Steam Next Fest Feedback Review

A huge thank-you to everyone who played the ZENONIA 1 demo during the Steam Next Fest and took the time to share your thoughts with us.

We've read every single piece of feedback, and we'd like to respond by sorting everything into four categories based on where things currently stand in development:

✅ Already Implemented

🔧 Coming at Full Launch

🔍 Under Review

⚠️ Not Possible Right Now

🎨 Graphics & UI

Q. Please unify the menus and main UI with the pixel-art vibe.

The main screen, damage numbers, target monster UI, and a few other elements feel a bit off from the pixel-art tone.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll be giving the main UI an overall makeover to match the pixel-art style.

We'll also redesign the quest icons (the ! and ? markers) to fit the pixel aesthetic.

Q. The hunger gauge UI feels a little lacking. A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll improve the hunger gauge UI so it blends in more naturally.

Q. Please improve the readability of the quest guide UI.

A. ✅ Already Implemented

We've added an On/Off toggle for the quest guide, so you can control how much info is on screen depending on how you like to play.

Q. Please make the UI box backgrounds semi-transparent.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll improve this while balancing the pixel-art direction with overall screen readability.

Q. Please make the dialogue box UI and character portraits bigger.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll be adjusting the UI and portrait sizes so characters and dialogue stand out more during conversations.

There's also a poll running on our official Discord — come cast your vote!

Q. Please add a brightness setting and center-align the dialogue text.

A. 🔍 Under Review

We're looking into whether these options can be added and how necessary they are in actual gameplay.

Q. Please switch to a pixel-style font.

A. 🔍 Under Review

We're reviewing font resources that fit the game's atmosphere, along with where they could be applied.

Q. Please show quest markers on trees too.

It'd be nice if gathering targets like Kori Trees and Acorn Trees were easier to spot.

A. 🔍 Under Review

We're reviewing how and where to display markers to make quest progress more visible.

⚔️ Combat & Game Feel

Q. Please make hitting monsters feel more impactful.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

Beefier hit feedback is in the works! We're also looking at things like longer-lasting damage numbers and screen shake on critical hits so combat feedback feels much punchier.

Q. Please use a different color for "Miss" text.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll make Miss text clearly distinguishable from regular damage numbers.

Q. It'd be cool if Regret left an afterimage trail when dashing.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll be removing the current effect and replacing it with an afterimage trail just like the original game.

Q. The target monster info UI is too big and blocks my view.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll shrink the target monster info UI so it doesn't get in your way during combat.

Q. Please show a HP bar above Regret's head, with an On/Off option.

A. 🔍 Under Review

It would definitely make player HP more intuitive to track, but it could also clutter the screen — so we're reviewing both how to display it and whether to make it optional.

🎮 Controls

Q. Please let us adjust gamepad rumble strength, and turn up the default rumble too.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll be adding a rumble intensity setting and adjusting the default strength as well.

Q. Please bring back double-tap dashing like the original.

For example, dashing with →→ input would be great.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

To capture that original-game feel, double-tap directional dashing will be added.

Q. Please make quick save usable on gamepad, and add an in-game explanation for it.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll make quick save available on gamepad, and we'll add a guide popup at game start to explain the feature.

Q. The mouse cursor is hard to see in-game.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll improve in-game cursor visibility, though it may not apply in windowed mode.

Q. Controller handling feels slightly rough.

A. 🔍 Under Review

We're continuously checking controller input response and movement flow, and exploring ways to make it feel smoother.

Q. Please add mouse input support.

A. ⚠️ Not Possible Right Now

Due to the game's current structure, full mouse support isn't something we can implement.

Instead, we'll focus on polishing gamepad and keyboard controls as much as possible.

🔧 Quality of Life & Inventory

Q. I want to repair all my equipped gear at once.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

The blacksmith will support repairing all equipped gear in one go.

Q. Please make it easy to see which slot each piece of equipment goes in.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll add slot icons to equipment backgrounds so you can tell at a glance where each item is equipped.

Q. Please improve the visibility and stat display of the gear comparison UI.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll improve the UI and stat display so key stat changes are easier to read when comparing gear.

Q. Please show buff and elemental info more intuitively.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll make buffs, elements, and other combat/progression info clearer and easier to check.

Q. When buying items, let us hold the arrow button to keep changing the quantity.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

Holding the button will continuously change the quantity for both buying and selling.

Q. Please show a confirmation pop-up when leaving settings without saving.

Or ask whether to save when quitting the game.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll add confirmation pop-ups so you never accidentally lose changes to settings or game progress.

Q. Please add guides for convenience features like quick save, dash, and gear comparison.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

A guide pop-up at game start will walk you through the main convenience features.

Q. I want to sell items in bulk at shops.

A. 🔍 Under Review

We're reviewing bulk selling together with an item sorting feature.

Q. Please add more game speed steps and adjust the balance.

A. 🔍 Under Review

We're checking how game speed options affect the play experience and combat balance.

Q. When moving items, please insert them between slots instead of swapping positions.

A. ⚠️ Not Possible Right Now

Due to the current inventory structure, this type of item movement isn't possible.

🗺️ Game Systems

Q. I want to skip NPC dialogue.

A. 🔍 Under Review

Due to how events are structured, fully skipping dialogue is tricky.

However, we're reviewing ways to let you get through dialogue faster.

Q. Please improve the skill tab UI like the original, or change it to a circular skill tree.

A. 🔍 Under Review / ⚠️ Partially Not Possible

We're continuing to look at the skill tab's readability. However, a circular skill tree is difficult to implement with the current skill setup and structure.

Q. Please add auto save.

A. ⚠️ Not Possible Right Now

Due to the game's current structure, auto-save isn't supported. However, Quick Save is available for saving your progress.

Q. I'd like a story recap and dialogue log.

A. ⚠️ Not Possible Right Now

Due to the current structure, a story summary and dialogue log aren't available.

Q. There are parts where letterboxing appears during gameplay.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll check the map layouts and screen composition, and fix the areas where letterboxing looks awkward.

🔊 Sound

Q. Please let us adjust background music and sound effect volumes separately.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll add separate volume sliders for background music and SFX.

Q. Dialogue and menu sound effects are way louder than the background music, and they sound distorted.

Repeated sound effects can sound like beeping.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll replace the sound effect resources and fix the parts that sound grating when played repeatedly.

Q. Please add a level-up sound.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

Once we've secured a sound that fits the game's vibe, we'll add it in.

🏆 Achievements

Q. The delivery cake collection achievement requirement is way too strict.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We agree that this achievement is too demanding, so it will be removed.

Q. For full launch, please add repeatable achievements or ones for clearing regional side quests.

A. 🔍 Under Review

We'll review this after checking the achievement point economy and overall achievement lineup for the full release.

🌐 Localization

Q. Some Spanish sentences feel awkward. Please improve the Russian translation too.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll fix the sentences we've identified and run a translation quality check.

Q. The line breaks in story monologue scenes look awkward.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

We'll optimize the line breaks to improve readability in monologue scenes.

Q. I'd love to see more supported languages.

A. 🔧 Coming at Full Launch

Thanks to the many requests, we're positively reviewing expanded language support!

However, depending on translation schedules, some languages may arrive via post-launch updates.

Every piece of feedback you left during Steam Next Fest has been a huge help to the dev team.

Your feedback is helping ZENONIA 1 get closer to the spirit of the original, while becoming a game that's more comfortable to enjoy on PC.

We'll be back at full launch with an even more polished game. See you then!

Thank you.

The ZENONIA Dev Team