Montabi News

[p]Hey Trainers,

[/p][h2]Montabi participated in Hari Game Indonesia![/h2][p][/p][p] We revealed a new trailer at the showcase! Don’t fret if you missed it, you can watch the trailer here! [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p] [/p][p]In Montabi you will have many runs that end prematurely from mistakes or just not drawing the correct cards. However all it takes is one good run using everything you learned and you’ll defeat anything in your path. Fight towards your strengths and avoid your weaknesses.

If you haven’t, check out the demo and wishlist if you enjoy it!
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink] [/p][p]- riv otter[/p]

[p]Hey Trainers,[/p][p]We want to share our devlog updates each month, and hopefully provide better insights into what we're working on. After Monthly Devlog Update, Post Demo – July 2025 Last July, we held a community playtest from July 18 to 25, where around 20 to 30 amazing community members helped us test changes and improvements made after the demo. Here's the changelog for our latest playtest build:[/p][hr][/hr][h3]What’s New in This Playtest Version:[/h3]

• [p]New camera layout[/p]
• [p]Updated core loop and drafting system[/p]
• [p]Improved UX with double-click interactions[/p]
• [p]Faster animations and VFX[/p]
• [p]New equipment system[/p]
• [p]Evolution 3 is now available, with passive skills[/p]
• [p]Glimpses of Areas 2 and 3, with polished transitions[/p]
• [p]New room features:[/p]
  • [p]Cafe: Refresh your deck by removing one card[/p]
  • [p]Convenience Store: Now offers supplies and equipment[/p]
  • [p]Vending Machine: Now grants equipment[/p]
  • [p][/p]
  • [p]Gotcharm (new room): Obtain Charms here[/p]
  • [p][/p]
• [p]New boss: Mr. Alchevine[/p]

[hr][/hr][p][/p][p]Thanks to all our community playtesters. We received tons of feedback through the Google form and discussions on Discord, helping us understand whether these changes are moving in the right direction. Based on that feedback:[/p]

• [p]The new camera layout works well[/p]
• [p]Equipment features improve synergy builds, though some have requested a way to sell unused equipment[/p]
• [p]Evolution 3 passive skills are solid, enabling diverse playstyles and making the third evolution feel more rewarding[/p]
• [p]Room adjustments are generally well received:[/p]
  • [p]Cafe: Refresh your deck by removing one card[/p]
  • [p]Convenience Store: Supplies and equipment now available[/p]

[p]We also received several notes to consider:[/p]

• [p]A selling feature for unused equipment is under consideration[/p]
• [p]Difficulty levels are being planned. We aim to introduce easy, medium, and hard options to improve accessibility for newcomers and provide a solid challenge for roguelike deckbuilder veterans. This will be revisited in the future[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]What’s Next:[/h3][p]We’ll be breaking down the feedback from this playtest and building an action plan. At the same time, we're focusing on improving several key aspects of Montabi:[/p][h3]1. Trainer Uniqueness[/h3]

• [p]Each trainer will have a unique starting Charm[/p]
• [p]We're exploring a Rank Up system to make each trainer more relevant and distinct[/p]

[h3]2. Taming Iteration[/h3]

• [p]We noticed a common meta where players focus on 1 or 2 Montabi early, then tame stronger ones later[/p]
• [p]To balance this, we're testing a system where newly tamed Montabi start at level 1, but receive bonus EXP to catch up quickly[/p]

[h3]3. Content Pipeline[/h3]

• [p]August and September will focus on designing and implementing Montabi 21 to 23, completing the full lineup[/p]
• [p]This phase will require a lot of iteration and testing, so we’ll host more small community playtest sessions[/p]
• [p]Here's a sneak peek at upcoming Montabi that we are iterate:[/p]
  • [p]Flambee: Burn playstyle, apply Burn to yourself to deal more damage. A high-risk, high-reward strategy[/p]
  • [p][/p]
  • [p]Karabi: Spicy playstyle: stack Spicy and deal damage to adjacent enemies at the end of the turn.[/p]
  • [p][/p]
  [p][/p]

[p]If you're interested in trying out content in development, join our Discord and stay tuned for the next playtest opportunities.[/p][hr][/hr][p]Thank you for being part of this journey.
We truly couldn't do it without you![/p][p]Boy "Bochi" Dozan 🐾[/p]

[p]Hey Trainers,[/p][p]
[/p][p]If you were watching the Secret Sauce Showcase, then you would have seen a little title called Montabi. Don’t fret if you missed it, here is the Montabi trailer that was in the Showcase![/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Something arises in the world of Montabi and it is up to you to stop it. The evil organization is stealing Montabi and using them for their nefarious purposes. Choose your path and assemble your team of Montabi to defeat those that stand in your way and protect Montabi.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Check out the demo and join the Montabi Discord![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]-riv otter[/p]

