Today I'm thrilled to announce that The Enchanted Cave 2 is getting a major update on all platforms on May 2nd! This update I have appropriately named the "MEGA UPDATE."
https://youtu.be/G0mkIoTqIdM
This update will set the game to version 3.0 and will add tons of new content.
Complete list of changes:
- Added full controller support
- Added 3 challenge game modes
- Added 5 new heroes (one only in green goo's quest)
- Heroes now have unique starting stats
- Added 2 new NPCs that can be helped
- Added 7 new items (one only in monster's lair)
- Added 2 new monsters (both only in monster's lair)
- Added a new merchant
- Added bonus infinity skill nodes to skill tree that are revealed when a full branch is completed
- Added Import/Export feature to transfer save data between devices
- Added monster descriptions to bestiary
- Reduced MP use of attack magic from 8 to 7
- Increased value of "magic" enchantments by 50%
- Fixed bug where magic bonus with crafted potions had no effect
- Small visual improvements to some UI elements.
- Fixed some visual bugs with spritesheet edges on some objects
- Fix when enchanting to have an item's single current enchantment selected by default when adjusting enchantments.
- Fixed a rare soft-lock that can happen when clicking anywhere immediately after death
- Improved rain performance
- Improved final boss intro performance
- Fixed some lag issues
- (Steam Version) Added 11 new achievements
- (Steam Version) Fixed retroactive achievement checking
Challenges
The MEGA UPDATE features 3 new challenges, which each take the base game and adds their own twist on it as a shortened 50-floor adventure. Explore a dungeon crammed with a more varied and more numerous selection of monsters in the "Monster's Lair," or try out the cave as a maze with limited visibility in "The Labyrinth."
If you're looking for a radically different experience, you may love "Green Goo's Quest," in which a particularly courageous green goo from the first Enchanted Cave sets out to be a hero! You can only equip swords and helmets, with loot and enchantment stats adjusted for this.
There are 4 new heroes (5 including green goo), and every hero now has their own unique starting stats.
Full Controller Support
The largest addition as far as my own development time goes is the addition of full controller support for the desktop versions. It turns out there are quite a lot of clickable things in the game that had to each be considered to make everything easily accessible with a controller!
Import and Export save files to any other device
The Enchanted Cave 2 is now available on PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and even some html5 versions, but all platforms handle their actual save files differently. With the new Import/Export feature you can copy a text output of your slot's save data, transfer it to another device you have the game installed on (emailing it to yourself works great), and paste it directly into the game on that new device to effectively transfer a save. This feature can also be used to copy save files on the same device, or make backups of your save slots.
Live Beta on Steam available now!
Every bit of content in the update is completed and is the beta stage of development (except for the artwork of one more hero which I plan to live stream the creation of during a Q&A on the update). If you own the game and want to test out the new content today and help me iron out any bugs I may have missed, check out the beta thread here!
Price Change
In the interest of full transparency, when the update goes live on May 2nd I will also be increasing the price of the desktop version from $4.99 to $9.99 as well as the mobile versions from $2.99 to $5.99. If you already own the game before May 2nd, you will not have to pay any extra for the update - it is a free update and is not paid DLC.
The reason for the price change is simply because I have felt that the game has always been very under-priced (which was my mistake) even before the new content. I'm confident that the quality and amount of content the game provides is well worth a $9.99 price tag with of course the occasional discount during sales.
The new content adds plenty of new features that I've either considered from the start and turned out too time costly to add (like controller support) or ideas that cropped up during the months or years following the release. In addition, the update allows me to provide a significantly richer experience that further distances the premium version from the stripped down free flash demo.
Personal Note
It's around 3 years after the release of the game and I've always been pleased with how the game turned out and it's reception, but this update especially feels like a more complete conclusion to the development process. The Enchanted Cave 2 will now feature everything plus more that was originally envisioned, and at a fair price that will further support myself as I work on my next game. Thank you to everyone who is a fan of the game for your support, bug reports, suggestions, and sharing it with your friends, and an extra thank you to my original kickstarter backers who funded the development of the game because none of this would have happened without your generosity!
Dustin Auxier