Happy holidays everyone! GM Aesop here.
2020 has been a very long year for everyone in the world, but all of us here at Nimble Neuron are thankful for you all that chose to spend it with us.
We've come a long way since our 5th Alpha Test at the beginning of the year, I'd like to take a stroll down memory lane and take a look back at what happened in Eternal Return in 2020.
[h3]Fifth Alpha Test (March 21st)[/h3]
Our final Alpha tests began, and with it came Lumia's Peacemaker: Hart. A lot of you joined the official Discord to grab a key to play!
We got a ton of feedback and really great stuff from all of you early testers, really helping us shape the game we have today.
At this time, we had a mere 8 characters, the only playable mode was solo, you had to pick your character *before* queuing, and animals would attack you first at night!
[h3]Closed Beta Test (June 24th)[/h3]
Closed Beta began with two more new characters! The Spirited Master, Li Dailin, and Isol, the Guerilla both made their arrival onto Lumia Island with much fanfare.
Thanks to your feedback, we also introduced a new feature a little earlier than expected: Team Modes! Custom Games also made their first appearance and Tree of Life gained a permanent spawn point.
Isol and Dailin each had just one weapon at the time. A little bit into the test, Lumia's Tranquil Blade, Yuki joined the fun, bringing the character total to 11! Adding three new characters in such a short time frame was wild, but I think we managed to pull it off.
[h3]Open Beta Test (July 29th)[/h3]
A short month after the closed beta, open beta began. Everyone was invited to grab the game directly off Steam, and we saw the largest growth in players ever at that time!
Open Beta lasted a *really* long time. It was almost like an Early Early Access!
Hyejin, the Star Crossed Shaman, made her presence known on Lumia right at the start of the open beta with the Juggernaut Chef, Xiukai, not long after.
We also bumped up solo mode from 15 players to 18 players, making all modes the 18 person party we have today.
The Incurable Patient, Sissela was the 14th character to join. Isol learned how to use a Pistol, Hyejin got some Shurikens, and Li Dailin whipped out the Nunchaku.
The end of the Beta also saw the end of our well-loved Founder Pack. We wouldn't have been able to make it this far without our incredible Founders. Thank you so much for believing in us!
[h3]Early Access (October 14th)[/h3]
Well. Early access. Here we are! We added a bunch of really cool stuff at the start of Early Access.
Chiara, the Fallen, joined Eternal Return with the start of Early Access, making her #15. LP, once shared across all game modes, was split for Solo, Duo, and Squad. Players could make multiple saved plans, observe games, and more. It was a really great time.
Adriana, the Inferno, joined Eternal Return in Early Access, making her #16. We DOUBLED the amount of characters that we began the year with.
The Cunning Gentleman, Shoichi, and the Swift Racer Silvia both made their way to the island and Emma the Magnificent finished rehearsals and started putting on her show recently!
We've got TONS of stuff headed your way in 2021 and we're super excited to share it all with you.
We cannot even begin to express our thanks to you all. Without your support, we would never have been able to make such an awesome game. We hope that we can continue to make the best game possible and we will try to EXCEED your expectations in 2021.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you from everyone at Nimble Neuron.❤
