It's been a few months since Version 2.0 was announced, and it's been pretty quiet since. Look, "early 2026" means different things to different people, but the update is aiming for a release before the end of March.
This was covered a bit in the initial announcement, but version 2.0 of POCKET MYSTERY EP DX includes:
A new engine: With the help of GodotBoy, 2.0 moves from HTML5 to Godot.
Unlockable content: Using a password system, players can unlock backgrounds, visual filters, a new game, and possibly other secrets...
Quality-of-life and bug fixes: Some adjustments have been made to the underlying ROM of POCKET MYSTERY EP DX to (try to, at least) address some bugs in later puzzles and make the controls clearer.
Better Steamdeck support: You should no longer need to use a community layout to play the game on deck, input is recognized out-of-the-box.
Achievements: Tied in with the new unlockable content and password system, you can now earn achievements by exploring different parts of the game.
For the most part, the game is ready-to-go, there are just a few things left to finish:
The final unlockable: Without saying what it is, the "final" unlockable is being finished up. It's different than most of the other unlockables, so how it's implemented is different, and there's still some polishing being done on the content itself.
Password system: The password system is fully functional, but there's a weird quirk that shows up on Steamdeck that's being ironed out.
Backgrounds: Most of the backgrounds are done, but there's still one photo that needs to be shot, edited, and added to the project. You may notice that the original post has a background that's not in the final game. That's by design, as that was a stock photo of a park used for testing, it's been replaced by an original photo.
Credits: The in-game filters use community-developed Godot shaders and those developers deserve to be credited for their work. The credits menu are being implemented right now, and a credits button will be added to the menu.
There have been a couple of comments about progress halting issues. The bugfixes introduced in this new version aim to fix them, however repro-ing them wasn't actually super easy. So, full disclosure: while this should reduce bugs with late game puzzles (specifically in the Spencer section of the game), there is no guarantee that issues certain players may encountered are fixed. But we hope they are as part of this!
There are some new rooms available to explore in the DX version of the game. These tie into the unlock system.
Version 2.0 uses a brand new ROM file for the DX game, so save data is not carried over.
Not all passwords will be found in the game itself.
The original POCKET MYSTERY EP is also available to play from the launcher. This version of the game has been left untouched. It has been added for curious players to see how the DX version differs.
The unlockable game is a kinetic novel. It's a short story told through a GameBoy game. The story in question is surreal, intentionally vague, and will likely leave you confused. That's the point. But elements of it play more of a role in the (still in progress, albeit slowly) remake/remix of POCKET MYSTERY EP DX.
With the release of 2.0 work on the remix/remake resumes in full (along with another mystery game! stay tuned...). POCKET MYSTERY EP DX is not the world's greatest game, it's deeply flawed in many ways, but the remake aims to be a considerably more polished, gameplay-forward experience. It's the weird game this was always imagined as, but without the constraints of a GameBoy. More to come soon!