kicked off 2024 with a post about our plans for the year. In retrospect, wanting to release smaller bits of content at intervals while developing two very content-heavy DLCs with our tiny writing team was wishful thinking. Why it did not exactly pan out like that also involved a lot of other factors, like the many, many other aspects of the game we’ve worked hard to improve. Also, it seems that there’s no such thing as “smaller bits of content” when it comes to Vagrus. With millions of words worth of written content behind us, everything is interconnected and adding things can be very tricky. Also, players now expect meaty additions, so just any odd small story just won’t cut it. Still, this effort gave us Clandestine, so it was not in vain.

Clandestine Part 1
Of course, we haven’t forgotten about Clandestine, which started out as a multi-part, free questline that we wanted to add part by part. Unfortunately, we fell in love with it, so it became intricate and too big in scope. We have every intention to keep adding the other parts but with the shift of the industry towards the middle of the year, we realized that we can’t spare the capacity for more free stuff for a while and instead have to concentrate on things that generate revenue. It’s not an ideal position but watching so many companies and studios close down around us made us face harsh realities. We’re super satisfied with Part 1, though – it has a unique atmosphere, artistic identity, and creepy storyline that we’d love to revisit one day.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

The Turn Based Lovers checked out the card based roguelike Graphite:

Graphite: A Unique Pencil-Drawn Roguelite RPG With a Deep Timeline-Based Combat system

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of trying out a fascinating roguelite RPG featuring an engaging and deep combat system. In this game, our pencil-drawn characters must strategically manage the timeline to succeed in battles. The title is Graphite, developed by the Colombian indie studio Estraiti and below are some details about it.

Let’s start by saying that Graphite is set across two interconnected realms: a fantasy world brimming with rich lore and a contemporary school environment where the game unfolds. Characters are whimsical pencil-drawn stick figures, while everyday objects serve as stand-ins for monsters and treasures, adding a playful touch to its design.

[...]

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Couchpotato the Solasta II Community Stream #03 on Twitch TV.

Ye Old Entertainment reviewed card based RPG Black Book:

Black Book videogame review. An excellent RPG based on Russian Folklore

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The Scribe RPG has been annunced:

Scribe RPG Development Update

Breaking the Radio Silence

After a long period of radio silence - when we were fully focused on development - we’re excited to say we’re back up to full speed! Our goal is to release a playable demo of the game soon for all of you to check out and, hopefully, enjoy.

What we have:

The entire demo and all its content are already in place! We’re now fine-tuning the writing, quests, and other gameplay elements, as well as finalizing the graphics and sound.

What we are working on:

We’re wrapping up and fine-tuning our combat mechanics, and most importantly, we’re implementing a robust navigation system for our NPCs. Originally, this wasn’t something we had planned for the game. However, NPCs patrolling the world or actively chasing the player - using everything the player can, like ropes, ladders, platforms, and ledges - felt like a must-have. We believe it greatly enhances gameplay versatility.

Please stay tuned much more will come soon :)

Thanks Couchpotato!

Henriquejr spotted dev update #03 for Solasta II:

Dev Update #03 - Show me your game face!

Hey hey people,

Once again, happy new year! Now that 2025 is on its way, we’re back in the studio to share more about Solasta II. Hope you managed to get a good long rest off, because the train ain’t stopping any time soon! 

[Cat Picture] ]We humans have to get back to work, you adorable little freeloader!

Before we start, don't forget to wishlist Solasta II on Steam - it helps us a ton!

Show me that face!

Let’s be honest, one of the weaker parts of Solasta I was our character models, which were the first things people saw when they started playing. In fact, even in positive reviews some of you said that they were apprehensive about getting the game at first because of how the characters looked. 

Now, we explained quite a few times that we unfortunately couldn’t update them in Solasta I because of the entire pipeline already being built for that game. But you know what doing a whole new game in a different game engine allows us to do? That’s right, exactly that! Now, without further ado let me show you in-game screenshots showing currently implemented characters.

[...]

Splattercatgaming checked out the tactical RPG Lost in the Open:

Lost in the Open - A Deadly Low Fantasy Squad Strategy RPG

The Early Access title Stellar Tactics got a holiday patch:

Holiday Patch

I'm patching a few things into the game as I continue working on Chapter 3
Hi all. I decided to branch away from the chapter 3 content so I could post an update that includes a few things I think you might like for the holidays.

First, this build does not include chapter 3. I am still working on that and it is moving along (finally) at a reasonable pace. Instead, I am releasing a smaller update with the following main features:

Updated icons – The new icons are simplified and designed so you can easily visualize object types (weapons, armor etc.) and their quality levels at a glance. These icons are now the default icons for the game. You can revert to the original icons in the options menu in the video panel by selecting “Vivid Icons”. You can do this in-game and open the inventory and then exit to instantiate the changes. I’m still looking into icons for the various perks.

