#3 Reborn Plan-「PhoeniX Plan」& Price & Free Upgrade

Thanks so much for hanging in there! It’s been a long journey, but we’ve finally validated that our brand-new framework is ready for cross-platform use.

🔎 What We Found

After releasing Arisen Force: LifeDevotee – Global Edition on PS5 and NS/NS2, our team dug deep and uncovered some serious issues. Things like stuttering and performance drops across different setups were mostly tied to our old framework and outdated workflow.

Trying to patch on top of that would’ve been like stacking more floors on a crumbling building—messy to maintain and bound to break even more.

🔧 How Rebuilding

So after a lot of discussions, we’ve decided: HeroTest needs a full rebuild on a new framework.

This is basically the same as making a brand-new game from scratch. While most of our core devs are still working on Vonimir, we’ll reuse existing art assets where possible.

But the new levels, legacy enemies updade to new workflow will take dedicated support to get right.

✨ What’s Coming in “PhoeniX Reborn”

Here’s a look at what the new framework will bring:

• Streamlined levels with smoother flow (support pause & exit options during combat)

• Full upgrades for mouse / keyboard / controller compatibility

• A completely new UI framework with more fluid interactions

• Rebalanced pacing & difficulty curve in early/mid-game

• Counter-attack kits for all weapon types

• Major redesign & optimization of most levels

• A new tutorial & guidance system

• Brand-new data management system

💸 Price & Free Upgrade

Because the upgrade is basically rebuild “HT 2.0,” the price might go up once the new version launches.

👉 But don’t worry: if you already own HeroTest, the upgrade to PhoeniX Reborn is 100% free.

🕹 Legacy Version Support

We’ll keep the original build available too. When launching, you can pick between the legacy version or PhoeniX Reborn.

New player will launch game with new version by default.

⚠️ Save files won’t transfer between the two versions, since the rebuild changes so much. Hope you understand!

⏳ Roadmap

Because this is a full framework rebuild, it’s going to take us extra time for dev and stability testing. We know it means waiting longer, and we’re really sorry for the delay. Once the art and design teams have completed the majority of assets for Vonimir, part of the team will shift to support HeroTest. Meanwhile, our core engineering team will continue iterating on and optimizing the new framework.

After that, the design team will integrate the assets into the newly created HT project, followed by testing and ongoing maintenance.

We’re rebuilding HeroTest so you get the smoothest, most polished experience possible. Thanks again for your patience and continued support—you’re the reason we can keep pushing forward!

🎮 Meet Us at TGS 2025

We’ll also be at Tokyo Game Show 2025 (Sept 25–28) in the Indie Game Area!

If you’re attending, come by our booth to get a hands-on look at the Arisen Force family series running on the brand-new framework—playable on PS5, NS, and SteamDeck. Booth: 11-C63 Indie Game Area

Stay tuned, The Dev Team