DevLog #29 – Better classes for your next journey!

Hello everyone!

I’m releasing today v0.9.3a of Skycliffs Demo! To read the full patchnote, you can head here. But let’s review the main changes together!

Classes and meta progression improvements

Skycliffs has a very simple meta progression system (I want the game to be more roguelike than roguelite). Similarly to games like Faster Than Light or Spelunky, all items and special quests can appear from the get-go. The meta aspect only consists of a class system where you can start runs with various presets. However, I was not entirely happy with two points of this system:

• Some classes had a set of starting items which did not have a significant impact on the way to play the game. So these ended up feeling pretty much the same.
• Tokens earnings to unlock classes were linked to getting achievements. I think this was not entirely satisfying.

So, to address that, here is what changed!

• Upon completing a run or dying, you earn tokens depending on how far you got into the Skycliffs. In the full game, a standard victory will give 25 tokens. In the demo, you can only visit the first two zones so I boosted the token earning so that it is easier to unlock classes and explore the game content available. Also, the stats screen at the end of a run now displays the number of tokens that you gained.

• I removed some existing classes to focus on 6 presets. I chose better items / improved existing items so that each class feels significantly different to play from the others. One focuses for instance on the smash, another turns your dash move into a powerful attack or relies on drone minions to assist you. Also, the Mentalist class introduces a new mechanic: taking control of the enemies so that they attack their peers! I hope you will have fun with these various play styles!

• I added 2 more special classes to unlock. These also cost Tokens at each use.
  • The Random class allows to start a run with a random set of items.
  • The Customized class allows to start a run with a set of 3 items you choose! This class is locked in the demo, but it will be available in the full game at Early Access release.

Defeat the boss in various ways

Previously, only bullets could hurt the final boss. With the different starting classes that you can play, I felt I needed to change that. So now all types of attack can affect the boss! Whether it is a smash, a dash, allying enemies, having drone minions… All builds are viable until the end!

Better tooltip for the forge

I improved the tooltip that displays when upgrading an item in the forge tab of stores. Now, the description is only present once and the changes are highlighted with a different color. It looks much clearer!

Other changes under the hood

In the meantime, I finished to polish the later zones of the game for the upcoming Early Access release. I also did some cleaning and optimization to improve the game performances.

What is next?

Skycliffs Demo will be part of Steam Next Fest starting October 3rd! So I’m finalizing things (and fixing bugs). I plan to update the demo with a lot of new synergies right before the event. Also, I’m working on updating the Steam page with new screenshots and a new trailer so stay tuned for that 😉

See you next time!