New crew portraits - By default, updated portraits will be assigned to your crew. If you preferred the old portraits, they are still available by entering the inventory or character info screens, selecting the crew member you want to adjust and then clicking the portrait. The portrait/voice UI will be displayed. Scroll past the new portraits, and you will see that the old portraits are available for selection. Note that you can also open the crew manager, select a crew member, select “REVIEW CREW MEMBER” and adjust the portraits. When starting a new game, the old portraits are not available – though they can be assigned once you are in the game.

Custom portraits – You can now add custom portraits to the game. Detailed instructions are provided in the new “PLAYER_PORTRAITS” folder in the install directory. Here are the basic steps.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for The Bustling World:

The Bustling World - Official Trailer #2

Couchpotato spotted a community stream 1 & 2 recap for Solasta II:

Goodbye 2024! Community Stream 1 & 2 Recap

Couldn’t find the time to watch the Community Streams or prefer reading instead? We got you covered!
Hello there people!

New year is right around the corner, bringing us ever closer to the release of Solasta II! We hope you had a fantastic year - and if not, don’t worry - may you be blessed with better rolls in 2025. Cover yourself well and head into the next year with gusto and courage! 

[...]

Community Streams #01 & #02 Recap
As not everyone can tune into the Community Streams (or want to, some people prefer reading and that’s all good) and since you were many to ask for a recap, we’re closing the year by answering your wishes! We know this won’t prevent people from coming to ask “2024 or 2014 ruleset?” for the eighteenth time in an hour in Twitch chat, but hopefully we can cut it down to a single digit number. Here are some of the most asked questions.

Remember, Solasta II is still very much under development, meaning anything we’re saying here may be subject to change in the future, just as our wording implies.

Question: Is Solasta II still grid-based?
Yes, Solasta II is still grid-based during combat. This question was asked because some sharp-eyed viewer noticed one character ending their turn with 2 feet of movement in the trailer (instead of 5’ or 0’). This difference is due to how pathfinding works in Unreal Engine 5 - characters no longer have to go through the center of each tile they’re moving through (which made their movement look a little robotic in Solasta I), instead taking the shortest path to their destination.

This means in the current implementation, you will often end with less than 5’ of movement after moving, as you still need to end your movement on a tile of the grid. You will also still be able to see which tiles are valid before moving just like in our previous game.

[...]

MMORPG interviewed Creative Director Chris Perkins about Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen:

Interview: Talking Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen's Early Access Launch With Creative Director Chris Perkins

Earlier this month, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen launched into Early Access. The release is momentous: having been in development for ten years with a few restarts and tragedies along the way, Pantheon finally launching in some way is a good thing, regardless of your views on early access.

Yet, the road doesn’t end here. Pantheon is still very much in active development, with more work to be done before they can call the MMO ready for its 1.0 full release. With classes yet to be added, zones, and crucially important gameplay systems still to come, Pantheon feels like it’s just getting started.

From the jump, Pantheon hearkens back to the classic era of MMORPGs, something our reviewer thinks Visionary Realms has really nailed in how Rise of the Fallen plays even in this early stage. Speaking with MMORPG.com after the first weekend of Early Access, creative director Chris “Joppa” Perkins tells us that the team is actually trying to do more than just feel like classic EverQuest, rather they are trying to thread the needle between EverQuest and vanilla World of Warcraft, as if there was a third game in the mix back in the day.

“I think we are on track to really nailing what we’re trying to nail,” Perkins explained when asked about the style of MMO Pantheon is trying to achieve. He continued, “And to the casual observer, that might sound like a clone or direct throwback to EverQuest pacing and mechanics and things like that. But the reality is, we’re actually trying to walk this line inbetween these two major categories, which would be classic EverQuest, which I would define as the original trilogy, and classic World of Warcraft as it launched initially, or very similar to the current Classic experience. 

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Gematsu reports that a HD version of Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale is currently in development.

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted an update for Dead Monarchy and the standalone expansion Arena Monarchy:

General Update #29: (Arena Monarchy, Discord Channel, Future Update Changes)

Future Teaser

New Game Announcement:

I hope you all had a great holiday season. As it is the start of a new year, I thought it would be the perfect time to announce my new game! Arena Monarchy is a standalone expansion to Dead Monarchy and in some ways, you can consider it a spin-off title. In Arena Monarchy you are put in charge of a ludus and must train up a stable of gladiators to defeat the legendary champions of the arena. The premise is simple but as with Dead Monarchy, the meat of the game revolves around the combat system and in Arena Monarchy, the combat system has been vastly expanded.

