And so the updates ramble on!
This is a bigger update gameplay wise, but you can't call every update "Major" so regular it is. The main purpose this time around was to tweak the... well, complexity seems like the wrong word... depth, maybe... of the gameplay. I've added a couple of ways to increase energy generation on a run - making card draws and higher cost cards more viable - as well as a few cards that work off of accumulating debuffs on the enemies (i.e. Vulnerable, Aroused, Charmed) to make those more worthwhile rather than auto discards. These new cards have largely taken the place of existing cards that were excessively similar or otherwise redundant. I've also made it possible to upgrade and purge your deck at shops, giving you greater capacity to optomise your deck.
I've also re-jigged the map a bit. It's longer to start, and nodes are now better randomised - so it's possible to plan your approach to take a more (or less) rewarding route.
These elements are intended to reward careful play and get a couple of productive engines running, but they've also greatly increased and accelerated deck power. So I've buffed enemies as well. You'll find they have a bit more HP in general - especially later in the run - and greater portion have the power to debuff you. Trying to keep deck power and enemy power in sync feels a bit like shooting a target from a train, so let me know if anything feels off!
A full log of changes is documented below.
Major Changes
Status-payoff cards. Several cards have been reworked into dedicated payoffs that reward committing to a status — cash in built-up Aroused, detonate a Vulnerable target for big burst, or turn an enemy's Charmed into value. Building a focused deck around a single status is now a real, rewarding strategy.
New ways to power up your turns. Two new cards — Dark Offering and Ritual Fervor — give you burst energy, a new relic (the Insertable Phylactery) permanently raises your maximum energy, and shops now offer a one-time service to buy +1 max energy for the run.
Difficulty overhaul. Enemy health has been re-tuned across all three acts. Many more standard and elite enemies now hit you with status effects (Aroused, Charmed, Vulnerable).
Soul Collector tuning — the Soul Jar relic now lets you keep your Willpower up to your current Souls each turn (and still starts you with 2 Souls); Soul Shield, Soul Gather and Ethereal Shield have been rebalanced; and the starting deck guarantees an early Soul-scaling defence.
Card upgrade & removal at the shop. Shops can now upgrade a card or remove one from your deck, and you're guaranteed a shop before the final boss.
Reworked map. More nodes per map, far more route variety (paths used to be nearly identical), more elite fights spread across branching routes, and fewer face-down "mystery" nodes so you can plan your run.
Power cards now correctly show their "Exhaust" text.
Minor Changes
Cleaner combat presentation — bosses now hold their spot and their summoned minions arrange neatly around them instead of shoving the boss off-screen.
Card tweaks — Dream Fragment now Exhausts, Sultry Charm costs 1 energy, and "Entranced" cards' upgrades now reduce their cost instead of adding a stack.
The Lustful Noblewoman is now a tougher summoner miniboss.
Voice lines no longer hold up the game — click through dialogue freely, and starting a new line simply interrupts the previous one.
Rest nodes before each boss, except final boss which had a merchant node instead.
All new and updated content is fully translated across every supported language.
Bug Fixes
Your loot is now auto-collected if you hit Continue without grabbing it.
Fixed a crash when discarding a consumable.
Upgraded cards now actually deliver the numbers they display — including healing cards that were healing the un-upgraded amount, and Soul-scaling cards that showed the wrong rate.
Shops no longer stock the same consumable twice.
Shrine events now correctly grant their promised bonus.
Fixed bosses occasionally appearing in the wrong (pregnant/corrupted) form.
Fixed the run-start options being pushed off the bottom of the screen.