Build 25235503

Back to Hearth - Update 1.4.2

Controller & Steam Deck support, native Linux support, stable cutscenes, and a long list of fixes

Hello everyone!

This update is mostly about one thing: making Back to Hearth feel just as good with a controller or Steam Deck as it does with a mouse and keyboard. We’ve also added native Linux support, and along the way fixed a lot of other smaller things we’ve mentioned in your playthroughs on YouTube and Twitch - thank you for those ❤️

Playing with a controller

• Full controller support, no extra setup needed. The game now recognizes what you’re actually holding and adapts to it.

• On-screen prompts now match your input device - Steam Deck, Xbox and PlayStation controllers each get their own hints when starting a minigame instead of a generic mouse icon.

• Mapped controller inputs:

  • Moving - Left Stick

  • Camera - Right Stick

  • Sprint - LT (L2)

  • Zoom - LB (L1) / RB (R1)

  • Action -  RT (R2) / A (X)

  • Back - B (Circle)

  • Pause - Menu (Options)

• You can navigate menus with either left-stick or D-pad, and rotate collectibles with the right stick in the collectibles menu.

Steam Deck

Back to Hearth is now Steam Deck Verified!

The game runs and plays the way it should on Steam Deck, with full support for both the touchscreen and controls.

For drawing minigames, we highly recommend using the touchscreen instead of a stick. However, if you prefer, you can also draw using the Left / Right Stick + RT (R2) / A (X).

Native Linux support

Back to Hearth now also has a native Linux version. Linux users can run the game directly without having to rely on Proton or another compatibility layer.

Drawing minigames

• New setting: you can now skip drawing minigames entirely. If drawing with a stick isn’t your idea of fun, turn it off and get on with the story.

• You can back out of a minigame at any time with Esc / Menu / Options or B / Circle (and come back to it later - the object simply stays unrepaired.

• Gesture recognition is much more reliable.

• Accidentally touching your mouse while using a controller (or a touchpad on Steam Deck when using a stick) and vice versa will not interrupt your current drawing attempt.

Story and cutscenes

• Cutscenes have been rebuilt from the ground up. On slower machines, lines could sometimes be skipped by a single click - that shouldn’t happen anymore.

• Reworded a confusing line near the end of the second level that referred to a character you never actually meet.

• Sopilka’s (flute) description now correctly mentions Kateryna, matching the epilogue.

Fixes and polish

• Fixed players being launched into the sky when running back from the bridge on the third level. The area around it has been cleaned up of all the invisible walls that the player could run up.

• Highlighted objects no longer flash white for a moment before showing their intended colour.

• Fixed candlelight flickering on and off on lower graphics settings.

• Other minor fixes and improvements.

Under the hood

The game has been moved to a newer version of the Unity engine, which closes a set of security vulnerabilities present in the older one.

Thanks for playing, your support and feedback drives our team and inspires us to do more for you.

- Podoba Interactive