Hello Commanders,
This is I M GAME.
It has already been one month since our game launched in Early Access.
We sincerely thank you for enjoying the game and for leaving so many reviews and feedback.
Even though the game is still in Early Access, your trust and support in purchasing it have become a major driving force that allows us to continue our journey toward full release.
We deeply value all the feedback you have passionately shared with us since launch, and we are reviewing it with great care. Based on the current development status and gameplay issues, we are actively prioritizing and implementing changes, so please continue to share your feedback with us. It truly helps us make the game better.
On March 17,
we will be releasing the first major update since Early Access launch alongside the upcoming Spring Sale.
During the Spring Sale, the game will be available at a 10% discount, so we hope you take this opportunity to experience Master of Piece, now even richer with new systems and improved visuals.
Check out the video below to see what has changed in this update!
You can find the full details in the update notes below.
To introduce more positive variables into combat and provide the thrill of dealing powerful damage at unexpected moments, we have experimented with adding a Critical Hit system.
Our goal is to prevent battles from always playing out the same way, while still allowing players to feel tension and reward during moment-to-moment gameplay.
We fully understand the concerns about introducing random elements (RNG) into a pure strategy game like ours.
For that reason, this system is designed as a "strategic critical hit" mechanic, differentiated from the typical random critical hits seen in other games.
[Detailed Mechanics]
Critical activation:
At the end of each round, every mercenary gains the Critical status based on their individual critical chance.
Effect:
A mercenary with the Critical status gains 1.5× Attack Power for the next round.
Strategic usage:
Before the next round begins, players can check which units gained Critical, and decide in advance how to reposition them and which enemies to target.
The base critical chance for mercenaries is 20%, and increases by +10% when Attack or Speed is upgraded.
(Maximum critical chance: 40%)
Rather than forcing players to accept a random result, this system is designed as a controllable strategic element, allowing players to decide how to make use of the triggered effect, and we hope it will create a more engaging combat experience.
Previously, Action Points were only consumed when deploying or moving mercenaries, which made the range of strategic choices available in a turn feel somewhat limited. To address this, we have added Action Point costs to drawing and Commander abilities as well, while increasing the base Action Points granted each turn from 2 to 3.
At the start of combat, you are given 5 Action Points, and afterwards you receive 3 Action Points per turn. Drawing once consumes 1 Action Point, and using a Commander ability also consumes 1 Action Point.
(The Action Point cost for deploying and moving mercenaries remains unchanged.)
You can now check the new “Remaining Enemies” UI near the enemy flag. This UI displays the number of mercenaries left in the enemy deck, as well as the next 2 mercenaries that will be deployed.
Below is the battle screen featuring the new UI and the updated Cost system!
To help players immediately feel the impact of how much their mercenaries have grown, we added different combat motions depending on the amount of damage dealt.
In addition, when a mercenary dies, it will now be knocked backward with physics-based force and interact with other objects. We hope this makes combat feel more impactful and visually satisfying.
Damage Effects for 1–3 Damage
Damage Effects for 4–6 Damage
Damage Effects for 7+ Damage
To better match each mercenary’s name and appearance, we have separated their attack effects into physical and magical attack visuals.
Physical Attack (Sword)
Physical Attack (Spear)
Physical Attack (Bow)
Magical Attack
The strategic fun of Master of Piece comes not only from combining traits to create powerful pieces, but also from minimizing damage and gaining the upper hand in battle through careful positioning and movement.
However, in many battles so far, especially boss battles, there were numerous area-wide and board-wide attack patterns that could not be avoided no matter what choices the player made. As a result, players often had to endure damage regardless of skill, which reduced the enjoyment of strategic decision-making and frequently led to situations where the only viable option was to stack as much Health as possible and simply “tank” the attacks.
With this update, we have adjusted these unfair patterns so that the thought and care players put into each turn will feel meaningful, and so that strategic decisions can genuinely contribute to overcoming boss fights.
Sharp Chain
Before:
At the start of battle and the end of each round, mark the furthest enemy piece and 2 random enemy pieces in different rows.
After:
At the end of each round, Targets 1 enemy piece with the highest HP in each row. Retargets if positions change. If there are units with the same HP, the piece deployed last will be targeted.
Ravenous Chain
Before:
On its turn, it throws a chain at the designated pieces to attack them. It deals damage twice to all enemy pieces except the furthest one.
After:
When attacking, throws chains at the targeted pieces to attack them.
Previously, Orc Decimator always attacked random mercenaries in each row, which often resulted in low-HP mercenaries being eliminated too easily in ways that felt unfair.
To address this, the target selection has been changed from random to the mercenary with the highest current HP. In addition, its attack has been adjusted from dealing damage twice to all enemy mercenaries except the farthest target, to dealing damage only once instead.
Through this change, we aimed to reduce situations where important pieces are unfairly eliminated regardless of player strategy or skill, and to allow players to overcome the boss through more strategic positioning that distributes damage across different pieces.
Divine Verdict
Before: If Knowledge is 5 or higher at the end of the round, targets all tiles. Upon attacking, consumes all Knowledge to attack all enemy pieces on targeted tiles.
After:
If Knowledge is 5 or higher at the end of the round, targets 6 random tiles. Upon attacking, consumes all Knowledge to attack all enemy pieces on targeted tiles.
Previously, Leader of the Sun repeatedly used unavoidable attacks that targeted the entire battlefield, often creating situations where players had no way to negate. This structure frequently resulted in the unfair feeling of “unavoidable death.”
To address this, the attack has been changed from targeting every tile to striking several randomly designated tiles instead. This allows players to reduce incoming damage through repositioning.
Breath of Fire
Before:
Prepare a fire breath for 2 rounds. Upon attacking, breathe out the fire to attack enemy pieces on all tiles.
After:
At the end of each round, targets 2 random tiles. If there are Pillar of Fire obstacles on the battlefield, designates additional tiles equal to the number of obstacles.
Pillar of Fire
Before:
Mark 2 random tiles while preparing for an attack. Upon attacking, attack the marked tiles with a pillar of fire.
After:
Attacks the targeted tile on its turn, and if the tile is an empty neutral tile, summons a Pillar of Fire obstacle. Only 1 obstacle can be summoned per round.
Previously, Flame Dragon had a pattern that attacked the entire battlefield every 2 turns, which repeatedly created situations where players lost mercenaries without having any meaningful way to respond.
To reduce this experience of “unavoidable damage,” we reworked the overall logic of the boss fight and changed it to allow for more strategic counterplay through its new patterns.
We hope this update helps you experience the changes in battle and the new fun they bring more clearly.
We will continue listening closely to your valuable feedback and keep improving Master of Piece into a more fun and polished game.
Thank you, as always, for staying with us and supporting us.
We hope you enjoy the updated journey of Master of Piece together with the upcoming Spring Sale.