Greetings, Traveler!
Welcome to our exclusive Next Fest demo and patch notes! We've packed this build with exciting new content that we hope you'll enjoy. Here's a quick summary of the updates:
• Lust and parts of Gluttony are now playable
• Speedrunning competition
• New Prologue and Death Cutscene
• Slight character movement changes
• Quality of life improvements
• And so much more!!!
Now, let's dive into the details!
Club Lust:
The most significant update is that Lust is now fully playable for Next Fest! Test your skills as you ascend this layer of hell, but be careful with your movements. Lust’s unique mechanic involves the Dancers. If Vincent strays too close, he'll fall under a “siren-like” effect, being pulled closer before being launched in a direction (usually outside of the club). Keep an eye out for multiple dancers throughout the club!
Gluttony:
The demo now ends in Gluttony, allowing players to experience the first third of the level! The unique mechanic for this layer is "hotplates." When Vincent steps on a hotplate, he'll start burning from the heat, causing him to bounce uncontrollably until he’s off the platform. The longer he stays on a hotplate, the more intense the bounces become!
Speedrunning competition:
Exclusively for Steam Next Fest, we're hosting a Speedrunning competition! We've previously posted the rules, but to participate, join our community Discord linked below.
New Prologue and Death Cutscene:
We've added brand new cutscenes to enhance the story. The prologue cutscene plays when you start a new game, and the death cutscene appears after the tutorial section. For those who prefer to skip the story, you can bypass cutscenes and dialogue by hitting the pause button.
Slight character movements changes:
Welcome to all new players! For our longtime supporters, you’ll notice that Dani now has a slight delay when falling from a certain height, pausing for half a second. This makes it harder to chase Vincent during a big fall and slightly slows the game pace.
Quality of life changes and more:
We've made numerous improvements across the demo. These include, but are not limited to:
• Bug fixes
• Enhanced visual art and flair
• New music
• New sound effects (SFX)
• Updated secret room dialogues
• Expanded graphics settings (that actually work this time, we promise!)
• Performance and optimization enhancements
• Improved visual effects (VFX)
• Better visual clarity in certain areas
• And much more!
A thanks from the dev team:
We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone, both new and returning players, for trying out our demo and supporting us. We are tirelessly working to make Ascending Inferno the best it can be, and your feedback is invaluable. We hope you enjoy what has been two years in the making, and we can’t wait to share even more with you soon!