Dev Update #3: Public Demo Live + The Cult Hatch Arrives

Before we jump into the update, a quick reminder:

Our public demo is now live on Steam!

If you haven't tried diffiCULT yet, now is the perfect time to gather some friends, jump into a lobby, and start accusing each other.

We've been collecting feedback, fixing bugs, and adding new features, and today's update includes some of the biggest additions we've made so far.

Here's what's coming.

One of the biggest additions this update is the Cult Hatch.

The cult now has a secret meeting room that only they can find and enter at night. A hidden hatch teleports cult members into a private space where they can actually plan, coordinate, and decide who's next without worrying about a townsperson wandering past and overhearing everything.

We wanted the cult side of the game to feel like a real conspiracy, and giving them a space that's truly theirs changes the whole rhythm of the night.

And don't worry, it's not a free pass either. If a non-cultist gets too close, they'll get a warning, and the cult will know someone is sniffing around.

We've also been spending a lot of time on how executions feel.

Players can now use torches and hay to carry out an execution, turning it into a much more hands-on, atmospheric moment instead of a clean cutscene. It fits the world much better, and it makes the moment the town finally decides on someone feel like it actually matters.

This has quickly become one of our favorite parts of a round during internal testing, and we can't wait to see how it plays out with real lobbies.

Another big focus this update was the dead player experience.

Being dead in a social deduction game can feel like getting kicked out of the party, and we didn't want that.

Dead players now have a much better spectator setup, including proper camera controls, a dedicated HUD, and role-specific spectator modes. Medium, for example, gets its own special view.

Death isn't the end of your match anymore, and the goal is that watching the rest of the round is actually fun, not just waiting for the next game.

On top of that, we've reworked a lot of UI across the game. We're not going to walk through every screen. You'll just notice things feel cleaner, more consistent, and easier to read.

We've also done a pass on role balance.

Some roles were a bit too strong, some were too quiet, and a few interactions weren't working the way we wanted. We've made adjustments across the roster to keep both sides of the game feeling fair.

Performance got some love too.

The game should run smoother and feel more stable, especially in longer matches.

And finally, bugs.

We fixed a lot of them. We also, almost certainly, made a few new ones along the way. We're not going to pretend otherwise.

If something looks weird in your match, that's probably not lore. That's us.

Please tell us before it becomes a feature. 🐛

Here's a quick summary of what changed:

• Added the Cult Hatch, a secret meeting room for the cult

• New torch and hay execution mechanic

• Major improvements to the dead player and spectator experience

• Lots of UI reworks across the game

• Role balance pass

• Performance improvements

• Bug fixes (and probably a few new ones, let us know what you find)

As always, thank you to everyone playing diffiCULT and sharing feedback with us.

We're a small team, and every comment, bug report, and suggestion genuinely helps us shape the game.

We're cooking.

Stay tuned, watch your neighbors, and trust no one. 🕯️

DiffiCULT Team