What’s next for 13Z’s Demo?

It’s been one month since our official demo dropped and we’ve got a lot to unpack.

We’ve been blown away by your encouragement and kind words. Many of you told us you noticed the improvements since the last playtest, and a lot of players were surprised (and maybe a little shocked) by just how much content we packed into this free demo. Some even asked if we’re giving away too much (maybe we need a FAQ just for that 🤔).

There’s a lot we’re proud of, but some things still need polishing.

While most of the feedback has been positive, we did get some tough reviews early on which dipped our score. Since then, we’ve been patching, tweaking, and improving bit by bit. The bigger changes are still on the way, and this post is all about giving you a peek at what’s coming.

What’s next?

👁️Reading Enemy Attacks

Yep, we picked a tough battle for ourselves. Fast-paced combat + third-person free camera? Haha, we know. But this is the war we chose and it’s one we plan to win with your help. Thanks to your feedback, we’ve zeroed in on some of the worst offenders (looking at you, Goldcroak and your cursed tongue!!!).

We’re cleaning up hitboxes, animations, camera movements and VFX across the board to make sure telegraphs are fair and readable even when attacks are coming from behind. This will be an ongoing focus for the next big update.

⚙️Optimization

Just like in the earlier parts of Playtest 2, the push for better visuals has come at a performance cost. Our attempt to pre-load more assets to avoid stuttering during combat ended up causing memory issues. Not ideal.

We’ve been addressing some of these issues since the demo with our combined updates managing to reduce GPU usage by 22% and RAM by 20% on some test devices. Of course, we're not done yet.

BEFORE

AFTER

We’re working on a major code overhaul to smooth things out. Expect significant optimization improvements in the next big update.

🐾Multiplayer

Start planning your squads. Co-op is on its way back! We’re bringing multiplayer into the next major update (unless the Goat Zodiac drops a mountain on our office… and let’s be real, he might).

We’re still deep in testing, but there’s a chance we’ll invite a few early testers before it officially returns. If

that happens, Discord will be the first place we announce it.

✨Path of the Guardian

Many of you enjoyed meeting the new Guardians and getting to know their personalities, but we also heard your confusion around Patrons, Arbiters, and the rest of the parade. Fair point.

We’re tightening this system to make it simpler but more impactful. Trial Passes will be saying goodbye (too much complexity), but Zen Beads will remain. And this time, building relationships with Guardians won’t just be about handing out gifts. Some of the key upgrades they provide will now be tied to quests making your bonds with them more meaningful.

🐖Orrh… There’s Morrrh.

Turtle Village is constantly under construction, and you’ll be seeing new models and improvements roll out.

We’re also continuing to push the graphics forward, but don’t worry, we’re keeping a close eye on performance so things don’t tip over the edge. ;p

We’re also doing further balancing tweaks, animation updates and polish to some upgrades.

What would you like to see in 13Z?