Count Your Blessings

This one introduces a large batch of new Blessings, Potions, Boss Figures, and pieces, alongside some much-needed fixes and balancing changes.

As always, thank you so much for your continued feedback and support. Your insights help us understand what matters most to you as players. If you have more thoughts or suggestions, feel free to share them on our Discord server or in the Steam discussions.

Note: 📢 indicates changes inspired by community feedback.

Level Design

📢 Added more level variations.

📢 Fixed multiple softlocks caused by level design.

• Slightly reduced chest spawn chance.

Blessings:

• Transcendence (Generic): Returned to the game. No longer grants infinite casts. Instead, the casting piece gains 1 free cast of each of its Blessings.

• AddedMark (Generic)New! The piece applies 1 mark to an enemy within 1 tile. All enemies take damage equal to their mark.
• AddedPiercing Arrow (Bishop/Rook/Queen)New! The piece chooses an attackable direction. All enemies along that line take 1 damage.
• RemovedEscape (Generic)New! This turn, if the piece is attacked, it ignores the damage and is removed from the board.
• AddedPhase (Generic)New! This turn, the piece can move through obstacles and special tiles, and other pieces can move through it.
• AddedExplosive Blight (Generic)New! The piece infects a target within 1 tile with a blight that deals 1 damage at the start of its turns. When the target dies, it explodes, dealing the total blight damage it suffered to all adjacent tiles.
• AddedRage (Pawn)New! The pawn’s Power is doubled until the start of next turn
• AddedPower Trip (Pawn)New! The pawn moves in a straight line up to a number of tiles equal to its Power.
• AddedPerry (Pawn)New! The first time the pawn is attacked during White's next turn, it reduces the damage by its Power.
• AddedRiposte (Pawn)New! During White’s next turn, whenever the pawn is attacked, it attacks back.
• AddedStomp (Knight)New! This turn, after the knight moves, it pushes all adjacent pieces 1 tile away.
• AddedDeath Link (Bishop)New! The bishop links two enemies of the same type and size. When one dies, the other dies as well.
• AdjustedTransfusion (Bishop)New! The bishop transfers 1 HP between two same-colored pieces. HP cannot be reduced below 1.
• AddedHealing Orbs (Bishop)New! 2 orbs circle the bishop. Each orb heals an adjacent ally for 1 HP, then disappears.
• AddedGuarding Link (Rook)New! The rook chooses an ally. For the next round, any damage that ally takes is redirected to the rook.
• AddedStun Trap (Rook)New! The rook places a trap on an empty tile within 2 tiles. The first piece to step on it is stunned for 1 turn.
• AddedExplosive Trap (Rook)New! The rook places a trap on an empty tile within 2 tiles. Stepping on it explodes that tile and all adjacent tiles.
• AddedRebound (Queen)New! The queen sets a new patrol for an enemy within 2 tiles.
• AddedBetrayal (Queen)New! The queen forces an enemy piece to attack another.
• RemovedSummon (Queen)Removed for now. Will return in the next patch with some fixes.
• RemovedIce Trail (Bishop/Rook/Queen)Removed from the game permanently.

• Other minor changes.

Curses:

📢 Updated the description of Saboteur to now correctly state that the explosion will activate only when attacking or being attacked.

Figures:

📢 Fixed a typo in the description of Tongs.

Boss Figures:

• AddedSquidNew! +30% Max Mana.
• AddedCoinNew! At the end of combat, gain 5 Shards for every 50 Shards you have.
• AddedClay ShardNew! Shops are 25% cheaper.
• AddedDonation BoxNew! For every 100 Shards spent, one of your pieces gains a blessing.
• AddedWheelNew! Shops restock after each purchase.
• AddedMortar & PestleNew! When using a potion on a piece, it heals 1 HP.
• AddedHaloNew! When one of your pieces dies, it has a 10% chance to remain on the board with 1 HP.
• AddedBroken MirrorNew! Black pieces instantly kill enemies of the same type and size when attacking them.
• AddedStrange KeyNew! You may ignore paths on the map 3 times.
• AddedShieldNew! Black pieces are immune to damage until Black's second turn.
• AddedNeedleNew! Your pieces gain +1 Power per 100 Shards held.
• AddedThimbleNew! Your pieces gain +1 HP per 150 Shards held.

Potions:

• AdjustedClonageReduced price. Increased spawn rate.

• Decoy: Returned to the game after bug fixes.

• AddedLiquid KeysNew! Gain 1-2 keys.
• AddedLiquid DiceNew! Gain 1-2 dice.
• AddedLiquid ShardsNew! Double your Shards.
• AddedLiquid ClayNew! Gain a random Boss Figure.
• AddedBrimstoneNew! Guarantee a Devil Door in the next combat room.
• AddedTreasureNew! Turn a furniture into a locked chest.
• AddedHasteNew! Grant a Move to a piece.
• AddedRebirthNew! Randomize a black piece's blessings.

Art & Visuals:

• Finalized the visuals of the first memory cutscene.

• Added portraits and 3D models for two new pieces: Piona and Bishopinna.

• Added icons, animations, and VFX for the new Blessings.

• Added icons for the new Boss Figures.

• Added icons and VFX for the new potions.

• Added new VFX for Banishment (Blessing), Rally (Blessing), Summon (Blessing), and Transcendence (Blessing).

📢 Improved the VFX for Stun (Blessing).

📢 Made the path lines in the map thinner.

• Added VFX for Move acquisition and consumption.

• Tweaked Hop’s (Blessing) animation.

• Adjusted the scale of all Blyessing VFX when casted on bosses and elites.

• Replaced the map sprite with a new one.

• Other minor visual improvements.

UI & UX

• Added status effects for Bloodlust (Blessing), invulnerability states, and Vampire (Curse).

• Added status effects for new Blessings: Mark, Escape, Phase, Explosive Blight, Rage, Perry, Reposte, Stomp, Death Link, and Guarding Link.

📢 Added a skip button for the part in the tutorial that requires scrolling.

📢 Darkened the map for improved readability.

• Added UI tile indication when choosing a target for a potion.

• Added definitions for keywords in descriptions. Current keywords are: Stun, Voided, Blight, Explosion, Capture, Furniture, and Invulnerable.

• Added the option to scroll through blessings in combats when having a lot of blessings.

• Other minor changes.

Narrative & Dialogue

• Added barks for the two new pieces: Piona and Bishopinna.

• Added unique barks to all pieces when casting each of the new blessings and when using the new potions.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed chests only granting Power, HP, or random pieces. They can now also reward a random Blessing, random potions, or a random Blessing upgrade, as intended.

• Fixed potions saying ‘invalid target’ as soon as they’re selected.

• Fixed Flame (Boss Figure) not working.

📢 Fixed Hook (Figure) not working.

📢 Fixed Peas (Figure) sometimes increasing/decreasing the army size more than intended.

📢 Fixed Boss Figures displaying an (s) next to their name in the inventory.

• Fixed room names in the Barracks remaining on-screen even when not hovering over them.

• Fixed Clonage (Potion) not copying curses.

• Fixed Elite rooms often not spawning at all on the map.

• Fixed Charge (Blessing) ignoring sacks and special tiles during its movement.

• Fixed bump tiles not pushing pieces that landed on them using Hop (Blessing).

• Fixed Bishop Cavalier (Elite) not attacking pieces positioned up-left from it.

Unfortunately, the next update will most likely be our last, as we’re running out of budget. That update will focus on polishing and tightening the existing game.

If you have any suggestions or ideas, we’d truly love to hear them.

Thank you, and happy holidays!