A Major Demo Update: Reworked Combat & a New Beginning

Hi everyone!

A lot has changed since the last public demo update. I've been working through your feedback on combat, controls and the first part of the adventure, and this update brings those changes together.

Thank you to everyone who has played, shared a video, reported a bug or explained what felt awkward. Specific feedback has been incredibly useful, and many of the changes below started with something a player pointed out.

Combat has had a major overhaul

Attacks have received new and reworked animations, sprites and impact effects, with more attention to how they look in motion and where they connect with a beast. Slashes, projectiles, jumps, streams and area attacks should feel more distinct.

• Melee attacks follow the attacking beast, with improved close-range hit detection and direction.
• Clearer aiming previews for non-melee attacks show their range, area or movement. Hold an attack button to preview supported moves, then release to cast.
• Projectile launch positions, flight paths and stream lengths have been refined so the visuals better match the attack.
• Knockback, pull effects, impact feedback and camera shake have been adjusted to suit individual moves.
• Damage, cooldowns, recovery time and projectile speeds have been rebalanced, including a reduction to overly strong jump attacks.
• Status effects, hit particles and special abilities have updated visuals. Specials also use their type colours where appropriate, making active boosts easier to recognise.

The aim is to keep combat responsive while giving quick attacks, heavier hits and tactical moves different roles. Balance is still being tuned, so please tell me when a move feels too strong, too weak or difficult to use.

Smarter trainers and easier beast switching

Trainer opponents now make more deliberate decisions about positioning, type matchups and switching away from a weakened beast. Different trainer behaviours should help battles feel less repetitive.

You can also switch party beasts using configurable shortcuts, with a shared switch cooldown. The portal transition stays, and your replacement beast appears where the previous beast was recalled.

There are also fewer automatic heals: levelling up or completing an ordinary mission no longer automatically gives you a free full recovery.

A new beginning and clearer tutorials

A new game opens with a childhood memory of meeting a Ranger. It gives a little more context to why your character wants to protect beasts and become a Ranger themselves.

The tutorial has clearer prompts and visual guidance at the moment you need them, including aiming with the mouse, attacking, catching and using food. A food stand is part of the introduction: different beasts like different foods, and feeding them can build trust to make catching them easier. Attacking that beast removes the trust you have built.

Combat now consistently uses Quick Cast, with rebindable controls. The default attack buttons are left mouse, right mouse, Q and E, with Shift for your special.

More polish and fixes

• Updated music across the demo's journey, menus and opening.
• Improved camera placement when loading into a location, plus refinements to sprite alignment and shadows.
• Beast evolution keeps your final position instead of moving you back to where it started.
• Wild beasts continue attacking your Ranger if your active beast faints. While you have a living combat beast deployed, your Ranger cannot be targeted or damaged. In co-op, that protection applies separately to each player.
• Further co-op, tutorial and combat fixes.

Before you jump in

Both co-op players should update and restart the demo before playing together. Co-op is still in beta, and bugs or connection issues may remain.

Existing campaigns can be continued. Start a separate new campaign if you want to experience the childhood opening and revised tutorial from the beginning.

This is an update to the demo. Exploration remains focused on Town, Mosswood, Hollowwood and the Beast Farm, with the story interiors. The other worlds are still reserved for the full game.

I'd love to hear how the battles feel now: which moves are satisfying, which are hard to read, and whether the trainers give you a better challenge. If something goes wrong, please include the beast and move name, your location, and whether you were playing solo, hosting or joining a friend.

Thanks for helping me make Portal Beasts better! If you're enjoying the demo, a wishlist on the main game's page helps a lot.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4167720/Portal_Beasts/

Lasse / Valentin Games