With the Steam Next Fest on the horizon, I've been working tirelessly to bring you meaningful updates. Polishing the overall experience and prepping the demo for public release has been my top priority. Now, let's dive into the latest developments! [b]Acurine Lodestones:[/b] Work in progress with more features to come. These serve as new save points where players can interact, save the game, or level up using the new currency "Acurine Dust." No more auto stat gains – you're in control! [u]You can no longer pause the game to save; the option has been removed with the introduction of Acurine Lodestones.[/u] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44709306/3caac858beca3f3201d9f35cb7ad98d2177cc4fc.png[/img] [b]Acurine Dust:[/b] is the new in-game currency, and it is spent on stat points at the Acurine Lodestones. It will also be used as the in-game currency at the eventual vendor shops. Enemies will no longer give XP upon death; instead, they will drop Acurine Dust. XP still exists in the game and is found through Arcane scrolls in the arcane spire. You also gain XP for spending Acurine Dust at the Lodestones, allowing you to increase your character's level and +1 to the armor stat! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44709306/158540f21bd42812c94d4ba4e06be5debd58fffd.png[/img] [b]Shields and Acurine Shards:[/b] Shields can now be used to block magic attacks [u]([i]they will only block, not parry[/i]). You must have a shield equipped to block magic attacks![/u] Alternatively, with an Acurine shard equipped, players will now be able to block and parry magic attacks, with or without a shield! But beware, there is a twist ;) [b]Acurine Ice Shard:[/b] can block and parry Poison spells; it can also parry fire spells. But not block them. making timing crucial! [b]Acurine Fire Shard[/b] can block/parry ice spells. But getting hit by a poison spell while using the Acurine fire spell will surely kill you, as it causes an explosion! [b]I'm still working on the Acurine Lightning shard and its part in all of this, so stay tuned![/b] Blocking a spell of the same element of magic as the Acurine shard you are using will grant the player a small healing effect or a critical strike buff, depending. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44709306/4cb8ad1a6c85302fbb2f14651dfdc249e9818b8e.gif[/img] [u]Mage Enemies: Mage enemies now take 5% more overall damage from ranged attacks.[/u] [b]Chore Mechanics Tweaks:[/b] [list] [*] Attacking/Blocking now costs stamina. This stamina drain will be less and less noticeable as you increase your dexterity stat and level up. But does make the beginning of the game a tad more difficult! [*] Drinking potions stops attacks, slows movement, and prevents further actions during the animation. Previously, you were able to spam attacks while drinking potions, and it just did not feel very good to me. This also adds a lot to the difficulty, this is a Souls-like action-adventure game, after all ;) [*] When the player is low on health, they will now play a hurt animation and move much slower than normal. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44709306/2f3fd16eb09442000b67628de08ab2e499d431fb.png[/img] [/list] Mini-boss fight in the arcane spire revised – complete it with ranged attacks or melee after debuffing. Also added a new enemy to the boss fight, and visual improvements to the Arcane Spire as a whole. [b]Enemy Outlines:[/b] Added outlines to enemies for better indication of when to dodge or parry attacks. Blue for parryable, red for unblockable. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44709306/f91c799d25acbe2f2d3eb880ff9de1f003ba0e9f.gif[/img] [u]This mechanic is a work in progress and may become a difficulty option, potentially tied to a new Steam achievement. Cleaned up unnecessary game elements, removed widgets, and enhanced player immersion without drastic changes.[/u] [b]Adjusted the Lock-On Target Camera:[/b] Previously, the closer you got to a locked-on enemy, the higher the camera would adjust. The current angle just felt way too top-down to me, so it has been adjusted slightly. Fixed an issue where the player couldn't use any inputs when trying to activate an Acurine ability and being damaged. [b]Added a photosensitivity warning at the beginning of the game.[/b]  [u]This is to ensure the safety and well-being of players who may be sensitive to visual stimuli.[/u] Fixed the photosensitivity warning showing up every time the player would return to the main menu. It will now only show once, upon first loading the game. Stay tuned for more updates and get ready for the Steam Next Fest! 🎮