Stone Story RPG News

Long time no see, Stoneheads.

We emerge from our winter hibernation to bring you spring tidings and loot!

From now until March 15th, Stone Story RPG will be running a 20% off sale and a 2x Loot Event.

Complete runs in the Mushroom Forest to earn this extra loot (which also includes 2x Lost Item drops).



When we first launched the Quest Update, the plan was to push out sixteen Legend quests. Thus far we’ve released twelve unique adventures that have taken players from homey hot springs to frantic skeleton factories!

We still have four legends currently in-development; however, after reevaluating development priorities we will be shifting resources to other parts of the project.

Our current focus is to make Stone Story RPG ready for other platforms, particularly mobile.

We had set milestones for the Quest Update and managed to exceed them, which has encouraged us to speed up mobile design. We feel confident about the game and want to focus now on bringing it to as wide of an audience as possible.

The four remaining Legends are fully designed and most are implemented, but they still require polish. There’s quite a lot to sort out, as each Legend will also introduce three new Lost Items alongside three new Challenge Events.

But wait, don’t forget- there’s another Lost Item coming right around the corner!





In the next Legend, The Initiate, you’ll be delving deeper into the mysteries behind the Temple and its cultists.

But why merely look?

Embrace Nagaraja and take the great Great Worm’s power for yourself!



The Initiate will be playable in-game on March 18th.

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-SSRPG Team


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[h2]Seasons Greetings from The Dark World![/h2]



We hope that Poena hasn't been giving you too much trouble. If you need a break, why not give Hrímnir a visit? Until January 2nd, we'll be running our seasonal Winter Event! Complete runs of Icy Ridge for 2x loot.

Stone Story RPG will also be on sale until January 5th. Get the game and soundtrack for 20% off and start building your loot hoard!

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/15414/Stone_Story_RPG__Original_Soundtrack_Bundle/

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-SSRPG Team


Stone Story RPG Twitter

Stone Story RPG Discord

Hello Stone Story RPG friends!

We hope you’re enjoying the event. It’s certainly been very challenging, even for the most experienced of adventurers!

Poena was a great opportunity for us to expand upon the game’s world and introduce an interesting new mechanic.

[h2]Stone Story RPG's World Design[/h2]

The process to building Poena is the same used for the rest of the game’s world design. Various elements from pop culture and mythology fill a bucket that, sometimes, will have ideas that line up together and work well naturally.

Take for example Nagaraja, the boss of the Temple location. Nagaraja is constructed from several such pop cultural and mythological building blocks: giant fantasy worms from series like “Dune” and “Star Wars” perfectly aligned with the venomous nature of the Serpent King in Hindu myth.



But it doesn’t stop there!

The Temple itself is heavily based on the Red Temple from 1993’s “Prince of Persia 2”. The reveal of the Red Temple can be seen in the way the Temple is revealed in Stone Story RPG: a cinematic landscape approach towards a mysterious towering structure.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Funnily enough, the Temple and Nagaraja developed independently of each other until the pieces suddenly fit and made sense: giant worms are traditionally a “desert” character so why not fit Nagaraja into the Temple’s theming?

There are countless other examples of this design philosophy at work in the game, but the general idea is that sometimes there’s a gap in Stone Story RPG’s design and it’s our work to fill it.

[h2]Creating Poena[/h2]

Poena is the most recent product of this design. Lore-wise, we already had a solid base to work from: Xyloalgia is the corrupted remains of Leuce (whose positive aspects remained in Acropolis as a white tree). Thus, if Leuce has been considered a female character then it follows that Xyloalgia would as well!



Expanding upon this, Xyloalgia’s gender reveal took its lead from how Metroid revealed Samus’ gender. We wanted the moment of revelation to have impact, but the initial sketches felt a bit weak. Nothing that fit the personality of the character.

This was where Polyducks came in. Polyducks took the idea of Poena and crafted her in a deliberate depiction of the female form twisted by corruption. Poena embodies the spirit of vengeance and punishment. The dark and dirty core of retribution lying deep within Xyloalgia.

It’s her very character that also informs how she works mechanically in a boss fight. The Mirror debuff mechanics underscore Poena’s very nature: When you’re fighting her, you’re fighting the negative parts of Leuce.



You can take a look at how standardcombo animates Poena on his Twitch channel vods.

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-SSRPG Team


Stone Story RPG Twitter

Stone Story RPG Discord

[h2]New Boss Phase Now Available[/h2]

Steel your nerves, stoneheads: Poena, Mistress of Punishment is now available in Stone Story RPG!*

Beware her fetid claws and her Mirror abilities, which allow her to reflect any debuffs back to their source.

Until Dec. 24, we’re also running a 2x Loot Event for all treasures dropped by Poena!



And be on the lookout for a hidden achievement with this update!

*Poena is available only in Cyan difficulty (or higher) in Deadwood Canyon.

A foul wind blows from Deadwood Canyon.

Amidst the buzzing beetles and twisted trees, a specter of vengeance clings to the air. You’ve traveled these paths before, but something is different…



[h2]
New Xyloalgia Boss Phase: Poena, Mistress of Punishment[/h2]

Where Xyloalgia once stood, a wicked figure now hunches atop a rough-hewn stump. Dirty, matted locks twist to reveal malevolent glowing eyes and razor-sharp teeth.

An unsettling feeling washes over you. Anger, vengeance, and retribution: a tide of aggression stems forth from this creature, spilling forth onto the canyon floor.

Almost as if you could hear the creak of aged bones, the monster raises back an unnaturally long arm and swings.

Whoever they are, whatever this is, one thing is for certain: They cannot be reasoned with and must be unmade.



On Dec. 17, we’re adding a new boss character to Stone Story RPG: Poena, Mistress of Punishment!

Poena brings her terrifying presence to the game as a Phase 2 in the Xyloalgia fight. Crafty adventurers would do well to carefully consider their strategy when facing the Mistress of Punishment.*

*Poena is available only in Cyan difficulty (or higher) in Deadwood Canyon.

Swift action means a swift death with the Mirror mechanic: any debuff inflicted upon Poena will be reflected back to its source.

To accompany this update, we’re also:

• Running a 2x Loot Event with Poena until Dec. 24
  
• Adding a hidden achievement for the new boss fight!
  

[h2]In Collaboration with Polyducks[/h2]
Making Poena would not have been possible without the help of fellow textmode artist and gamedev, Polyducks!

We’ve been a longtime fan, and we’re so happy we could get their help to make this boss truly terrifying.

*Concept art by Polyducks*

Be sure to check out their work and follow them on Twitter!

-SSRPG Team


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Stone Story RPG Discord