Aura of Worlds News

Happy Lunar New Year, folks 🏮🐎!

Here's what we've been working on over the past several months:

[h2]Inventory Overhaul[/h2]

We've been reworking the inventory to be more intuitive and to encourage multitasking between items.
There are now 4 hot bar inventory slots.

1. For main weapon
   
2. For offhand weapon/tools
   
3. For Offhand abilities/tools
   
4. For Offhand abilities/tools

Additionally:

• In Weapon wheel mode, shortcuts exist to choose between categories (1-4 on keyboard) or the trigger or bumper buttons on gamepad.
  
• Pressing a button corresponding to a slot in grid inventory/weapon wheel mode will map the selected item to that slot.
• Dropping Items: Most items can now be dropped from your inventory in grid view, to make more space.
  
• There are multiple other refinements to display and sorting of items.

[h2]New Arenas[/h2]
Added new survival arenas to challenge your combat skills in late game areas of
Cold Crust Caverns

and Mantle's Edge.


Completing an arena can open a shortcut to optionally skip one level (so long as it's not the boss of the area).


[h2]Control Updates:[/h2]

We've reworked the controls to be more intuitive, in addition to working around the mapping of the 4th item hot slot on gamepad.

On Gamepad (Xbox/Steam Deck or your equivalent on dual shock controllers):

• A: select/swap item.
  
• /Up: Interact/Pick Up/Tackle stunned enemies.
  
• RB (Right Bumper): item slot 4 for offhand items/abilities.
  
• In weapon wheel mode, the trigger and bumper buttons may also be used to filter items by category.

On Keyboard/Mouse:

• /E: item slot 3
  
• R: item slot 4

Rebinding: Remember, you can rebind the controls in Options Menu->Controls

[h2]Progression[/h2]

• Early game progression is now faster and more forgiving.
  
• Purchasing cosmetic pets, now also grants resonant for upgrades, just as unlocking equipment/character backgrounds/world shortcuts does. If you've bought pets in the past, you will be rewarded with resonant fragments accordingly.
  

[h2]New Audio 🎼[/h2]
The Colossal Worm boss fight now has its own unique music theme 🎵.

[h2]Bosses and Enemies[/h2]

• Several bosses have had their attack patterns reworked for greater variety.
  
• Several enemy telegraphs have been reworked on moderate & easy difficulty modes to be clearer/easier to exploit.

[h2]Improved Mac Support [/h2]
We've reworked the engine to better support macOS platforms, fixing compatibility issues and supporting up to Mac OS 15 Sequoia.

NOTE: Please be advised that you will need to mark the application as having special "Open Anyway" permission to run on macOS 14 Catalina and macOS 15 Sequoia.

[h2]Other Quality of Life Enhancements Include:[/h2]

• Fixed bug where dodge roll lost momentum on the last frame
  
• Reduced mobility penalty (jumping height and running speed) when carrying heavy objects by hand.
  
• Fixed numerous edge cases where objects would unintentionally block friendly projectiles or thrown objects
  
• Reworked various menu and HUD layouts.
  
• Reduced penalty of wearing down crystal weapons (from 25 to 10% reduced damage).
  
• Much more

[h3]Be sure to claim your gift at the top-left of the hub:[/h3]



[h2]Patch 1.5.2[/h2]

• You can now roll twice in succession.
  
• Fixed dark garden theme never appearing.
  
• You can now pick up chests without automatically looting them on gamepad.
  

We thank you for your support ❤️, especially those who took a moment or so to review the game.
It's what makes updates like this possible 🌠.

Greetings Adventurers!

[h2]Metroidvania Fusion festival[/h2]
We're pleased to announce that our rogue-lite platformer has been selected for the Metroidvania Fusion Festival, running until the 11th of November.

You can find other wonderful titles participating in the event here:
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41046058/sale/MetroidvaniaFusion



[h2]12 Days of Indie Charity Event[/h2]
Several streamers will band together to raise funds for Toys for Tots, a charity dedicated to providing toys to disadvantaged children.

We are privileged that Aura of Worlds is included in the event's lineup of games.

To join the live event and check out other fantastic indie games, visit:
https://www.twitch.tv/12DaysofIndie

Between the 5th-17th of November.

If you'd like more details about the wonderful work that Toys for Tots does, visit:
https://www.toysfortots.org/

Hi folks,

Here are some of the enhancements we've been working on:

[h3]Character Upgrade Additions[/h3]

• Reforging: A new upgrade that enhances how you use upgrade forges scattered throughout the worlds.
  
• Starter rune max upgrade capacity increased to 2.
  
• Reduced resonant crystal cost of starter rune-related upgrades (if you've purchased them, some crystals will be refunded).
  