[...]

Couchpotato spotted a new devlog for Monomyth:

MONOMYTH DEVLOG / 16.0 - Tools, Mines & Redesigns

Couchpotato spotted a devlog for the dungeon crawler Neverlooted Dungeon:

2024 Review Devlog

Hello looters, here is the news from the dungeon’s depths.

Merry Christmas

First of all, let me wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and most of all an Happy Dungeon Looting.

Release date

The sound of hammers echoes in the depths of the dungeon, where I continue to work hard to prepare for the release of Neverlooted Dungeon. You probably already guessed it from the current date, the game will not be released in 2024 as I had planned. But I have not been idle, the game has progressed well. I even played last year’s version before writing this post, and the gain in quality is palpable. I tell you again, it would have been a shame to release the game last year, without these improvements.

In this end-of-the-year devlog, let’s review some of the major work accomplished in 2024 and discover my latest work.

Texture work

This spring, I created a lot of new textures, using the amazing Material Maker software. I created a large number of textures for floors, walls, tapestries, stained glass windows, paintings, sculptures, and other decorative elements. This decorative and narrative elements really make the game more interesting to explore.

[...]

The Turn Based Lovers checked out Prisma:

Discover Prisma: A Stunning New JRPG Inspired by Latin American Folklore

I’m a bit late to the party on this news, but here’s everything you need to know about this exciting new and very intriguing JRPG from Dreams Uncorporated, the creative team behind the critically acclaimed Cris Tales. Prisma, a single-player turn-based JRPG announced during the Latin American Games Showcase, introduces players to Alma, a journalist who embarks on a journey to uncover truths hidden within a magical, Latin American-inspired world called Domacon.

• Background Story and Game World
• Combat System
• Vision Behind the Game And Launch Plans
• Overview
• Gameplay Trailer

Background Story and Game World
Prisma follows Alma’s quest to navigate the enigmatic Domacon after being transported by a mysterious Prism Shard. In this world, Alma encounters other versions of herself from alternate universes, some of whom serve as allies while others become rivals. Players must assemble a party of Almas, forge bonds, tackle challenging enemies, and unlock side quests, all while shaping Alma’s experiences and destiny. You must outmaneuver rival Almas, who are also in pursuit of the coveted Prism Shards, which hold the key to returning home.

The game world of Prisma is populated by vibrant characters, including talking animals, unpredictable NPCs, and enemies inspired by Latin American folklore. Alma’s camera serves as her most crucial tool, revealing the true nature of her surroundings and influencing her interactions. Decisions you make affect the relationships the main character builds, the quests she undertakes, and the outcomes of her journey, making player choice a central feature of the game.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Splattercatgaming checked out Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen:

I've Been Absolutely No Lifing a New MMORPG - Pantheon Rise of the Fallen

Thanks Couchpotato!

The DLC Wartales: The Skelmar Invasion gets positive reviews on Steam:

The Skelmar Invasion & Winter Sale

Greetings Mercenaries,

Our goal was to craft an authentic Wartales experience, and we’re proud to say that the feedback from both the Closed Beta and the wider community played a pivotal role in shaping the DLC. The Beta allowed us to gather invaluable insights from a diverse range of players, helping us fine-tune the new features and gameplay mechanics to ensure we provided you with the best possible experience.

As of now, The Skelmar Invasion boasts very positive reviews on Steam, a testament to the dedication of our team and your support. We couldn’t be happier to close out the year on such a high note!

As a thank you we're extending the sale that began a few weeks ago, carrying it into the Steam Winter Sale! You can pick up Wartales and its DLC for up to 50% off.

Thank you for your continued support, and we can’t wait to share our plans for next year. In the meantime we wish you all happy holidays (unless you're a Skelmar)!

- Shiro Games

Thanks Couchpotato!

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has been released into Early Access:

Early Access is now live on Steam! Join the test!

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is available on Steam and Early Access is now in full swing. Join the thousands that are already checking out the game. Get in early to test, help shape this classically-inspired MMORPG, and forge your place in the community.

Welcome Steam and thank you for having us!

Couchpotato spotted a new roadmap for Death Trash:

Roadmap Update - End of 2024

I am sorry. We made progress this year, but not as much as I had hoped. The projected dates for the next updates did not work out as planned.

We are focusing on the content of the game at the moment. That is slow work, as we are still somewhat inexperienced in this. (And it seems to me that working on story-based content will never be a straightforward process to begin with.)

