The Shadowed Rune News

[p]Hello! How time flies! Almost two months have passed since the launch of The Shadowed Rune, and your enthusiasm and support have truly reached my heart, thank you![/p][p][/p][p]To show my appreciation, I’ve prepared a huge update packed with lots of new content and brand-new systems designed to complete the camp experience.[/p][p]Until now, you would reach the Scorching Prison, defeat the final boss, and have very few options: unlocking Veld or the three members of the Triskelion Guard. But that has changed. Starting with Update 2, you’ll be able to free several additional camp members, allowing you to unlock different systems in the camp:[/p][p][/p][p]Albert’s Shop[/p][p]If you choose to free Albert, you’ll be able to invest in his shop and buy different cosmetic appearances for the characters and even… buy a wardrobe for your corner of the camp![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Mint’s Workshop[/p][p]By freeing Mint from the prison, you’ll be able to invest in her workshop and unlock Neku’s workbench. There, you’ll be able to buy different cosmetic appearances for your cat, each one more fun than the last.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Caye’s Orchard[/p][p]If you decide to free Caye, you’ll be able to restore the orchard and unlock a powerful tool to alter your characters’ starting attributes. You’ll be able to modify their diet so they become faster, cast spells more quickly, or regenerate mana faster. However, each crop improves one attribute while worsening the other two. Will you be able to find the perfect diet for your characters based on your playstyle?[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Law System[/p][p]Now, after completing the game for the first time, you’ll be able to unlock the Law System, which allows you to activate several handicaps in exchange for better rewards when defeating the guardians at the end of each floor.[/p][p]Additionally, if you manage to complete the game with 3 laws activated, you’ll be able to face a new final boss that will put your endurance and skill to the test. Will you be able to defeat it?[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Dungeon Master Mode (2–3 player mode)[/p][p]On the other hand, Dungeon Master Mode can now be used in your custom dungeons or those downloaded from Steam Workshop.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][p]All you need is one or two additional controllers to enjoy a unique experience both locally and online (via Steam Remote Play Together): the Dungeon Master will use the mouse to pull the strings from the shadows and set challenges for their “victims,” manipulating the dungeon at will while the players enjoy (or suffer) their adventure without knowing what their host has prepared for them.[/p][p][/p][p]And much more…[/p][p]More than twenty new rooms have been added, and the experience in the early levels of the Tower has been rebalanced.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]A new character selection screen with expanded information about each character’s unique traits, now it really matters which character you play![/p][p]You can now rescue Fox from the prison, which will unlock an event in the Tower that will give you many clues about how to solve the curse (pay attention, as it will only appear once!). This is the first of many events to come with the rest of the characters and NPCs.[/p][p]You can read the rest of the patch notes at the following link.[/p][p] [/p][p]What’s coming next?[/p][p]After this update, I’ll continue working on new content for the Tower, following the roadmap and focusing on creating new levels for the Scorching Prison, as well as new enemies, traps, spells, items, and NPCs. This way, the journey toward version 1.0 will become an increasingly complete and varied experience.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p]As a final note for this update, I’d like to mention that I’m working on a series of rewards that will only be obtainable by purchasing the game during Early Access. This will be exclusive content reserved for those who have trusted The Shadowed Rune from the beginning. Once the game is released in its 1.0 version (Release), this content will only be claimable by those who purchased the game earlier.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]For example, the Imperial appearances for all three playable characters are already available to those who purchase the game during the months of Early Access. But there will be new rewards that I’ll be revealing in upcoming updates. See you soon![/p]

