Wrack: Reclamation News

[p]Hey there![/p][p][/p][p]We've released a quick hotfix to address some of the bugs found in the initial demo version. Here's what's changed:[/p]

• [p]Fixed being unable to open the doors to proceed after creating a checkpoint.[/p]
• [p]Fixed miniboss Geizer sometimes not attacking at all.[/p]
• [p]Fixed boss Geizer sometimes attacking while in the middle of another attack.[/p]

[p]Thank you, and hope you enjoy![/p]

[p]So why exactly are we remaking Wrack? I mean... the game was fine, right? Sure, it might not have been the best-selling, most popular game of all time, but it had some good things going for it. Would you be here reading this if it was all bad?[/p][p][/p][h2]Well...[/h2][p][/p][p]While it wasn't all bad, the bottom line is this: Wrack didn't live up to its potential. It was plagued with all sorts of issues, from a lousy checkpoint system, to a shoehorned in combo system, and everything in between. Just about everything needed to be re-imagined and rebuilt from the ground up. It needed a reclamation project; and so, we began working on... a game we're not going to talk about right now.[/p][p][/p][p]But, while working on that game, we were approached by our current publisher (Red Deer Games) about doing a console port of the original Wrack. Because the original game was made using a custom-made engine (for reasons unknown), a simple port wasn't going to be that feasible. The game was going to have to be re-created in something like Unreal Engine (which we opted to use).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]I pitched them the idea of simply publishing the new Wrack game we were working on - rather than subject a new audience to the unrelenting bag of nightmares that was the original game (wait a second - I thought it wasn't all bad!). Although they weren't interested in that, we reached a compromise: remake the content of the original Wrack game, but with all the improvements of the next Wrack game. The result? You'll never guess![/p][p]... okay, you probably did guess that.[/p][p][/p][p]And you know what? It's been great for everyone involved! First, you are getting a new game with all new mechanics, audio, artwork... the whole nine yards, which I'll dive into in a future post. Plus, you don't even have to wait that long (it should be out this year!). It's been great for us too, because it's given us a project with a more limited scope where we can polish more effectively, and learn as we go. Finally, it's great for Red Deer because it'll let them test to see if this series is right for them without a massive commitment.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Demo[/h2][p][/p][p]But hey, don't take my word for it! Try it for yourself... well, maybe not right now, but on Friday when the Wrack Remake Demo comes out! You'll be able to play the first couple of levels and see how far the game has come.[/p][p][/p][p]Want to check it out as soon as it comes out? Then be sure to add it to your wishlist![/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]First, a huge thank you to everyone who's participated in the playtest! Your feedback has helped shape the Wrack Remake into a much better game! Throughout the playtest, we've implemented a number of your suggestions, fixed plenty of bugs, and still have some changes on deck that we'll be implementing in the coming days. So, again, thank you![/p][p][/p][p]This playtest wasn't meant to last forever, however. (Also, bad job by me not mentioning that initially - oops!) So, we'll wrap up this beta sometime tomorrow (Friday August 22nd), and will get to work on the rest of the changes from your feedback.[/p][p][/p][h2]What's Next?[/h2][p][/p][p]So what's next - and more importantly, when can you play again? When we release the demo! This will happen within the next month, and will largely resemble the playtest - only with more completeness and polish. So keep your eyes peeled, and you'll see it soon![/p][p][/p][p]Until then, make sure to keep in touch, on... how about X/Twitter this time?[/p]

[p]We could have had Kain's sword, the Bravestar, just be a normal sword - you swing it, and things die. Ho hum, nothing special.[/p][p][/p][p]In fact, it started off that way! Early on in Wrack Remake, you'd just swing it, and it'd pretty much gib everything - so much to the point where it was overpowered... and started to be boring. Yikes![/p][p][/p][p]I was ready to simply reduce the damage on it and call it a day. But, thankfully our audio guy Michael Markie stepped in and pointed out how satisfying the sword is to use, and how making it not blow up everything in sight would be a mistake. So, together we found a solution - energy![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The sword would remain OP, but only for a short time. With each attack, it'd consume some energy, and eventually become depleted - unable to do the full amount of damage. While it does slowly recharge on its own, waiting around is boring, and we want the game to be beatable using just the sword. The solution?[/p][p][/p][p]Enter alternate fire! All weapons in Wrack Remake have an alternate fire; and, in the case of the Bravestar, it works together with the primary fire. Using the alt. fire causes you to block with the sword - allowing you to parry melee attacks, and deflect missiles. If you can pull this off, your sword recharges instantly, and you can go back to rampaging like a boss![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Sound interesting, but a tad complicated? That's part of why we introduced the brand new tutorial! Rather than shy away from mechanics that make the game better and more interesting, but not immediately intuitive... we thought we'd just do a better job of communicating the inner workings of Wrack to you, so you have a much better time with the game, and way less confusion.[/p][p][/p][h2]Want to Try It?[/h2][p][/p][p]If you'd like to see how the tutorial, and all these design decisions are working out... there's good news: We're going to have a demo, and it's coming soon! So, you'll want to stay tuned for when that happens (to do so, might we recommend our Discord?). But, there's even better news: We've launched a limited beta of the game! If you're interested, just click the "Request Access" button on the store page.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Limited slots are available as we prepare for the demo, so be sure reserve a spot quickly. (In fact, all spots already filled up at the time of writing this, but we'll open up more spots soon.) We're looking to make this game as great as it possibly can be, and your feedback will help a ton with that. So, it's much appreciated![/p][p][/p][p]If you made it all the way down here, why not join our Discord? We'd love to hear from you![/p]