Rack and Slay News

Demo Update v0.9 - Challenges + Engine Update

Things are rapidly moving forward with patches 0.85 through 0.9 all in one (cause the former primarily had full-version improvements)! Watch out for an exciting announcement soon! :)

[h2]Patch notes (v0.9)[/h2]

(Full version) Added challenge runs (unique pre-defined gameplay variants). For example, start with only a few shots but gain 1 shot per kill; or tons of huge explosions that insta-kill enemies but lots of extra enemies; or extra shots but sometimes they go backwards. :D
(Full version) New item Black Hole: Pulls the closest enemy towards you when you fall into a hole. This brings the total to 111 items!
Changed Demolisher to work on the first X obstacles you touch (X being the number of Demolisher items you have) and not just during the first turn to give you more freedom to use the item in a planful way.
Changed Double Shot to trigger every other turn instead of only on the first turn since with the recent rework into a mini ball item it has lower immediate potential.
(Full version) Made it possible to switch between unlocks in run-end screen when multiple items were unlocked in a run.
Added tooltip to difficulty settings that shows all active difficulty effects.
Prevented direct repetitions in item re-rolls from occuring.
Excluded a few initially not very useful items from the random starting items pool for difficulty 15 and above.
Added a few new sound effects.
Added a few new icons and item graphics.
Updated Unity engine to the latest LTS version. Primarily to ensure long-term compatibility, maintainability and (potentially) portability. You shouldn’t notice any difference except for maybe some performance improvements here or there.
Optimized in-game lighting and added a third light quality setting.
A bunch of general performance improvements and code cleanup.
Several wording adjustments (shoutout to axerity).
Countless smaller fixes and tweaks.

I hope you continue to enjoy the demo, and as always if you have any feedback please let me know via Discord or Twitter or leave a post in the Steam discussions!

Rack and Slay - Next Fest livestream

[h3]NEXT FEST[/h3]
Join me (Graeme) for a Steam Next Fest livestream to show off more of the Rack and Slay demo.

An up to date demo is live now for you to play for yourself.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and if you like the game please be sure to add it to your Wishlist!

[h3]PRE-RECORDED VIDEOS[/h3]
You can also watch several pre-recorded videos of me playing around in Rack and Slay over on Graeme Games.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Rack and Slay - Next Fest livestream

Demo Update v0.81 - The fun one!

Hey folks! Huge thanks to everyone who checked out the demo during Steam Next Fest! Please leave your feedback on the forums or the Discord. Much appreciated!
[h2]Patch notes (v0.81)[/h2]
The new demo update focuses on making things "more fun" by changing how some things in the game interact and introducing a few quality-of-life improvements.

Keys are now carried around by enemies (like coins or gems) instead of getting consumed.
➡️ Fewer missed keys, more item picks, more options to pick up a key indirectly → FUN!
When you defeat an enemy that is carrying a coin, gem or key, you now collect the item as if you had touched it.

➡️ More coins and gems, plus sometimes enemies hand gems around between each other until one dies and you get all the goods → FUN!
Mini balls do not collide with spikes rotating around the player anymore.
➡️ Combine “Impaler” and “The Gang” for ultimate self-surrounding mayhem → FUN!
Mini balls now collide with swords rotating around enemies, i.e. can be used as “protection” from those (if you’re cruel enough).
➡️ More counterplay against sword enemies and bosses, secret buff to “The Gang” too → FUN!
There’s now a small indicator above the player ball when you have 3 or fewer shots remaining at the start of your turn.
➡️ No more confusion about being out of shots, enter “focus mode” and really try to make those last few shots count → FUN!
Added “light quality” setting to the advanced options. Setting it to “low” will disable a few shaders, particles and the pulse effect on circular lights in the game.
➡️ Better performance on low-end devices → FUN?!
Various minor fixes (always FUN!)