[p]Several days have already passed since the launch of "The Shadowed Rune" and since then I have not stopped working to improve the player experience, fix issues, balance the game and make it easier for new explorers to enter the Tower. Thank you very much to all the rune masters who have shared their feedback with me to make "The Shadowed Rune" better every day![/p][p][/p][p]As a result, the Update 1 (version 0.378) has arrived, bringing important improvements, although the main one is the full integration with Steam Workshop.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h2]STEAM WORKSHOP[/h2][p]In all games, no matter how much content developers try to create, it is always consumed by players much faster than it takes to create it. Until now, a level editor was already available to create simple dungeons and connect them (up to 100 levels per dungeon), but sharing them was difficult. The next step, therefore, was to make sharing them with the community easier. The Steam Workshop integration comes to solve this problem at its core.[/p][p][/p][p]Now sharing your creations (after unlocking the level editor) is as easy as entering an editor portal, creating a level and giving it a name and description. With a single click you will have the level uploaded to Steam Workshop![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]To make it easier for your friends to play it (and the community in general if you wish), after reaching the camp for the first time you will already have a special portal unlocked to access the entire library of levels created by the community and play them. You access Steam Workshop, subscribe to an item and after it is automatically downloaded you will be able to access it and play it, being able to find all kinds of levels (including the ones you create and want to share).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Examples of what you will be able to find:[/p]

• [p]Combat arenas[/p]
• [p]Escape Rooms[/p]
• [p]Levels with elemental puzzles that would not be possible to include in random levels[/p]
• [p]Full campaigns with up to 100 levels connected in a non linear way[/p]
• [p]Educational levels or levels designed to play with younger children, adapting their difficulty[/p]
• [p]Fully creative challenges, such as tributes to movies or other games[/p]

[p]And much more, there really are infinite possibilities.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]AND WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE GAME? ARE THERE NEW FEATURES?[/h2][p][/p][p]But during these two weeks I have not limited myself to just adding this new functionality. Although you can access all the Patch Notes published over the last few days, here is a small summary of the most important changes and new features.[/p][p][/p][h3]Difficulty and progression curve revised.[/h3][p]Now, when starting a new run, each player will be able to choose a rune to begin with. Each unlocked character will add a new rune to choose from, starting with the Water and Fire runes.[/p][p][/p][p]In addition, now every two sub levels of the Tower you will have access to the Hidden Shrine, where you can save your game to continue from that point if you have to interrupt your play session. This point is important because you will now be able to encounter the NPC Adrian earlier and unlock the Dungeon Editor much more easily. Buy the upgrade in the camp beforehand and reach a shrine. Easy, right?[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]On the other hand, it is now easier to increase the power level of your protagonists, although the initial mana and its upgrades have been balanced so that there is more variety in character builds. The Tower levels have also been reorganized so that lower difficulty levels appear on floors 1-1 and 1-2, and the more challenging battle levels with mini bosses, etc. appear from level 1-3 onwards. The fight against the Lord of Mud is easier now.[/p][p][/p][h3]Level editor[/h3][p]The Level Editor, together with its integration with Steam Workshop, has received several important improvements:[/p]

