Hey everyone! We just wrapped our latest playtest and wanted to share where our heads are at as we prepare for Early Access.
The Positives
Ember herself: This has long been the case, but folks who have never played a previous build of stay are immediately falling in love with her! Petting, playing fetch, and bonding with Ember feel great.
Our Core Loop: The caretaking → expedition → crafting loop cycle is grabbing people. Folks are especially excited by the opportunity to explore the world with Ember. We know this is something you all have wanted to do for a while now!
Sound design: Audio is usually the unsung hero, but people have called out that this is what makes the world and Ember feel alive. Kudos to our sound designer and composer, Dren!
The Blockade/Magic mechanic: The rhythm-game feel is hitting. Even starting to feel a little addictive.
What we're fixing before our next external playtest
Danger checkpoints: These aren’t quite hitting the mark yet. We want moments where Ember genuinely needs your help without adding frustration. We're revising these to feel more rewarding with clearer decisions.
Magic Checkpoints: We have a revision the team is excited about; it tightens up the mechanic and provides a bit of strategy.
More checkpoint variety: Repetition was a top complaint. We want expeditions to feel a little different every time you head out, and really hit that exploration feel. We're building out a bunch of checkpoint variations now!
Crafting UI Update: Crafting’s been clunky. We’re giving this the UX (and visual) refresh it deserves. (See the cover image!)
Ember's intro: The big thing we hear over and over is that people love Ember, but we want you to meet her properly before your first expedition.
Your feedback has been super valuable, and will continue to help shape our thinking!
P.S. - If you want a chance to join our final playtests before we launch Early Access, join our Discord and opt into the testing role.