I appeal here to your understanding of the situation, and therefore will lay out what this current situation consists of.

Situation

We are a small team. Two core members at the moment, working full-time on Death Trash. We will look at potentially getting additional help after the city content update is done.

This is our first game. We are still learning and mistakes will be made along the way, but we are willing to learn from them.

Our main goals with this project are the following:
1. To create a game with soul and personality. Reminiscent of the role-playing classics, but a thing of its own.
2. To stay independent. To keep control over all parts of the game and to fully understand all the bits that go into making a game like this. Which means working on most parts of it ourselves.
Or, to put it another way: working on something idiosyncratic in a personal way, staying close to the full process of creation.

We have sufficient funds to finish the development. We have enough motivation. This game will get done, no matter what.

Our communication this year was flawed. I think I responded often enough and in a transparent way, but I failed at showing where we are, at showing the progress, and at explaining the challenges of the project and its bottlenecks. I talk of helpful tools but I don't show what they are. I talk of the complexity of the project but I don't talk about the details. I get frustrated when pixelart games are lumped into some 'easy-to-make' category, but I don't outline the flaws in that argument. We need to do better.

Next steps

Removing the dates from the roadmap.
To avoid confusion and unfulfilled promises, we have decided to remove dates from the roadmap for now. More concrete timeframes will return once we make more progress on the content and can better estimate the remaining effort.

Regular update with improvements
We’ll publish a regular update in January that will contain improvements made over the last year which were originally to go alongside the next content update. These improvements include better inventory handling, which in our own test-playing fixes the recurring issue of the limited space inventory filling up too quickly.

City content on beta branch
Around that same time, we will publish the work-in-progress city content on the beta branch. (This will be unfinished and will be separated from the main game still, accessible only through a jump start from the main menu into the city. It's rough in parts and contains placeholders, but we could already use some feedback on dialogue, aesthetics, level design etc.)

Development Insight
From January on, after a short vacation, we will give continuous insight to the development process.
I am not sure yet in what form this will end up eventually, but I would like to start out by making some short non-spoiler notes every day I am at work, probably in its own forum thread, and this journaling then might lead to questions which I could tackle in more long-form. Let me know what you would be interested in.

Conclusion

I hope you'll have a great 2025, and I hope that Death Trash has a great year, too.
Thank you to everyone who supported us, and that includes all the small moments of friendly words and gestures.

- Stephan

These are the development goals for 2025 of the Archaelund developer:

Merry Christmas and happy 2025 to everyone!

Just a brief post to let you know about the upcoming improvements and my general plan for 2025

Hello everyone! I’d like to wish you all a joyful holiday season and an incredible New Year.

It’s been a while since the last update, 0.8.2, in November, and I haven’t been very active in the community since then. The reason? I’ve been working nonstop on the next big update! Once more, it's a big one that can't be released in small installments. While I’d hoped to deliver it as a Christmas surprise or in celebration of the Early Access anniversary this January, it’s definitely going to take longer; at least until late February.

Here are my main development goals for 2025:

Release Update 0.8.3: This will introduce a new map area, an increased level cap, and many QoL improvements (like inventory sorting, quest search filtering, and more). Similar to the previous map expansion, some areas and dungeons will remain inaccessible for now.

Reaching Version 0.9: Targeting a spring release, this update will bring the conclusion of the second main quest chapter, open some inaccessible dungeons, and gameplay improvements like dual wielding and new careers.

Second Half of 2025: updates will expand the playable area further, increase the level cap, and add a new main quest chapter. Alongside this, I’ll work on making the world more dynamic and alive, polishing graphics and animations, and introducing other improvements to elevate the game.

That’s the plan! Of course, these goals are subject to change, but you already know that. I deeply appreciate your patience and support; it means the world to me.

Here’s to another fantastic year of adventuring together!

--
David

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted devlog #9 for Tenebris: Terra Incognita:

Devlog #9

Dear friends, in this diary we will tell you about our work on Tenebris: Terra Incognita.

But first of all we want to wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May the next year bring us all more luck and success!

As you know, Tenebris went into Early Access on September 30, and by December we fixed 99% of all bugs, made changes to the balance of the game and other improvements.
We've been going through all of your feedback and suggestions on the game, there was a huge amount of them. Many ideas turned out to be very useful, and we took them into work!
Now we have turned our attention to creating new content for the game. The next global update will be in spring, and we want to tell you more about what will be waiting for you in it.

New enemies
In the global update called “Heavy Weight” you will get both reinforcements in the ranks of bugs and a brand new class of enemies. The Misty Wastes bug swarm will be expanded with two species - Regenus and Carabid.

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