Around The Core · published
This update focused mostly on polishing the demo experience, improving game feel, visual feedback, balancing, and overall presentation.
Added the demo completion sequence
Defeating the boss now triggers a proper ending sequence where all remaining enemies are destroyed.
Expanded localization support
Reworked the skill tree
Radiation was causing some confusion, so I replaced its upgrade with a new skill and improved the overall skill tree layout.
Added new effect for skill nodes
Unlocking skills now sends energy through their paths, making newly unlocked skills much clearer.
Rebalanced reload speed and overall early-game pacing
Reload speed is now fixed, so you can stack projectile upgrades much more freely!
Boss balance improvements, including spawn pacing and progression tuning
The boss has been nerfed and the game’s pacing is now less overwhelming.
Updated laser systems
The laser is now fully automatic - your own little combat robot.
Updated enemy/drop visuals, colors, scaling and readability
Large amounts of enemy drops were hurting screen readability, so I made several visual adjustments to clean things up.
Reworked Yellow/Blue drop behavior and visuals
Reduced screen shake for a more controlled gameplay feel
Screen shake has been toned down and feels much smoother now.
Enhanced nebula background visibility
...so you can actually enjoy the nebulas now.
Updated cursor visuals
The cursor is now thicker and easier to track during combat.
Added a cleaner/noise-reduced version of some soundtracks
Some players found the lo-fi white noise a bit distracting, so I reduced it while trying to preserve the original vibe of the track.
General sound effect polish and balancing
Sounds were cluttering the audio mix during intense moments. It’s much less exhausting now, and I’m still actively improving it.
Various bug fixes, balancing tweaks, and overall polish
The demo is getting closer and closer to the experience I originally imagined, and your feedback has genuinely helped shape that process.