Hello, Keepers of Balance!
As time goes by and you’ve already had two chances to try the game – last Summer’s Closed Alpha and the most recent Demo during February’s Steam Next Fest, and each time you helped us by filling out some quite detailed feedback forms that contributed to the game’s improvement, it’s only fair that we share with you the details of how the game has improved since the closed alpha and what we’ll keep doing to improve it until it launches, later this year!
Updates since the Closed Alpha
Last Summer’s Closed Alpha was the first real taste of Batora: Lost Haven for players. Over 23k gamers got a key to try it and the response was AMAZING!
Seeing how many people played and enjoyed it made us super proud, especially since you appreciated it so much even at such an early stage of development.
That time, your feedback was extremely helpful as it pointed out some issues that we were aware of and some that made it clearer what kind of game you envisioned Batora: Lost Haven to be.
So, besides overall performance enhancement – remember that it was in alpha stage – following are the main updates we implemented since the Closed Alpha:
- Camera system and navigability
As some users pointed out that the camera movements would cause motion sickness, we improved the camera system and level design for a better level legibility
- Enhanced controls (focusing on keyboard and mouse)
We improved the animation system, the combo windows, and overall responsiveness of the controls
- Impact on physical hits
We introduced the camera shake and freeze on hit and improved the attacks’ VFX to ensure that physical hits would give the right “impact” feeling
- Progression feedback
We improved the in-game notification system and the VFX for level-up and acquired items, to highlight in a more incisive way whenever players reach a new level or get runes or new skills
- Strategic combat boost
We improved the combat system in terms of AI and skills to make it more fun and strategically interesting
- Enemy spawn system
We improved the enemies’ spawn system to allow management of specific spawn points, increasing the fights’ variety and making them more “choreographic”
- New improved puzzles
We re-designed puzzles and VFX to be more accessible and clear; we also improved control sharpness
- New companions mechanics
We made the companion a part of the gameplay, so it now has an active role in fights too
Work-in-progress updates for final release
Then there was the Steam Next Fest: one intense week during which Steam users got to play the demo of Batora: Lost Haven and give us their feedback once again.
We’ve already started working on the new updates so that, as we head towards launch, everything will be ready and functional.
Here are the main features we’re working on:
- Zoom system
As many players pointed out that it would be great to be able to zoom on the beautifully detailed environments, we are implementing a system that allows players to adjust the camera choosing between 2 zoom modes
- Pad controls
We’re improving the control system to make it more accurate and responsive to the player’s intentions, consistently adapting to the different control systems
- Reworked UI & menus
We re-designed the menus to make them clearer for players, showing relevant information and making it more accessible
- Codex
Players specifically asked to delve into the game’s plot and backstory, so they will now get to collect the codex pages while playing, thus learning more about the game’s lore
- New tutorials
We’re re-designing the tutorials to make them readable on all platforms. Players will be able to access them through the codex after unlocking them in-game.
- Full control customization
We’ll give users the possibility to customize the controls choosing their favorite bindings
- Rune stats
We’re improving the rune system, making their effects more impactful and remarkable
- Improved health bars status
We’re adding a “semi-death” status to alert players when one or both of their health bars are below 20%
- Dubbing
As players were not convinced about some of the dubbing, we’re going to replace some actors – including Batora! – choosing the most appropriate ones for their roles
- Super detailed world-building
We’re adding more dialogs based on the players’ choices and their consequences – for example, characters and NPCs will talk in real-time commenting on what’s happening in the game
Did you play Closed Alpha or Next Fest Demo of Batora: Lost Haven? Leave a comment and let us know what you thought!
Be sure to add Batora: Lost Haven to your Steam Wishlist to keep up to date with news, and don’t forget to tell your friends too!
