Hello everyone, this is CC from FromDawn Games! 🔆
As the co-producer and planner for Aeruta, I'm involved in various tasks, including game design,
level design, parts of the scenario, community management, and other general duties. We are incredibly excited to announce that the full version of Aeruta will officially launch on November 5, 2025! 🎉 Now, before we celebrate this special moment with all of you, I'd like to use this dev log as a special edition to share the game's initial concept, our journey from Early Access to today,
and introduce some of the new content coming in the full release.
🌿 Our Development Journey
Going back in time a bit, Aeruta was originally our graduation project.
Back then, it was a Metroidvania action game where a princess adventured to save her kingdom. However, after deciding to release it on Steam, we made a major pivot. We wanted to create a warmer game that fused adventure with bakery management. We set out to create a happy user experience where players could adventure, bake bread, interact with friends, and live peaceful days at their own pace.
From a graduation project to Early Access, and now to its upcoming full release, Aeruta has evolved significantly, thanks to the experience we've gained and the invaluable feedback from players worldwide. Now, let's look back at the Early Access version and introduce the new features in the full release!
In the Early Access version, only the first island and three bosses were available.
The full version unlocks all three islands, featuring a total of 10 bosses!
The lush "Merca Forest"
The flower-filled "Orrindae," watched over by a strict goddess
The "Chaos Ruins," which still bear the scars of an ancient war...
Each region reflects the personalities of the goddesses and is filled with unique charms and challenges.
We've also revised the overall difficulty, removing traps in Orrindae that hindered the game experience. The Chaos Ruins are now more focused on monster battles.
—So, are you ready to face the powerful new foes that await?
When it comes to mastering weapons she finds, no one beats Chaya! 🦊✨
Originally, we only planned to implement the whip. But with a strong feeling of, "How can a bakery-themed game not have a rolling pin?!" we added the Rolling Pin in Early Access. Furthermore, the full version introduces the elegant and agile "Rapier."
With new skill trees for each weapon, the total number of skills is now over 70! Combined with different types of bread and badges, the potential for unique playstyles is now limitless!
The more bread you knead, the easier your adventure becomes! Use badges to further tailor your adventure to your preferred playstyle!
The "Badge System," which we added in last year's update with these goals in mind, successfully expanded player options and was well-received by many.
Including the new badges added in the full release, there are now over 40 types!
The combinations are endless. Please try out various badges to find your favorite playstyle!
Initially, we planned for the bakery to be run just by Chaya and Effie.
However, we received a lot of feedback from players saying, "We want to see the friends from Wheat Plaza too!" In response, we made it so that your companions can now help out at the bakery! Each provides support effects, and Effie's once-lonely little bakery is now bustling with activity!
Also, as a small update, your companions will now come to buy bread in the full version! Seeing them lined up at the register with bread on their heads is one of our favorite new scenes.
The April Fools' joke is finally a reality!
You can now tame "Patti" (dough monsters) in dungeons, bring them back, and raise them on the ranch. Feed them, train them, and knead them with care. Once grown, they'll help out in the bakery and even gather materials for you.
There are also dress-up items like bow ties and pixel sunglasses! They're as functional as they are cute.
For those who have already played the Early Access version, we'll be giving you a Patti dress-up item as a gift when you launch the full version! Be sure to dress up your favorite Patti and give it lots of love!
We've also optimized the balance of the calendar feature, which is essential for planning your day! We redesigned it to prioritize ease of play, avoiding over-complication that could lock players into a fixed routine. We think you'll enjoy how every day is a little different, allowing you to play freely!
In the full version, the town and bakery will finally evolve into their complete forms!
Drawn by the aroma of bread, more people will gather, making Wheat Bakersfield livelier than ever.
The bakery's interior has also been revamped. Look forward to the "New Bakersfield," filled with the aroma of bread and smiling faces!
The affinity stories depicting the bonds with your companions are finally complete! Please watch over the companions who came to Wheat Plaza with their own burdens, as they change through their encounters with Chaya and others and move toward the future. We've also added a "Memory Feature" so you can look back on these stories anytime and relive your memories with everyone! 🧡
We've added a new mode, "Hero's Path," where you can challenge tougher enemies than in regular dungeons! Clearing it offers rewards that let you gather materials more efficiently, so we await the challenge from all you confident adventurers!
Don't worry, just like before, you can keep any items you've acquired even if you're defeated.
Dungeons are filled with dangers other than monsters. Spikes on the floor, falling rocks, pollen from poisonous flowers... and bell-ringing trees! You can now check for these traps ahead of you with a new perspective to see what's in your path! This allows for safer, more reliable, and strategic gameplay!
Thanks to Chilala's... let's say intense and frenzied research... a new study is complete! "Weapon Modification" allows you to imbue your weapons with various effects, letting you further specialize your favorite gear! However, scientific progress and sacrifices (and funds) go hand-in-hand...! Luck is part of your skill, too. Good luck, Chaya!
An adventure encyclopedia covering everything from enemy info to material locations and companion profiles is here! Now you can learn all about that character you've been curious about.
You can check it anytime from the start menu!
Following many requests, we've implemented Steam Achievements for the full release! (Yay!)
You can now be recognized for the various things you've experienced in the game, such as defeating tough enemies, developing new bread, and special events! If you manage to complete them all, you'll undoubtedly be a "True Hero of Aeruta"! 🦊✨
The Story Finally Reaches Its Climax...
The truth surrounding the Aeruta Crystal will be revealed. And will Chaya finally become a true hero? Please, witness the conclusion with your own eyes.
From the early stages of development until today, we've added far more elements than we ever imagined. Affinity events, expanded skill trees, weapon modification, the Patti Farm... All of these were challenges to make the world of Aeruta richer.
The development workload increased proportionally, but we firmly believe it has resulted in a game that you will enjoy even more.
We'd like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to our publisher, "Gravity Game Arise," who has supported us. With so much new content, the amount of text doubled, drastically increasing the difficulty of translation and localization. The debugging process also became far more complex. Yet, they never complained. Instead, they carefully discussed the meaning of the text and character personalities, loved this game just as we do, and supported us in bringing it to the world.
Their passion was a tremendous encouragement to us. And above all, we send our sincerest thanks to all the players who have given us feedback and support. Your comments on social media, your pointers during playtests—every single one was a driving force to make Aeruta better. As a small team of six, we couldn't be as active on social media as we would have liked.
But we hope to convey our gratitude directly through this dev log. To everyone who has supported us over this past year and a half. Thank you so much. And now, November 5th is almost here. Nervousness, excitement, and anticipation. All sorts of emotions are bubbling up and popping.
But one thing we truly hope is that Aeruta will be a warm adventure for you, one that gives you a little bit of courage.
Finally, if you're looking for... A game where you can enjoy both "healing and adventure," A peaceful, happy journey "traveling while baking bread"— ...please add Aeruta to your Wishlist and look forward to the release.
—A bread revolution that will take the world by storm begins now!
X(Twitter):
Website: https://aeruta.startgravity.jp/
*All images are from in-development gameplay