Devblog #18. Implants in Combat.

Hello everyone.

In previous devblogs, I talked a lot about genes, chains, skill properties, and the Gene Lab. But the character build in IRSEN is not made only from genes. There is another layer of combat support - implants. Genes form the foundation of the character build: attributes, chains, and skills. Implants work differently. They are not passive stat bonuses, but separate tactical modules that trigger automatically during combat.

In many RPGs, party or player support is often handled by allies: someone heals, someone protects, someone reacts to threats. In IRSEN, the player has no party support. Because of that, I moved some of these functions into implants. They give the character additional tools to survive combat against an organized enemy squad.

How Implants Work.

The player has three implant slots. Each implant occupies one slot, so the player can bring up to three implants into combat at the same time. Any implant can be replaced at any moment without restrictions.

Implant slots are unlocked automatically in response to the player gaining mutations. When the number of mutations reaches a certain threshold, the next mutation also unlocks one implant slot and gives the player a group of implants to choose from and install. The second group of implants is received together with the second slot. After the third slot is unlocked, all possible implants become available.

Implants trigger automatically when their combat conditions are met. Almost all of them have a limited number of charges. At the start of each battle, their charges are restored. Once the charges are spent, the implant shuts down until the end of the battle.

In combat, implants are represented by three drones hovering behind the character. When an implant spends all of its charges, the drone lands on the ground and stops participating in the fight.

The main difference between implants and skills is automatic activation. The player can choose an implant that fits their playstyle, install it into a slot, and no longer think about activating it manually.

Let’s look at several implant examples.

“Load Balancer”

This implant has no charge limit and is used to cleanse damage-over-time effects from the character. At the start of each turn, the implant removes one random effect from the following set: Bleed, Burn, Poison, or Chill.

Physical damage-over-time effects, Bleed and Poison, can currently be removed by some skills. Psionic effects, Burn and Chill, usually have to be endured through regeneration or healing.

If the player receives mutations that apply Burn or Chill, this implant can become a good way out of the situation. It is also useful if the character does not use skills that cleanse Bleed and Poison.

“Integrity Circuit”

This implant has one charge per battle and triggers at the start of the turn. When activated, it restores 30% of the character’s health. It triggers automatically if the player’s health is below 45% at the start of the turn.

It can be used to survive unlucky turns, for example when the character is fighting a large enemy group and gets Stunned early in combat before using defensive abilities or applying regeneration. In that situation, the implant can prevent the character from suddenly dying over two enemy turns.

It can also be used more deliberately: the player may skip defensive actions in order to finish off a wounded enemy at the right moment, relying on the implant as an emergency fallback.

“Response Controller”

This implant has one charge per battle and triggers at the start of the turn. When activated, it removes Taunt from one enemy. It triggers automatically at the start of the player’s turn if it detects a valid target.

This can be useful if the player’s build needs time to apply damage-over-time effects to several targets before the enemy tank locks the player with Taunt for several turns. It can also support a build focused on quickly killing one specific enemy.

In those cases, the enemy uses Taunt and puts the skill on cooldown, but the implant immediately removes the effect. This gives the player additional rounds to execute their plan.

Combat Visualization.

In the first versions of the game, the work of implants could mostly be understood through the combat log. The log recorded what triggered and when.

Later, I added additional slots above the skill bar in combat. These slots made it possible to track which implants had already been spent, which ones were still active, and how many charges remained.

In the latest version released on Steam, I added physical representation for implants on the battlefield. Now the player can see the moment an implant triggers and the target it affects.

Implants cannot win combat on their own. Their task is to provide an additional layer of tactical durability. They can help survive a dangerous turn, support defense, or strengthen the chosen strategy. In IRSEN, almost every system is built around adaptation. Genes create the foundation of the build. Chains unlock skills. Properties transform skills. Mutations break familiar strategies. Implants add one more layer that should be considered when preparing for battle.

For me, implants are a way to make the character feel more like a biomechanical boss. The character is surrounded by built-in support systems that activate during combat and help them survive against a group of enemies. In future versions, I will continue expanding the implant set and their interactions with different builds.