Tip: Resonant crystals can be earned by unlocking items or world shortcuts. You can toggle upgrades on/off anytime in exchange for run XP.

[h3]Dynamic control scheme detection[/h3]

The game now automatically detects if you're using gamepad/mouse control schemes. Swapping every time a button is clicked (instead of prompting you). You can toggle this on/off in the controls menu.

[h3]Localization Improvements[/h3]
We've continued to improve localization across menus and gameplay elements.

[h3]Other quality of life changes[/h3]

• New startup loading screen.
  
• User interface improvements. E.g., World and level number shown in the HUD instead of level/maxLevel. Visual fixes to unlock-related menus.
  
• Weapons/Gadgets/Spells can only be reforged 3 times by default (though you can upgrade this limit), to encourage swapping between different equipment.
  

As always, your feedback is most welcome!

Have fun!

Greetings Travellers!

[h2]Debut festival[/h2]
We're pleased to announce that the game has been included in the Debut festival for select recently released titles, running until the 11th of August.

You can find other wonderful titles participating in the event here:
https://store.steampowered.com/developer/gmdv/sale/debutfestival2025

Huge thanks to the awesome folks at gamedev.ist for including our chaotic, creative tactics roguelite!

[h2]An Amazing Wizard x Aura of Worlds Bundle[/h2]

We've teamed up with the fantastic developers of An Amazing Wizard: A unique roguevania where you craft your own spells!

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/57333/An_Amazing_Wizard__X_Aura_of_Worlds/

In this RogueVania bundle, Blast through worlds! Creativity is your greatest weapon.
Two rogue-lite adventures. One legendary combo.
Get clever. Get chaotic. Get enchanted.

Greetings, challengers!

Here's some of the features we've been working on in the last couple of months

[h2]New Weapons[/h2]



[h3]Whip it good![/h3]

Whips can reach behind, above, or in front of you. It's all in the timing and your wrist!

[h3]Steel hatchet[/h3]
With a special spinning ability:

[h3]New Enemy: Skeletal defender[/h3]
Not all skeletal warriors are fragile. These guards are heavily clad, immune to most frontal attacks and stunning from jumping off their heads, thus requiring a bit more careful positioning to hit effectively.

[h2]Community Items[/h2]
[h3]Trading Cards[/h3]
Six new trading cards and five badges are now available! If you've purchased the game directly through Steam, free cards should start dropping for each hour of gameplay (up to 3).



[h3]Emojis and character backgrounds[/h3]
We’ve also added a collection of new emojis and three themed profile backgrounds.



[h2]Quality of life improvements[/h2]

[h3]New Spell modifier: Recharge[/h3]
It allows you to freely refill the last spell charge used after a short cooldown and can be applied at upgrade anvils (Note: It does not apply to time manipulation or life drain abilities).
Thus providing an additional way to replenish spells next to exploring for mana stars.


[h3]Tackle rework:[/h3] Increased damage and stunning aspect of grabbing and throwing opponents at each other. We've also added a new rune that allows you to pick up and throw opponents almost anywhere.
Tip: You can grab and throw most opponents while they're stunned or unaware of you. This works without any perks equipped.



[h3]🎼 Epic New Music for Arena Challenges[/h3]
Composed by Mat Dwyer

[h3]Hard Mode Refinements:[/h3]

• Most bosses now have faster, more aggressive patterns.
  Note: For one specific boss, you may need to have completed the first area before the new updated patterns appear.
  
• All bosses have increased hp, with late-game bosses more resistant to ranged attacks.
  
• Further increased the durability of some enemies on hard mode.
  
  Special thanks to content creators like Etsy8Nine (The Game Doctor), Mujikalou and Dracolair for their hard mode feedback.
  

[h3]More Changes:[/h3]

• Reworked Tutorial: We've reworked it to be more intuitive and forgiving based on player feedback.
  
• Localization improvements to all languages. Credit to Neon Noroshi for further refinements to eastern language translations.
  
• Extended dialog and interactions for Silex the Scavenger - dialog credit to T-Dog Extreme.
  
• Refinements to multiple existing sprites - special thanks to Rex Smeal
  
• Reworked the Blood Thirsty character background perk, HP restoration from bosses has been toned down, and fewer orbs can be drawn at once.
  Tip: You can unlock character background perks by rescuing someone from the Catacombs..
• Multiple UI enhancements, especially related to prompts.
  
• Considerable optimization work for better performance on older devices.
  
• Hammer animation has been reworked, and the weapon is easier to wield.
  
• And much more..
  

Thank you for your continued support ❤️— it’s what makes updates like this possible ✨.

Have fun!