13Z News

Hey Zodiac Challengers,
Thank you for supporting us during our first playtest! It’s been super encouraging for the team, and seeing how the game’s shaping up with your feedback has been incredible.

[h3]Now, for the big news…[/h3]

[h2]Co-op Playtest is Coming on 4 March![/h2]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
P.S. We’ve just launched a NEW YouTube channel! Subscribe if you’d like to see more 13Z videos in the future.😉

It’s official—13Z’s Playtest 2 is landing on 4 March 2025 and it’s bringing a ton of exciting new content to the game. Beyond just teaming up with your friends, here’s a sneak peek of what’s in store:

• The Raven Joins the Fight: He won’t be stuck on the roof anymore. ;)
  
• Co-op: Play with up to 3 other friends to challenge the trials.
  
• More Skills & Abilities: More ways to create powerful builds and outsmart your foes.
  
• Improved Graphics & Mechanics: The arenas and enemies are getting a glow-up!
  
• ...and more! Soon, you’ll meet new Zodiac Guardians and experience some of the QoL improvements we’ve added to the game.
  

We've also updated our Steam page to reflect how 13Z has evolved since the first playtest. What do you think about our new key art?

[h2]The Current Build is Going Offline[/h2]
In preparation for the new update, we’ll be taking down the current playtest build on 14 February 2025. That means you have 7 more days left from now to experience the current version as it stands, so don’t miss out!



[h2]Please Wishlist 13Z And Help Us Grow![/h2]
With Co-op around the corner, we’re looking forward to seeing more Challengers team up and take on the Trials together. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to wishlist 13Z and share it with friends who’d enjoy the chaos.

… and btw, to those celebrating, Happy and Prosperous Year of the Snake! May it bring luck, success, and plenty of victorious Trials ahead.



Thank you for being part of this journey with us. See you in the next phase of the Zodiac Trials!

Chat with us on: Discord | Twitter | Tiktok | Youtube

Crafted with love,
Mixed Realms Team

Hey Challengers! We’ve been hard at work since the playtest launched, digging through all your feedback and ideas to make 13Z even better. Today, we’re rolling out a fresh update with some key improvements—including a highly requested feature that’s sure to make battles more fluid.

[h3]Check out our devlog video that highlights everything new: [/h3]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



[h3]Camera Lock Now Available[/h3]
One of the most requested features—camera lock—has been added to the single-player playtest. Aiming and targeting should now feel much more intuitive. Try it out and let us know what you think!


[h3]Lyra’s Glow-Up[/h3]
We’ve updated Lyra’s model, adding more expressions to bring out her personality and charm. This is just one of the many visual improvements we’ll continue refining as we move forward.


[h3]Enhanced VFX and Lighting[/h3]
Combat visuals have been refreshed with improved VFX, enhancing the game’s overall feedback during battles. Additionally, lighting has been given a boost, with more defined shadows. This is all part of our ongoing work to elevate the game’s visuals, and there’s more to come!



We’re gearing up for the next big milestone: the co-op playtest with new content! This update will not only let you team up with friends but will also introduce new mechanics and systems, including:

[h3]The Trigram Upgrade System:[/h3]
Inspired by the Trigrams (bagua), upgrades will feature interconnected elements like Heaven, Lake, Fire, Lightning, Wind, Water, Mountain, and Earth. These elements will synergize in unique ways to create deeper strategies depending on how they’re unlocked in the trigram wheel. They will also linked to the Guardians serving as the main bosses in the game.


For example: Lightning upgrades spread damage by default, but pair it with Fire upgrades, and you can chain debuffs like burn for extra devastation.

[h3]Martial Arts System (MAS):[/h3]
With help from the Monkey Zodiac, you’ll soon be able to swap abilities and customize your builds. This system will work alongside the Trigram mechanics to make every run feel fresh and rewarding.



[h3]We'll cover the details and other upcoming content to watch out for in our future devlogs so stay tuned ;) [/h3]


We’re so grateful for your support and feedback—it’s been incredible to build this game with you. If you haven’t already, wishlist 13Z on Steam and hop into the latest update to share your thoughts!

Join the discussion on Discord, where you can chat with other Challengers and share your ideas or creations. Fanart, questions, suggestions —bring it on! We’re always excited to see what the community comes up with.

Chat with us on: Discord | Twitter | Tiktok | Youtube

Thank you for being part of this adventure with us.

Crafted with love,
Mixed Realms Team

Hey Zodiac Challengers!

We've got some fun updates and news for everyone, plus a bit of what’s brewing behind the scenes since the release of the playtest.

[h2]What We’re Working On[/h2]
We’re super grateful (and honestly, a bit relieved! 😌) for the positive reception since the playtest launched. It’s been amazing to see so many of you enjoying the fluidity and verticality of the combat! We’re eager to build upon what you love about the game, and we’d love for you to continue being a part of this journey with us.

With all the insights you shared, we’ve zeroed in on some key areas to improve—and, luckily, they match up perfectly with our plans. Here are a few things we’re focusing on:

[h3]Improving Level Design[/h3]
We’re restructuring some rooms and making overall improvements to the size, layout and verticality.



