You told me the combat was clunky and... you were right.

Since Whisper of the Swallows hit Early Access, I’ve spent hours watching you play, reading your reviews, and hanging out in the Discord.

First off: thank you so much. Building a game alone in a room for 4 years is a little insanity inducing, and seeing you actually survive (and die, haha) in the world I built is surreal.

But I also heard you loud and clear on the things that frustrated you. You told me you loved the atmosphere, the challenge and the building, but the melee combat? Yeah... it had some jank. Ok... A LOT OF JANK. You told me about arrows missing, getting stuck hitting the slope of a hill instead of a monster, and feeling helpless when you got stun-locked.

It was tough to read, but you were 100% right. So, I spent the last few weeks polishing the hell out of the combat system.

Here is what is actually changing today:

1. No more fighting the terrain.

Melee hits are now calculated dynamically during your swing. They now land exactly when and where they should. If an enemy is in range, you'll hit them, not the rock next to them. Also applies to hitting trees. :)

2. What do you mean you don't want to get carpal tunnel?

You can finally hold down the mouse button to chain attacks, and you can hold jump. More importantly, I added a dedicated dodge key (Alt) so you can actually get out of the way of those stunlocks, plus a Perfect Guard system that rewards your timing with stuns and damage absorption.

3. And so much more...

Auto-targeting? Improved. Box aiming accuracy? BETTER. New feedback sounds when aiming the bow? Yup! Arrow trajectory checks? Uh-huh. Try to miss your shot now.

Did someone say they want an Advanced Skydryer? Now dries 4 skins at once with 5% reduced drying time! Buy it in bulk for a discount! New descriptions, Copy Seed button, toggling sprint, improved physics, sounds, and more than I can list here.

Small reminder:

I watched a few streamers get incredibly frustrated losing their skills when they died. I get it. The standard game is meant to be brutal, but not everyone wants that kind of punishment. This is your reminder that there is now a full difficulty customization menu.

In short, I think you will absolutely love this update. And the best part is that all of this came from you, for you.

To celebrate, the game is 20% off for the Steam Spring Sale.

Not ready to brave the blizzard yet? I just updated the FREE DEMO to include all of these massive combat and polish improvements. Jump in and see how it feels.

All jokes aside, thank you for being harsh but real with your feedback. It’s making the game better every single week.

Bundle up... the cold doesn’t forgive! Thomas