[Frontline Patch] Difficulty Update is out on Frontline!

Frontline only! Click here for Frontline instructions

Patch Info

Summary

A load of bugfixes, some QoL improvements and more difficulty options!

This patch is a "Frontline Patch"! It's intended for players who want to help out with testing, or if you're having a specific issue that is solved in this patch!

The default/Stable branch on Steam, as well as the Humble/GOG branches, will be updated after this has been in testing for 1-2 weeks!

Details

About the patch

After watching a lot of streams and reading a lot of feedback, we've come to realize that the difficulty options in the game are a bit limited, and there are two seemingly pretty big groups that is affected: people looking for something a bit less demanding, and people who'd like to face a greater challenge than Normal but don't appreciate the current Hard Mode. The patch contains a couple of new difficulty settings hoping to improve on this: Chill Mode and Expert Mode, and some toning down of Hard Mode.

There are also changes to display options, as well as the possibility to adjust controller deadzone and assign the DPad to be a quickslot shortcut instead of being used for movement.

Another noteworthy change is the addition of proper translator credits, where authors of the fan-translations now have the option to appear at the start of the game, and during the credits!

Oh, and the difficult Phase Shift Course no longer has to be fully completed in order to get the True Ending.

...and a bunch of other changes that can be found in the patch notes!

More Details on Difficulty Changes

The first part of addressing the difficulty issue is a new “Chill Mode” (aka Easy Mode). We hope this mode will suit players who want to go on an adventure but not necessarily be under a lot of pressure skill-wise.

Conversely, we’ve realized that the gap between Normal and Hard is very big – especially considering the final boss' moves of disabling the Health Potion and Barrier; two tools that a lot of players feel forced into when playing the mode. For some, Normal feels like a cakewalk and Hard like a punishment.

To better serve this second crowd, we will adjust the difficulty of Hard Mode, where HPot and Barrier will always be allowed, and the mode will generally be made slightly easier across the board. It is basically equivalent to Catalyst 2 in Arcade Mode, with some adjustments.

We will at the same time introduce a fourth difficulty: “Expert”. This mode is slightly harder than current Hard, mostly due to the Health Potion and Barrier being weaker right from the start. Overall, though, the experience will mostly be about the same as current Hard.

The Hard Mode-achievement will be rebranded as an Expert Mode-achievement, and everyone who has unlocked it will keep it but under the new name!

Patch Notes

Version 1.02c (May 16, Hotfix)

Bug Fixes

• Fixed some layering issues in Post Ending startington

• Fixed a bug where one of the final bosses might crash the game for clients during his fireball attack

Version 1.02b (May 15, Hotfix)

Bug Fixes

• The fire hurtboxes now properly disappear during the Frosty Foe phase of the final battle

• The 'Preserve Ratio' graphics option is now saved properly between sessions

• The Boots of Bloodthirst now deals its player damage on Chill Mode as well, but at a reduced rate

• The difficulty selection now wraps around properly when