• [p]It is now possible to select the biome through an object placed in each level.[/p]
• [p]The possibility to place NPCs in addition to objects has been added, to interact with players. You will be able to write their in game texts and they will be saved in your created dungeon: up to 10 different texts per room, which means you can create a dungeon with up to 1000 different texts across 100 connected levels.[/p]
• [p]The door system has been improved. If you only want to design a single level, place an entrance and exit portal and you will have your level ready without problems. But if you want to create a full experience, you now have different doors and keys that will allow you to connect levels as you wish: return to rooms you have passed before, place single visit rooms, all of this is explained in the following guide.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]And much more[/h3][p]Apart from these main changes, I have improved many aspects of the game, such as jump speed, trajectory calculations, menu navigation improvements and a multitude of small things.[/p][p]From here on, I will work on the next major update for January, with lots of new content, since the camp needs some love and your reserves of gold and arcane orbs are burning a hole in your pockets... have you already unlocked Veld? He is waiting for you in the prison of the Arcane Tower... Another run?[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]On February 14th, 2024, The Shadowed Rune was born as a participant in the Roguelike Jam 7. The Jam ended on the 28th of that same month, and a few days later we learned that it had won 5 out of the 7 categories. That was the moment we saw the game's potential and its combination system, and the journey began.[/p][p][/p][p]Since then, The Shadowed Rune has been my top priority. I’ve balanced it with other jobs and projects, but in the end it became a personal project that I’ve fallen more and more in love with. Every second of my life that I’ve dedicated to it has been filled with joy and passion.[/p][p][/p][p]And it has changed a lot. A lot since that first Jam. It has gone through at least two or three major graphical overhauls, the latest one this past November after the Steam Fest. I turned everything upside down. By working closely with Félix, the composer of The Shadowed Rune’s soundtrack, and with the small Closed Beta group (a small but wonderful family), I managed to transform the game and push its own limits.[/p][p][/p][p]I know it’s not going to be a best-seller, and yes, it has flaws (animations, ahem ahem), but I’m incredibly proud that, on my own, I’ve taken all the feedback from Reddit, testers, communities, and friends to build an amazing project—one that I can only recommend in one way: Play it.[/p][p][/p][p]Because if you could sit down with your 20-year-younger self (if you’re over 40 like me), you’d say that you'd love to play a game filled with puzzles and adventure, but also with dynamic, fun combat. A game that combines the endless runs of modern action-roguelikes with the puzzle spirit of the early Zelda titles. And on top of that, the joy of being able to play with your child, your partner, or your best friend in co-op. Losing a run because of a bad fall, an explosive barrel, or a glorious ambush… those are the moments you’ll experience in The Shadowed Rune.[/p][p][/p][p]Because it’s not a perfect game, but it has everything I would want in one. Well, it’s missing a few things, but it will have them sooner or later. For now, it already offers enough content to enjoy hours and hours of exploring an ever-changing dungeon. And once you’ve beaten the current challenges, while waiting for the next expansion, I invite you to explore the level editor. Create your own levels, join the Discord, and download fun and unique creations from other players. Build your own campaigns, share them. Because I’ll keep adding new content to both the game and the editor, so you can create whatever you want.[/p][p][/p][p]And that’s the reality. The Shadowed Rune is not going to be one of the games of the year: It didn’t even reach 1,000 wishlists. I’m grateful to every single person who kept theirs all this time. Because the journey starts now. The game has a roadmap, but it’s not set in stone. It’s very much a sandbox, which means from this moment on I can add anything I want. New enemies? More traps? More spells? More items? Customization options? There’s no limit. We’re going to enjoy this Early Access journey a lot.[/p][p][/p][p]There will be issues, of course—bugs and unfair deaths included. But I promise I’ll work hard to make the experience fun. You’re about to enjoy a story full of charm, magic, and many secrets alongside Maia, Brishen, Veld (and Neku!) and the rest of the friends you’ll meet in The Shadowed Rune. Ready to combine runes? [/p][p]The doors of the Arcane Tower are open.[/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]I am happy to confirm that The Shadowed Rune runs perfectly on Steam Deck, maintaining a smooth and stable 60 FPS during combat, exploration, and even during heavy spell effects. The game’s rendering pipeline and visual systems have been tuned to look sharp on the Deck’s screen while keeping the action fluid and responsive.[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks to Steam Cloud, you can seamlessly continue your adventure whether you’re playing on PC or on Steam Deck. Your progress, your builds, and even your custom levels created with the in-game Level Editor stay synchronized across devices. This means you can design a dungeon on your PC… and then test it on the couch, the train, or wherever you like to play.[/p][p][/p][p]We’re currently waiting for Steam Deck Verification, but performance and compatibility are already solid. Even before the official checkmark arrives, the game runs great on Valve’s handheld and offers a fully portable experience. Check out the gameplay video below to see real Steam Deck footage running at 60 FPS .[/p][p]And don’t forget: The Shadowed Rune launches on December 4th. Your wishlists truly help support the project. Thank you![/p]

[p]The The Shadowed Rune community now has its own Discord server![/p][p]A place to chat directly with the developer, share player-made levels, get access to the closed beta, join community contests, and share your feedback and ideas to help make the game the best it can be.[/p][p]LINK: https://discord.gg/WpNuFYdVtP[/p]