Journey to the Void News

Hello, players

Development on Journey to the Void continues here at RuneHeads, and we wanted to share some of the features we've been working on.

Traits & Region Fatigue – No Two Runs Are the Same

Every character will now start a run with randomly assigned Traits—some beneficial, some not so much. This means each playthrough will feel fresh, forcing you to adapt to new challenges (or lucky advantages).

Traits are tied to a new mechanic: Region Fatigue. As you complete runs in a region, the best characters from that area will gradually become unavailable, making it harder to find strong recruits. If you keep hammering the same region, you'll start pulling characters with increasingly difficult (or downright cursed) Traits.

This will be a good reason for most players to explore new regions and keep things balanced. But for those of you who love a brutal challenge—keep going. Think you can complete a run with the most negatively stacked character possible? Either way, it's going to be fun to try!

Track Your Achievements & Show Them Off!

We're also building a detailed stats & achievements tracking system. Players will have access to deep insights on their runs, letting you see just how far you've come (or how many times you've failed spectacularly).

But why keep those achievements to yourself? We're working on a stylish, shareable postcard highlighting your most significant accomplishments. Whether you conquered an impossible run or barely scraped by with a hilariously unlucky character, you can show it off.

These are just the start of the many new features we have planned for Journey to the Void. We can't wait for you all to check them out soon!

Until then,
RuneHeads

Hello, players,

At RuneHeads, we're more than just a game studio. We're a team built on education, mentorship, and a shared love for game development. Our founders are teachers at Italian video game academies, and some of our most talented students have joined the team, turning their passion into a career.

Like many developers, we see video games as more than just a pastime. We see them as a valuable tool, a method of self-expression, and something that can bring people together. This is why we started teaching: We wanted to make sure that future generations could get the grounding that wasn't available to us when we were younger.

There are so many options when it comes to learning how to create games these days, but we still believe learning with a group is essential. Working with others brings new ideas, new ways of thinking, and solutions to problems you would never think of alone.

This is a key part of how we work at RuneHeads and has gone on to inform the games we make.

Why Strategy? Why Deckbuilders?

When deciding on the direction for Journey to the Void, we wanted to create something that played to our strengths. Strategy games have always been at the heart of RuneHeads, and our designers have a long-standing passion for deckbuilders and roguelikes. These genres challenge both players and developers to think critically, adapt, and experiment, something we love doing in both game design and the games we play.

Journey to the Void is the result of that passion. It blends deep strategy with unpredictable roguelike elements to create an experience that's as rewarding as it is challenging. We can't wait for players to dive in and explore everything we've built.

Until next time,
RuneHeads

Hello, players,

Development continues on Journey to the Void, and we wanted to share some of the things we're currently working towards. The team is working incredibly hard to shape our vision for the game, so these should give you a glimpse of where we're going on this Journey.

A Vast, Elemental World
The full game will feature eight unique elemental regions, each teeming with its own ecosystem of over 100 creatures and 10 epic boss fights. Every elemental power will introduce distinct effects and game-changing combinations, offering multiple ways to experiment and strategize.

The Codex
Your Journey wouldn't be complete without a way to track your progress. That's where the Codex comes in: A comprehensive almanac that logs every enemy, item, card, and trait you unlock. Think of it as your personal encyclopedia of Journey to the Void's universe.

Your Choices Matter
Certain special events will force you to make tough moral decisions, permanently shaping the storyline and the fate of the regions you explore. No two journeys will be exactly the same.

Achievements
Want to push your skills to the limit? The game will feature a wide range of achievements, from easy-to-earn milestones to hardcore challenges that only the most dedicated players will conquer.

Secrets, Lots of Secrets
We could tell you about the hidden surprises we're adding, but where's the fun in that? Let's just say that Journey to the Void will reward the most curious and observant players if they know where to look.

This is just a glimpse of what's in store—there's so much more we can't wait to share. Stay tuned, and let us know what you're most excited about in the comments!

Until next time,
RuneHeads

Hello, players!

It's been a little while since we made the first demo for Journey to the Void available. The first thing we want to say is thank you! Thank you to all of you who took the time to try out our game and for all the feedback you've sent our way. We're a small team, so getting this kind of player feedback has been invaluable to us.

One of the big things we learned is how we get players into their first game. We wanted to make this experience as frictionless and easy as possible without overloading the player with a bunch of new systems as soon as they start.

Game design is full of unexpected challenges, and one of the trickiest we faced was explaining how card direction affects which tiles they hit on the grid. Communicating this sounds simple, right? Well, after playtest feedback and multiple iterations (and a few late-night debates), we finally landed on a solution that feels intuitive and satisfying and we are excited to implement in our next build.

When adding text to the game, we want to strike a balance between giving players the info they need whilst also not overwhelming them with a textbook's worth of mechanics. One surprising discovery in our playtest? Our discard system went unnoticed. When discarding, players can drag unwanted cards to the bottom left corner. We initially didn’t shout out this feature and relied on a small icon as a hint for this action, it turns out many testers didn't notice it at all! Lesson learned: sometimes, a bigger nudge goes a long way.

These are just two of a bunch of smaller changes and little quality-of-life features we have been adding to Journey to the Void as development continues. The whole demo experience has been invaluable to us, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled here or on our Discord, as we will be running more playtests!

Until next time,

RuneHeads

Dear Players,

As the Year of the Snake approaches, the RuneHeads team would like to extend our warmest New Year greetings to all of you!



We wish you a joyful New Year and all the best in everything you do!

We’ve heard that this year is the Year of the Snake, and coincidentally, "Journey to the Void" features many snake-related elements. We hope this brings good luck to all our players!



Stay tuned for more exciting updates about "Journey to the Void"!

RuneHeads