[p]Hey Trainers,[/p][p]It’s been nearly a month since we released the first Montabi demo (June 3rd), and we wanted to take a moment to share some insights and updates with you all.[/p][h3]💛 First of all, Thank you![/h3][p]From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who supported us by wishlisting, playing the demo, sending feedback, and joining our Discord community. It truly means a lot to our small team.[/p][p]Since launch, we’ve released two hotfixes (v0.1.1 and v0.1.2) to address major bugs reported by players, thank you so much for helping us improve the game![/p][hr][/hr][h3]📊 Demo by the Numbers[/h3][p][/p]

• [p]1,800+ players played the demo[/p]
• [p]33 positive reviews out of 34 on Steam[/p]
• [p]41 responses on our feedback form[/p]
• [p]8.1/10 average fun rating[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]📝 What We Learned from Your Feedback[/h3][p]Here are some of the key issues you raised, and what we’ve done so far to address them:[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Double-click UX was frustrating
  → We’ve simplified most confirmations and replaced double-clicking with single-button actions.[/p]
• [p]Tutorial and intro text were too long
  → We’re redesigning these sections for the full game later to be more concise but still clear.[/p]
• [p]No way to remove cards
  → You can now remove cards via a new Café mechanic called Refreshment.[/p]
• [p]Game pace felt slow
  → We’ve sped up attack animations, made taming and result scenes faster, and added the ability to skip evolution sequences.[/p]
• [p]Area 1 Boss countered movement-based strategies too heavily
  → We’re re-evaluating Scorchpunk’s placement and may remove him from Area 1.[/p]
• [p]Difficulty was inconsistent
  → We’re considering multiple difficulty levels for better accessibility, an easier option for newcomers and a harder one for deckbuilding veterans.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]🔧 What We’re Focusing on Next[/h3][p]Now that we’ve completed two hotfixes and addressed core feedback, we’re shifting our focus toward expanding content into Area 2 and Area 3. As we scale, a few challenges have emerged:[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Battlefield feels cramped with fully evolved Montabi
  → We’re prototyping larger grid layouts and camera zoom adjustments.[/p]

[p][/p]

• [p]Montabi skill pools may not scale well across full runs
  → Currently, each Montabi has 12 skills across 3 evolution stages. With longer runs and more Montabi, this risks repetition.
  → We're exploring a new system where each Montabi has 2 “tags” (like elemental types), and pulls skills from both tag pools and a unique skill pool. So each Montabi will have x unique deck pool + x tag A deck pool + x tag B deck pool. This could create deeper synergy and variety, though we’re still prototyping and testing the trade-offs.[/p]
• [p]Too many draft choices
  → With 6 units and multiple drafts per level, the current system can lead to 48 drafts per run, which is overwhelming.
  → We’re testing a system where you choose one Montabi to level up after each battle instead of gaining EXP across the team, requiring more meaningful decisions. Draft frequency is also being reduced.[/p]
• [p]Runs are too long (avg. 180 minutes++)
  → We're working to shorten battle duration and reduce the number of battles per run to aim closer to the 60–90 minute standard.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]⚙️ New Feature: Equipment System[/h3][p][/p][p]We’re also introducing a new feature: Equipment!
Think of it like held items (similar to berries in Pokémon). Each Montabi can hold one item to further customize their build and add new layers of synergy. Early tests are showing promising results![/p][hr][/hr][h3]💬 What’s Next?[/h3][p]We’re planning a small closed playtest next month to validate some of these new systems. If you're interested in trying out early iterations and giving us feedback, please join our Discord![/p][p]Also, we’re planning to post smaller dev updates in Discord in addition to major devlogs like this one on Steam, so stay tuned and help us shape Montabi together.[/p][hr][/hr][p]Thank you for being part of this journey. We truly couldn’t do it without you!
[/p][p]Boy "Bochi" Dozan🐾[/p]

[p]Hey Tamers, [/p][p][/p][h2]We've released a hotfix for the Montabi demo, which addresses a few bugs![/h2][p][/p][p]Here are the full patch notes:[/p]

• [p](Fixed softlock bug) Players getting stuck when trying to play a card during boss fights[/p]
• [p](Fixed softlock bug) Spamming the 'A' button during the tutorial would sometimes lock progression[/p]
• [p](Fixed visual bug) Hovering over cards in detailed unit info will display the unit's additional info properly[/p]

[p][/p][p]If you would like to talk with other Montabi players, report any bugs, or give feedback, then join the Montabi Discord![/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for reporting these bugs to us and giving the team feedback![/p][p][/p][p]riv otter
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