[h3]Pacing[/h3]
Coins will be rewarded upon the completion of the room rather than being distributed in random vases and pots all over the rooms. These breakable items will still have a chance to contain health drops, though.

[h3]Attack Variations & Deeper Progression[/h3]
We’re working on something new and big, and will reveal the details soon… this deserves its own dedicated devlog. ;) But here's a preview of one of those exciting changes:



[h3]Telegraphing[/h3]
Getting hit from behind? We’re enhancing telegraphing animations and effects to provide clearer cues in the heat of battle.



[h3]Graphics Upgrades / Explorations[/h3]
Along with adding more details to the environment, we’re experimenting with shaders to give 13Z a more unique look that matches its theme. It’s still a work in progress but we’d love to hear what you think.



We're also experimenting with water physics to make the environments more immersive. This will compliment Act 1’s various water features like the waterfalls and Gold Croak's level.



[h3]Handy QoL Tweaks[/h3]
Features like camera lock and smoother targeting are on the way.



[h3]New Key Art Sneak Peek [/h3]
We've also heard you asking about more info on the 12 Zodiacs—and we’re on it! We’re working on new key art that gives them a bigger spotlight. It’s super early, and some of the headshots are more playful than serious (our artist was having fun, lol), but we wanted to give the community a better sneak peek into 13Z's universe.



[h2]About the Next Playtest Update[/h2]
We’re fully diving into co-op mode development, along with some new mechanics. We’re targeting Q1 2025 for the big Co-op Playtest.



But you don’t need to wait that long to play an updated version of the current single-player playtest. We’ll be releasing another patch soon. However, some of the bigger changes mentioned above won’t make it into this upcoming patch just yet, as the co-op and single-player builds are on different tracks, and transferring all new mechanics would break the game.

We don’t have a specific date for this update yet, but we’re targeting to release it before the end of the year. Here’s what you can expect:

• Camera/Target Lock – Yep, it’s finally on the way!
  
• Enhanced VFX – A little extra flash never hurts.
  
• New Visuals for Lyra – We’ve made some tweaks to bring out her character more; we’ll showcase more sneak-peeks on our Discord.
  

[h2]Community Updates[/h2]
On Discord, we’ve added some fresh stickers and emojis for you to play with, and we’re cooking up a few more!


Also, here’s the very first fanart of Lyra courtesy of the talented Booey! If you've made fanart of 13Z, we’d love to see it—share it on our Discord, and don't forget to tag us on X (@13Z_game) so we don’t miss it. ;)


Thanks for being with us and sharing your feedback! We’re excited to be building 13Z together with you!

Chat with us on: Discord | Twitter | Tiktok

Crafted with Love,
Mixed Realms Team

Hey Challengers! Thank you so much for supporting our global playtest of 13Z. It’s been an exciting milestone for the team, and we’re thrilled by the positive feedback so far. Now, we’d love to answer some of the most common questions we’ve been getting!

[h3]Watch the full video here:[/h3]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]And, in case you missed it, here are some FAQs from the original set, as well:[/h3]

Is this build representative of the final game?
There’s going to be a lot more content and improvements! Scroll up a little and read under Looking Ahead: The Road to Full Release.

Does the game support keyboard or controller?
We support both!

What controller models do you support?
We’ve fully tested the game using the following controllers: Xbox One, Xbox 360, DualShock and DualSense controllers. Most generic controllers are also supported natively or via Steam Input.

Does the game run on Steam Deck?
We’ve not done extensive tests yet but based on what we experienced, the game can run decently on Steam Deck from start to finish with the occasional frame drops.

I encountered a bug! Where can I report it?
The best place to report a bug would be through: Discord server as this allows our team to respond immediately while being able to categorize the reports under different tags.

I have some suggestions and feedback! Where’s the best place to share them?
You can respond to our online feedback form (there’s free text entry at the end) or drop us a message under the suggestions section on our Discord.

Are you planning to add more languages?
We currently support English, Chinese and Japanese. Currently, we don’t have plans to add more languages during the playtest period as we are still finalizing the content.

Until when is the playtest going to be available to the public?
We haven’t decided yet but we will make an announcement once we’re ready to close it… that would most likely be in preparation for the updated version with new content / co-op!

Crafted with Love,
Mixed Realms Team

Hey, Zodiac Challengers! Thanks for all your bug reports so far—keep ‘em coming! During the Global Playtest, we’re prioritizing critical bugs and anything that breaks the game.

Without further ado, here are the fixes in this update:

## [0.5.1.671] - 2024-09-20
### Fixed
- Fixed certain challenger SFX not being properly pegged to SFX volume in options.
- Fixed a bug where saved master volume level was not applied correctly at startup.
- Fixed Mushroom Hunt turn-in description incorrectly pointing to Innkeeper instead of Teahouse Keeper.
- Fixed a control config issue with keyboards with non-QWERTY layout.
- Fixes for some UI not appearing correctly in ultrawide resolution.
- Fixed a bug where Loot Magnet blessing would not reset upon returning to the hub.
- Fixed some chests being underground in Stage 2.
- Fixed Blessing Shrines incorrectly handling rounding of HP after deducting HP cost.

Crafted with Love,
Mixed Realms