The Bigger They Are...

Welcome to the second major update patch notes of Once a Pawn a King!

We heard your feedback - the bosses felt confusing and frustrating. This update aims to fix that!

Keep the feedback coming! Your insights are invaluable and help us make the game better. You can share your thoughts on our Discord server or in the Steam discussions.

Note: 📢 indicates changes inspired by community feedback.

Enemies:

• Cavalier (Elite): Now has two modes - one acting as a Knight, and another as the rider (Pawn/Bishop). The Cavalier now switches between the modes on every turn.

• AdjustedPawn Cavalier (Elite)Increased HP to 8.
• AdjustedBishop Cavalier (Elite)Increased HP to 12 and Power to 2.

• Multiplying Pawn (Boss): Shockwave now triggers after 3 turns of enemy immobility (previously 2).

• Multiplying Pawn (Boss): Now applies 2 stacks of Slimed per attack. Pieces lose 1 stack each round.

• Symbiotic Bishop (Boss): The Crystal Minions now spawn randomly as Bishops, Knights, or Rooks. They no longer follow patrol routes and start unbound.

Level Design:

• Added 4 new level variations for the Multiplying Pawn (Boss).

• Added 4 new level variations for the Symbiotic Bishop (Boss).

• Added 4 new level variations for the Pawn Cavalier (Elite).

• Added 5 new level variations for the Bishop Cavalier (Elite).

• Minor changes in the Foyer (2nd floor).

UI & UX:

📢 Added timers for boss special actions - Shockwave (Multiplying Pawn), and Summon (Symbiotic Bishop).

📢 Enemies now display an overhead indicator when they intend to attack.

• Added an indicator for when enemies change their intended move.

• Added overhead messages for special actions and status effects.

• Enemies no longer show “next-move patrol” if they won’t move next turn.

• Hovering over Symbiotic Bishop’s status effects now highlights the Crystal Minion that cast it.

• You can now right-click enemies during the placement phase to view their attack patterns.

📢 Added a message when a piece is removed from the board but is still alive.

• Removed the “Black’s Turn” header.

📢 Tweaked Blessings’ range indication on hover and activation.

📢 Updated the colors of Blessings’ range indications.

📢 Made the Multiplying Pawn’s post-split/merge landing tile more visually threatening.

• Changed the visuals of status effect hover information.

• Other minor changes.

Art & Visuals:

• Updated Cavalier’s animations to reflect its new mechanics.

• Added tile-separating lines in Elite and Boss rooms to emphasize large tiles.

• Improved door-opening animations and added exit-door animations.

• Improved the chest-opening animation.

• Improved the Multiplying Pawn’s split animations.

• Pieces affected by Slimed now display slime residue.

• Added a 3D model and animation for the Multiplying Pawn’s sword during the relevant narrative sequence.

• Added push animations for the Multiplying Pawn’s Shockwave.

• Added light rays to cracks and windows in the Foyer (2nd floor).

• Added VFX for breaking furniture.

• Added death animation to the Symbiotic Bishop.

• Added death animation to all size variants of the Multiplying Pawn.

• Added death animation to both variants of the Cavalier.

• Updated the VFX of Barrage (Blessing).

• Adjusted camera position in larger rooms in the Foyer (2nd floor).

• Improved the black outline shader that surrounds pieces.

Curses:

• Explosion: Renamed to Saboteur.

Figures:

📢 Unlocking a Figure now auto-equips it if you have enough Clay.

• Clay is now capped at 25.

• Clay upgrade button now correctly displays +2 Clay (previously +1).

• AdjustedKnightshoeDrastically reduced Inspiration price. Doubled Dice amounts (2/4/6).

• Mushroom: The small variant is now unlocked and equipped from the start of a save file.

Boss Figures:

• AdjustedCorkUpdated description.
• AdjustedFlameUpdated description.
• AdjustedBeadsNow a boss-exclusive drop. Updated description.

• Devil Horn: Now a boss-exclusive drop.

• AdjustedTop HatNow a boss-exclusive drop. Updated description.

• Bell: Now a boss-exclusive drop.

Missions:

📢 Well Off: Decreased amount of Shards required for completion.

• AdjustedLocksmithIncreased Inspiration reward.
• AdjustedEvasionUpdated description.
• AdjustedCold EvasionUpdated description.
• AdjustedUnholyUpdated description.

Bug Fixes

📢 Fixed a freeze that could occur during the Symbiotic Bishop fight.

📢 Fixed Soul Guardians (Blessing) & Saboteur (Curse) Freezing the game when they cause the death of an enemy during its turn.

📢 Fixed an issue causing the game to freeze when ending the first turn of the run, after previously losing/resigning in the Multiplying Pawn fight.

📢 Fixed multiple other cases where the game would freeze in the first combat of the run.

📢 Fixed piece-HP dropping below 0 when taking excessive damage.

• Fixed the chest tutorial sometimes not triggering or triggering at the wrong time.

• Fixed Fussy (curse) and Picky (curse) not treating large tiles as single tiles.

• Fixed Symbiotic Bishop’s minions occasionally blocking the boss’s path, leading to their untimely deaths.

• Fixed cases where dialogue will not play if Nathaniel is not present.

• Fixed medium Multiplying Pawns spinning before merging.

• Fixed Clam (Figure) always granting the maximum amount of Shards.

• Fixed Devil Doors not showing exit tiles.

• Fixed chests consuming keys without opening when adjacent to ice.

• Fixed an issue causing the information hover of potions to change scale on each hover.

• Fixed enemies showing an attack indicator when they couldn’t attack.

• Fixed several issues with Blessing range displays.

• Fixed ice tiles covering important board information.

• Fixed Soul Guardians (Blessing) not dealing damage to enemies when jumping to them with Hop (Blessing).

• Fixed Flame (Boss Figure) to work as intended.

• Fixed certain token types dropping from chests even when no valid piece could collect them.

• Fixed Butcher shops spawning without any pieces.

• Other minor fixes.

Thank you so much for your continued support. We hope you enjoy this update!

(And if you do enjoy it, please consider leaving us a Steam review. It really helps us)