Howdy, Sponge Buds.
It's been a little over a month since Sponge Break launched, so we thought we'd do a quick check-in to share what our team has learned -- what works, what doesn't -- and what's coming next for the game.
But before we dive in, we just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who's played or purchased Sponge Break. We wouldn't have made it this far downriver without you. So please keep the feedback, the reports, the reviews, the streams, the memes, and the random posts coming. 🙏
Anyway... on to the update!
💥 You really enjoy the chaos!
🗺️ The variety in level design has been a big hit.
😈 Many of you didn’t expect Sponge Break to be this challenging!
The combination of physics-based raft traversal, platforming, and light puzzle-solving seems to be hitting some sort of sweet spot. We also love seeing players discover unexpected solutions to specific challenges, like throwing items at stalactites or using an inflatable duck to clear a minefield.
🎓 Our onboarding experience, especially raft controls, isn't super clear right now.
📡 We've made a lot performance improvements, but we still need to make more!
🐛 We’ve also fixed a lot of bugs, too, but some frustrations with physics issues still remain.
Not everything has been smooth sailing since launch. While we've deployed over 20 updates since Sponge Break released focused on addressing direct player feedback and reports, we still have opportunities to further optimize performance, squash more bugs, and improve the new player flow.
📚 A reworked opening and better introduction to raft controls
🏆 Several new achievements
🧭 The ability to pick which level to start on if you've beaten it previously
⚡ Major performance optimizations
🌐 Major networking improvements to smooth out physics-related friction
🧯 And many more bug fixes based on your feedback
For Patch 1.1, we're focusing on addressing areas of player feedback we haven't been able to hit quite yet, including some adding more tutorial content. including an official level picker, and doing bigger passes on performance and network optimizations to help keep the chaos fun vs. painful.
And that's the update!
While we're a small team of six, our focus from Day 1 has been to deliver a great game that provides outsized amounts of silly, somewhat "sloppy" fun for players around the world. Every day, we show up to work to make sure that goal stays a reality. And with your support, Sponge Break has only gotten better.
We hope you enjoy what's next, and we'll see you on the river.
— Goosebyte