It has been some time since our last development report. During the past year, we focused on adding content, completing the chapter map, adding narrative elements, and improving the game's presentation. We have also decided to move away from monthly reports. They took significant time away from development, so future reports will accompany major milestones. Other than that: The Chaos Islands demo is now available on Steam! Below is an overview of the main additions.
Each chapter now generates its own node map. Its structure and content are defined by the chapter: available node types, difficulty levels, enemies, quests, cards, and rewards can all differ. The previous reports introduced the foundation of the map. Since then, we completed the progression systems around it:
Loot nodes provide cards and currency as chapter rewards.
Shop nodes offer cards in exchange for currency.
Event nodes now use narrative choices with different outcomes.
Locked routes and keys are now part of the chapter map progression.
Events and locked nodes are generated according to each chapter's settings, so they are not guaranteed to appear on every map.
We reworked perks to have a clearer impact on deck building. Each perk now has its own group of unique cards. These cards are only available through the perk system and do not appear in the general card pool. More cards from the selected perk become available in the session shop as the session progresses. Several perks now have four or more unique cards, giving each one a different set of deck-building options.
The card pool has been expanded with construction, defense, utility, combat, and economy cards. Cards can be obtained through chapter rewards, loot nodes, shops, and progression. This gives the deck more options during a chapter and supports different approaches to settlement building and defense.
We added comic-style narrative scenes before chapters. They tell the story of the crews of flying ships that survived the demon invasion of the surface.
Spring and autumn have joined summer and winter. Each season applies resource modifiers and changes the weather, ambience, and visual effects.
Map generation now uses different environments and island-generation settings.
Weather includes rain, snow, blizzards, falling leaves, and other seasonal effects.
Construction, combat, and shrine states have additional visual feedback.
New sound effects were added for cards, construction, combat, the node map, weather, and UI. The game also has new exploration music and seasonal ambience.
The demo contains the first chapter, Middle Lands. The chapter has its own enemy selection, quests, progression cards, and rewards. Seasons, Spawner Nests, and the perk system are enabled. Some mechanics and cards are unlocked earlier than they will be in the full game.
After the demo release, our focus will be on game polish, balance, and improvements based on player feedback. We will also be preparing for marketing, festivals, and exhibitions. Our goal is to gather enough wishlists, take part in the next Steam festivals, and launch the full game in 2027. Play the demo and add Chaos Islands to your wishlist. You can also join our Discord to share feedback, report bugs, and follow development. Feedback on the demo will help us improve the full game.