The Vow: Vampire's Curse News

Greetings, brave knights!

We’re excited to announce that our public playtest will open on December 15 and run until December 19!

The playtest will be on Steam, and you can request access right now:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3291450/The_Vow_Vampires_Curse/

All requests will be accepted when the playtest officially opens, so feel free to invite your friends. The more players, the better!

This is a very early version and our first open playtest, so your feedback is incredibly valuable. You can also join our Discord to share your thoughts, chat with us, and help shape the game. We hope you enjoy your adventure!

[p]Hey, Vampire Hunters![/p][p]We’re excited to announce that The Vow: Vampire’s Curse is part of Clemmy’s BIG Winter Showcase, an event highlighting some of the best upcoming indie games. You can already find us featured on the official Steam event page.yaaaay![/p][p]Check out the event on here on Steam[/p][p]We’re  thrilled and honored to be included in the showcase. It means a lot to our tiny team, and if you'd like to support us, the best ways to do it:

Wishlisting the game on Steam
Sharing it with your friends,
Joining our Discord, for playtests and dev updates

If you missed the full stream, no worries  👉 Watch on YouTube[/p][p]Thanks for being here with us on this journey!
[/p]

[p]Hey, Vampire Hunters![/p][p]Winter is finally here, the cold, the gloom, and the perfect gothic vibes.
So we’re joining the Midwinter Spirits steam event.  You can find it here[/p][p]You’ll be able to find The Vow: Vampire’s Curse featured among other indie titles celebrating the season. We’re excited to share our world of cursed nights, undead knights, and dark fantasy with everyone! [/p][p]If you’d like to support us:[/p][p]Wishlist the game on Steam
Share the game with your friends
Join our Discord for updates and upcoming playtests

[/p][p]Stay warm out there… the nights only get darker from here.[/p][p][/p]

[p]
October has been a productive month! We focused on improving gameplay systems, updating visuals, and polishing the overall experience as we prepare for the upcoming closed playtest.

[/p][h2]Here’s what we’ve been working on[/h2][p]
[/p][h3]Library & Deck Building[/h3][p]We’ve implemented a brand-new Library system — the heart of the deck-building mechanic. As you know, in The Vow, you choose your deck at the beginning of each run to define your playstyle.
Decks now consist of three sets, each containing four cards. These sets are represented as ancient books in the library.
Choose your three books wisely and set off to rescue your bride.


[/p][h3]Enemy Spawn System[/h3][p]We completely reworked the enemy spawn logic.
Previously, enemies could overwhelm the map if your early turns went poorly. The new system balances their population and ensures greater variety in enemy types.
But beware — the creatures that remain are deadlier than ever.


[/p][h3]Sound Effects[/h3][p]Until now, the game featured only music, but October changed that — we’ve finally added sound effects! *woosh*
Key actions like attacks, abilities, and movement now have sound, and we plan to cover most interactions by the playtest.
The world is starting to sound alive — and a bit more dangerous.

[/p][h3]Card Illustrations[/h3][p]We’ve updated the illustrations for all cards.
The new visuals bring a stronger atmosphere and detail to every deck, helping each card feel truly unique.


[/p][h3]Bugs & New Mechanics[/h3][p]A lot of time went into fixing old bugs and building the foundation for new card mechanics.
We’ll share more about these fresh abilities in the next devlog once they’re ready to shine.

[/p][h2]Conclusion[/h2][p]If you’d like to be among the first to join the playtest and follow our progress, join our Discord!
And as always — stay vigilant, hunters of the night! 🦇[/p]

[p]Devlog for September

Greetings, defenders of the realm!

We’ve been actively preparing the build for the closed playtest.
September turned out to be a busy month. We made progress in the technical side, visuals, and gameplay mechanics.
We’d like to share the main changes and additions we’ve made.

Save System[/p]

• [p]As the amount of content grew, it became necessary to revisit the same situations to test balance. So we implemented a save/load system,  now you can replay specific episodes and try them again with different decisions.[/p]

[p]Temporary HP[/p]

• [p]Previously, players could “stack up” too much health and made the game less challenging. Now most abilities grant temporary HP, which disappears at the end of the night. This makes the game more tense and strategic.
  [/p]
• [p]Also, we changed how health is displayed, previously, HP was shown for all units at once, which cluttered the screen. Now it appears when you hover over a unit or over the one taking damage. The screen is cleaner, and the information is easier to understand.
  [/p]

[p]Graphics & Animations[/p]

• [p]We added graphics for all enemies that were necessary for the closed playtests and created animations for the effects of the base deck. Battles now look more dynamic and alive.
  Another important detail, enemies now bleed, which enhances the atmosphere and makes battles more visually striking.[/p]

[p]Villages[/p]

• [p]We reworked the village ability system. They’re no longer universal but more useful and unique: each ability can unexpectedly come in handy in certain situations and greatly impact your strategy. We’ll make a separate post about this later. ;)[/p]

[p]AI & Allies[/p]

• [p]Enemies no longer pile up on spawn points. Previously, you could summon multiple companions at once, but now you summon only one at a time, though you have the option to use them multiple times in a single turn. This shifts the focus from “mass summoning”  to strategic/careful use of your valuable allies.[/p]

[p]New Boss Trick[/p]

• [p]Godfrey has gained a sneaky ability, when he takes damage, he can change his move. This breaks the old tactic of “defeating him with one big strike” and forces players to find new solutions. Plus, this leads to many fun situations during fights.
  [/p]

[p]Object Sorting[/p]

• [p]A technical but important improvement: objects now overlap less often. We’re especially proud of the bushes, which consist of four parts. Those took the most effort, getting them right was frustrating at times.
  [/p]

[p]Conclusion

These changes brought us much closer to closed playtests, and we can’t wait to share the game with you!
In October, we’ll keep refining the balance, adding new cards, and preparing the build for the first test runs. [/p][p]
If you want to be among the first to hear about our playtest and get regular updates on the game, join our Discord! https://discord.gg/jjwRx3E9QE[/p][p]Don’t be a stranger, let us know what you think of all the improvements! And stay vigilant![/p][p]
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