HeartCore Descent V1.1: "Epilogue"
The final content update, "Epilogue," is finally out!
This is the concluding content update of the game, fixing a few bugs, adding small features, but most importantly, the Epilogue level. I'll continue to fix bugs, do minor tweaks, expand music for the Epilogue, but there will be no more levels, no major features. The game is finished as a whole.
The Epilogue isn't the same as the chapters. The chapters contain 5 levels each, whereas the Epilogue is simply one incredibly difficult level, but it's a lot longer than the other levels. If you die at the end of the level? You go back to the beginning. No checkpoints. This tests consistency and nerves.
The music is also very different in this level. It's made by me in LSDJ, a Game Boy music sequencer with a retro style, and it's... intentionally very weird. The musical patterns are chained in a random order to make it jarring, but also alive.
PATCH NOTES:
CONTENT:
Epilogue:
In order to unlock the Epilogue, you'll have to complete the main chapters.
Instead of being a chapter containing 5 levels, this is a singular level, so there are no checkpoints.
It's twice as long as the other levels (80 cells -> 160 cells), and contains significantly harder gameplay.
Visually, it's very different. It's black and white, and the cells only become visible around you.
The music is jarring and weird. It's designed in LSDJ and chained in a random order by the game itself. It's also position-based. As you progress, you start getting random "glitches," and when you're really far through the level, the music becomes slow and tense.
This level features a practice option. Unless you like suffering and despair, USE IT.
This level comes with its own, smaller ending.
Completion awards a Silver Star.
HeartCore mode:
In order to unlock HeartCore mode, you'll have to beat the Epilogue AND complete all chapters individually in one run each.
This is the final challenge of the game.
The challenge here is to complete every single chapter in one single run. Yes, that means Chapter 1 to Chapter 5, without dying once.
Completion awards a Golden Star.
IMPROVEMENTS:
Game now hides mouse while playing.
Hitboxes used to be more universal and inaccurate. This made for occasionally confusing deaths. I've changed them slightly:
The ship's hitbox used to be square but is now round. This allows for corner cutting. The hitbox is slightly enlarged to compensate for the smaller area, so tight corridors are just a tad more difficult.
The hitboxes of the spiky blocks are now smaller, because the textures of those blocks are smaller.
It's neither easier nor harder. The hitboxes are simply more balanced, accurate and fair.
BUG FIXES:
Vignette used to cause rare but obvious white streaks. This should now be fixed.
Certain transitions (like from selecting a new chapter) or respawn animations used to cause weird glitches, most notably the vignette in Chapter 4 teleporting to the top of the screen. Most transition issues should be fixed.