Hello, Friends!
Thank you to everyone who has been giving feedback! It's been great to hear all of the responses.
Initial feedback has been generally positive, but Soul Saga has evolved a lot so many fans are very surprised by the change in gameplay direction and have been downvoting the game because of their expectations from years ago. This is unfortunate as newer players knowing what to expect from the actual game are happy with Soul Saga so far, so I think we should be very clear about what Soul Saga has evolved into...
So what is it?
Soul Saga has evolved over the years as I created a unique game I sincerely enjoyed playing myself. I believe I succeeded in that goal, but it did stray from its original vision of a generic JRPG.
It's now a sophisticated blend of various genres that include JRPG and rogue-lite elements.
I chose this design route because I really enjoy games that are open-ended and offer "experiences" that surprises the player and allows them customize and forge their own stories and paths.
I love these types of game experiences, so I will continue developing Soul Saga in this way!
The Plan Moving Forward
Soul Saga is my passion project, and I plan to enhance and add new features to it for a long time. Nothing has been or ever will be able to change that. I'm excited to share Soul Saga's progress with you as it continues to grow!
Short Term Goals
The biggest feedback moving forward I'd like to address is difficulty. Soul Saga has a very unique physics-based airship control system that challenges the player to think differently than almost any game they've ever played. Once you get the hang of it, it's like riding a bike, but the challenge and danger will always be there.
I'd like to make the airship system more "beginner friendly". Here's a few upcoming changes that may help accomplish that:
- Ways to heal your airship while in the field
- Giving the airship it's own HP pool (so the party isn't hurt when crashing)
- Making early level airship steering easier
- Exposing more variables for custom difficulty settings.
I'll let you know when I get this update out. Thanks again for all your feedback and for playing my humble game... oh, and sorry it's been kicking your butts! ;)
Sincerely,
Mike (Disastercake) <3