As an homage to the games of the 80s and 90s we grew up playing, Happy Grumps now has some properly buried secrets.
In this update5
Full notes
Full Happy Grumps update
Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.
What changed
0 fixes3 additions4 changes2 removals
Maps
Gameplay
UI and audio
Store
addedAs an homage to the games of the 80s and 90s we grew up playing, Happy Grumps now has some properly buried secrets. Eventually the internet will reveal them all, but for now we have left some hints with The Lost Scholars. These two characters will also grant you mid-level blessings such as extra Dodge, Grit, Turns, or Max Turns. And with new secrets, comes new Trinkets: a Compass for revealing the entire map and a Whistle for warping into unvisited rooms.
addedCrumbling Tiles:The Caverns now has some proper Crumbling Tiles which fall away when Grumps move across their space. Watch your step! And if a Grump lands on a Crumbling Tile, they will be lost in the Chasm (which is an instant defeat for the hero). This small change has made a big difference to emerging gameplay. We love dynamic gameboards. You can expect to see more effects like this down the road.
removedLevel Exit:Clearing a boss no longer requires you to immediately exit the level, so players are free to explore at all times. And defeating the Boss now reveals a handy ladder for a more streamlined level exit experience.
changedMini Map Update:In addition to the Lost Scholars, we also randomized the Boss Room location. With more room types emerging, we also updated the MiniMap with improved icons for clarity. Existing runs should still work, but you might start to see some odd behaviors (for example, there might be two bosses on a single level with an old save file). We recommend that players abandon their run and start a fresh file.
removedSkip Turn & Undo Move:Based on player feedback, we removed Skip Turn & Undo Move from the game. As gameplay evolved over time, these systems felt unnecessary. But time will tell - their codebase is still in the game and they might make a comeback before 1.0 release.
addedShop Music:And lastly - the shopkeeper insisted on some new music, so we agreed. Every video game shop deserves its own dedicated jingle :D
Happy Grumps changes
addedAs an homage to the games of the 80s and 90s we grew up playing, Happy Grumps now has some properly buried secrets. Eventually the internet will reveal them all, but for now we have left some hints with The Lost Scholars. These two characters will also grant you mid-level blessings such as extra Dodge, Grit, Turns, or Max Turns. And with new secrets, comes new Trinkets: a Compass for revealing the entire map and a Whistle for warping into unvisited rooms.
addedThe Caverns now has some proper Crumbling Tiles which fall away when Grumps move across their space. Watch your step! And if a Grump lands on a Crumbling Tile, they will be lost in the Chasm (which is an instant defeat for the hero). This small change has made a big difference to emerging gameplay. We love dynamic gameboards. You can expect to see more effects like this down the road.
removedClearing a boss no longer requires you to immediately exit the level, so players are free to explore at all times. And defeating the Boss now reveals a handy ladder for a more streamlined level exit experience.
changedIn addition to the Lost Scholars, we also randomized the Boss Room location. With more room types emerging, we also updated the MiniMap with improved icons for clarity. Existing runs should still work, but you might start to see some odd behaviors (for example, there might be two bosses on a single level with an old save file). We recommend that players abandon their run and start a fresh file.
removedBased on player feedback, we removed Skip Turn & Undo Move from the game. As gameplay evolved over time, these systems felt unnecessary. But time will tell - their codebase is still in the game and they might make a comeback before 1.0 release.
As an homage to the games of the 80s and 90s we grew up playing, Happy Grumps now has some properly buried secrets. Eventually the internet will reveal them all, but for now we have left some hints with The Lost Scholars. These two characters will also grant you mid-level blessings such as extra Dodge, Grit, Turns, or Max Turns. And with new secrets, comes new Trinkets: a Compass for revealing the entire map and a Whistle for warping into unvisited rooms.
Crumbling Tiles:
The Caverns now has some proper Crumbling Tiles which fall away when Grumps move across their space. Watch your step! And if a Grump lands on a Crumbling Tile, they will be lost in the Chasm (which is an instant defeat for the hero). This small change has made a big difference to emerging gameplay. We love dynamic gameboards. You can expect to see more effects like this down the road.
Level Exit:
Clearing a boss no longer requires you to immediately exit the level, so players are free to explore at all times. And defeating the Boss now reveals a handy ladder for a more streamlined level exit experience.
Mini Map Update:
In addition to the Lost Scholars, we also randomized the Boss Room location. With more room types emerging, we also updated the MiniMap with improved icons for clarity. Existing runs should still work, but you might start to see some odd behaviors (for example, there might be two bosses on a single level with an old save file). We recommend that players abandon their run and start a fresh file.
Skip Turn & Undo Move:
Based on player feedback, we removed Skip Turn & Undo Move from the game. As gameplay evolved over time, these systems felt unnecessary. But time will tell - their codebase is still in the game and they might make a comeback before 1.0 release.
Shop Music:
And lastly - the shopkeeper insisted on some new music, so we agreed. Every video game shop deserves its own dedicated jingle :D
Special thanks to community member @Zording for helpful feedback from our last update. Early Access has been great for Happy Grumps. We appreciate every single idea, criticism, like, tweet, mention, review, and bug report.
Until next time, have fun and stay safe out there!
