Version 1.2.1 adds a few new observations (guiding hints) and fixes some minor bugs. Other than needing to correct a missing floor definition, all updates are quality-of-life improvements.
As usual, the full changelog is at the bottom of the announcement.
Idosra: The Electric Renaissance is getting a sequel, and “Idosra 1” is coming along for the ride.
Many details, including the official name, are currently being fleshed out. We'll call it "Idosra 2" for now, and are ready to share some early news here. Also, we have outlined our plans in more detail on our blog. Here are the highlights.
Our Blog Post at idosra.com
We want to expand on our favorite parts of "Idosra 1". So far we have outlined expansions and evolution of mana, mana skills, equipment, and classes. All of the expansions revolve around giving the player more choices.
The experience system will likely see a significant overhaul as well. In "Idosra 1", most of the areas have the same Rogue Rating rank requirements, prioritizing 100% completion. While there are a handful of exceptions (such as the cliff climbing challenge early in the game), we would like to see more variety. Rather than divide the game into areas, we are looking at dividing the game into tasks or quests. This will let us add more variety, more uses for specialized equipment and artifacts, and more meaningful decisions.
"Idosra 1" draws heavy influence from 1990's DOS titles, with Jill of the Jungle and Prince of Persia being the two most frequently cited examples. This is most reflected in the game's pixel art presentation. We don't intend to change that aesthetic, but we would like to give it an opportunity to evolve.
The cut-scene art, on the other hand, is a bit all over the place. The art was drawn over a long span of time: 2020 to 2025, with some pieces even drawn much earlier. Many of the digital paintings also lost a lot of their detail when shrunk to the 432x240 native game resolution.
We are now looking at a digital cel style. While simpler, illustrations in this style will better translate to the in-game resolution, and also better reflect the 1990's aesthetic that the pixel art seeks.
We are developing "Idosra 2" in Godot. As a follow-up, we will be porting "The Electric Renaissance" to Godot as well. This was mentioned in the Community Hub when the plan was a bit more tentative.
Porting an already released game to a new engine is not a typical practice. However porting "Idosra 1" to Godot won't add much additional development time that wouldn't have been needed to develop the sequel, will simplify support and maintenance (fixing one set of bugs is easier than two sets), and will allow us to add some features we wish we could have added to "Idosra 1", but were not practical in Stencyl. Dynamic lighting, for instance, will add a lot to the atmosphere of interior rooms.
We have already built and tested the low-level code that loads and builds maps, and are making steady progress on UI. The new UI code is already much much easier to work with. While we wouldn't expect most players to get excited about low-level UI code, the complexity of the current UI system is the number one limiting factor to adding dialog options, hints, game control improvements, and quality-of-life improvements.
Follow us on social media, our blog, or here on Steam to stay up-to-date with our latest developments!
Blog post: Link!
Idosra website: Link!
Social media linktr.ee: Link!
Added dozens of new "Marika's observations" (hint stars) through Chapters 2 and 3. She will now point out things that would be reasonable for her to see (and pique her interest) from her vantage point, but would be off-screen for the player.
Moved Wall Jump book from an optional path in its level to a required path, so that this critical skill cannot be missed.
Fixed a bug in "University" (Room 422) where Marika would fall through the floor after exiting a door.