What We Learned from Playtest 2

Hey Zodiac Challengers! We’ve been meaning to put this post together a little sooner, but honestly... you gave us a lot to chew on. We received thousands of comments and feedback after Playtest 2 across Discord and our socials. So we took our time—reading, re-reading, digesting, and discussing as a team.

Now that the dust has settled a little, we’re back with a quick roundup of everything you helped shape.

[h2]Playtest 2 Highlights[/h2]
Let’s kick things off with a look back! We put together a short highlight reel featuring some of our favorite moments from the community during Playtest 2, everything from epic plays to unexpected chaos.

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We couldn’t fit every single clip (we tried… our dev-editor said NO😅), but we’re grateful for all of you who participated, streamed, shared, and supported us throughout the playtest.

[h2]What We Learned from Playtest 2[/h2]
After sorting through all the feedback, here are some of the biggest takeaways:

[h3]You Liked the Art[/h3]
The visual improvements from Playtest 1 were a hit—most of you gave us an 8 to 10 out of 10! We’re especially glad to hear you liked the new water physics and added environmental details. We’ll continue leveling this up as we build out new areas.





[h3]Combat Pacing Feedback[/h3]
While Act 2 introduced new moves and refinements, some of you missed the faster, more fluid pacing from Playtest 1. Good news: we’re already working to bring that energy back. Some of the slight slow down also came from bugs (like fox form transforming mid-dash), and those are on our radar too.

We're bringing this speed back!

[h3]The Systems You Liked[/h3]
The Monkey’s Challenges, cultivation tree upgrades, and expanded elemental options also received positive feedback (of course, with some plans for more balance tweaks!). Many of you enjoyed how these systems encouraged experimentation and noticed the more obvious elemental synergies between elements compared to the earlier versions. Expect more polish and impact in future versions.





[h3]Performance & Optimization[/h3]
With all the new content and visual upgrades in Playtest 2, performance did take a bit of a hit. We’re aware of the occasional stutters and high GPU usage especially on lower-end machines. Once content development stabilizes, we’ll be dedicating more attention to making things smooth again.

For example, we're optimizing models and textures to reduce drawcalls.


[h3]…and more![/h3]
We're working on bringing the Anvils from Playtest 1 which many of you missed. The Cultivation Tree is also growing, with more branches and upgrades on the way. We’re tackling enemy readability, balance tweaks, collider clean-up, and more. It’s going to be a busy few months, but we’ll keep you updated.

[h2]🔮 What’s Next?[/h2]
We’re actively working on everything we just talked about: your feedback, bug fixes, performance improvements, and new content. Some of you might’ve spotted our early desert previews... yes, the sand’s still looking stiff, but give us time! We’re hoping to bring it up to the same level as our beloved water physics.

Yeah, it still looks ugly *for now*.

[h2]🎨 Fanart Appreciation[/h2]
We’ve received some fantastic fanart over the past few months, and we’ve been quietly collecting each and every piece. It means a lot to see our characters brought to life in your own styles.

@Astélie | IG: @ast3li3

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@astralinfernal | Bluesky: @astralinferno.bsky.social

And hey... a little trivia: Sylith’s getting a visual update SOON. 👀
Thanks again for being part of this journey!


[h3]💬 Let's Chat! [/h3]

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