Steam News1 January 20266mo ago

Newsletter - Jan 2026

We hope everyone will have the best new year~ It's been a while since we've done a newsletter so we wanted to give you an update on everything about the ice fairy!

In this update3

Full notes

Full Touhou Danmaku Maze update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

0 fixes3 additions5 changes0 removals

Gameplay
UI and audio
Maps
Events
Store
Balance

addedWe hope everyone will have the best new year~ It's been a while since we've done a newsletter so we wanted to give you an update on everything about the ice fairy!

addedUpdate TeasersNew In-Game Interface Our game UI was always passable but never did a proper job informing the player what to expect. This is now changed to better express what your ability and combo is. It's simple!

addedUpdate TeasersNew Menu Experience While not all the menus are complete, most of the menus got a facelift that will slowly be updated through the early access phase. Tips, records, and more!

changedUpdate TeasersStory Mode Stage 4 While the graphics won't be finalized, you can play our test version of our latest story! This stage features the theme "What if the maze was the puzzle?". This stage features the heaviest of gimmicks, and 2 special guest characters! Will Cirno be able to sell a snowcone without destroying the mansion?

changedUpdate TeasersChallenge Mode Inspired by a certain smashing title, Challenge mode contains events that can be replayed for high scores! Each challenge will contain gimmicks that don't fit the story but are still challenging for the player. Most will be unlocked through your story mode playthrough but for v0.6, there may be a limited amount pre-unlocked. The challenge mode will have NO barring on the story and is non-cannon for the most part. Within the Challenge Mode, there are challenges but there are also convention exclusive challenges! We'll be showing off our first convention challenge at AGDQ 2026. There will be at least 5 convention challenge levels updated through 2026.

changedNew Swag!In 2025, we gave out over 20 T-Shirts to volunteers and gaming champions who took on the Strongest Gamer challenge. This legendary shirt will continue be the black #StopCirnoAbuse shirt that we will give out in 2026. Looking back in 2025, I think there were many people who wanted to be a part of Cirno's journey but the skill gap alienated many fans... With that being said, we are working on a new shirt! Cirno's biggest supporter will be sporting the green shirt with her signature chalkboard art. We're trying to find a way to keep the price low but we'll have Large shirts available for purchase starting around April 2026.

Touhou Danmaku Maze changes

addedWe hope everyone will have the best new year~ It's been a while since we've done a newsletter so we wanted to give you an update on everything about the ice fairy!

addedNew In-Game Interface Our game UI was always passable but never did a proper job informing the player what to expect. This is now changed to better express what your ability and combo is. It's simple!

addedNew Menu Experience While not all the menus are complete, most of the menus got a facelift that will slowly be updated through the early access phase. Tips, records, and more!

changedStory Mode Stage 4 While the graphics won't be finalized, you can play our test version of our latest story! This stage features the theme "What if the maze was the puzzle?". This stage features the heaviest of gimmicks, and 2 special guest characters! Will Cirno be able to sell a snowcone without destroying the mansion?

changedChallenge Mode Inspired by a certain smashing title, Challenge mode contains events that can be replayed for high scores! Each challenge will contain gimmicks that don't fit the story but are still challenging for the player. Most will be unlocked through your story mode playthrough but for v0.6, there may be a limited amount pre-unlocked. The challenge mode will have NO barring on the story and is non-cannon for the most part. Within the Challenge Mode, there are challenges but there are also convention exclusive challenges! We'll be showing off our first convention challenge at AGDQ 2026. There will be at least 5 convention challenge levels updated through 2026.

We hope everyone will have the best new year~ It's been a while since we've done a newsletter so we wanted to give you an update on everything about the ice fairy!

2025 In Review

Cirno was quite the busy fairy last year. Here's some highlights of last year!

Highlights

May 2025 - Animazement Early Access Launch We learned how to launch an early access game on Steam and performed a special Touhou DJ set at the convention!

Aug 2025 - Half-Way Update at PAXWest Our largest convention ever showing off our game being half-way done!

Oct 2025 - Winning Audience Choice Award at Dreamhack Atlanta Cirno gets her first award being voted the favorite of all the indie games!

v0.6 Teaser

Our next update is being released in January after a quick test with the AGDQ fans to make sure the game isn't broken. This update is quite massive and really ups the game.

Update Teasers

New In-Game Interface Our game UI was always passable but never did a proper job informing the player what to expect. This is now changed to better express what your ability and combo is. It's simple!

New Menu Experience While not all the menus are complete, most of the menus got a facelift that will slowly be updated through the early access phase. Tips, records, and more!

Story Mode Stage 4 While the graphics won't be finalized, you can play our test version of our latest story! This stage features the theme "What if the maze was the puzzle?". This stage features the heaviest of gimmicks, and 2 special guest characters! Will Cirno be able to sell a snowcone without destroying the mansion?

Challenge Mode Inspired by a certain smashing title, Challenge mode contains events that can be replayed for high scores! Each challenge will contain gimmicks that don't fit the story but are still challenging for the player. Most will be unlocked through your story mode playthrough but for v0.6, there may be a limited amount pre-unlocked. The challenge mode will have NO barring on the story and is non-cannon for the most part. Within the Challenge Mode, there are challenges but there are also convention exclusive challenges! We'll be showing off our first convention challenge at AGDQ 2026. There will be at least 5 convention challenge levels updated through 2026.

And a tons of Bug Fixes and Quality of Life Updates The change log is going to be massive when the update comes out. We're upping the game quality and we can't wait for this update!

New Swag!

In 2025, we gave out over 20 T-Shirts to volunteers and gaming champions who took on the Strongest Gamer challenge. This legendary shirt will continue be the black #StopCirnoAbuse shirt that we will give out in 2026. Looking back in 2025, I think there were many people who wanted to be a part of Cirno's journey but the skill gap alienated many fans... With that being said, we are working on a new shirt! Cirno's biggest supporter will be sporting the green shirt with her signature chalkboard art. We're trying to find a way to keep the price low but we'll have Large shirts available for purchase starting around April 2026.

Upcoming Events

Speaking of conventions, Cirno is going through America again ready to give out more T-Shirts and show off the progress in the game! Here is what we can officially announce for the upcoming year! *There are more in the works but can't be announced currently

Calendar

January 4th-6th AGDQ 2026 @ Philadelphia, PA

Feburary TBD

March TBD

April 24th-26th LVL Up Expo @ Las Vegas, NV

May 22nd-24th Animazement @ Raleigh, NC

June 19th-21st Touhoufest @ Torrance, CA

Roadmap

We are starting to wrap up the development of the game and the rest of the game is currently being written/outlined. With that being said, v0.6 will be the last Story Mode update until our 2026 release date! Don't worry though, there will still be updates via the challenge mode and balance patches. There is not an official date yet for launch but once we get closer, we can give you all a heads up. (There is STILL a planned secret for the game that is not implemented. It will be implemented when v1.0 comes out.)

Closing

Thank you all for being so awesome and staying with us on this journey. We are over the half way mark and Cirno is finally getting the support she deserves. Let's make this the best touhou fangame for Cirno!

Source

Steam News / 1 January 2026

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