Fabular: Once upon a Spacetime update for 9 March 2023

View an in-depth guide to the Ways of the Flow update, here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/645720/view/3689048990890936704

New Meta-currencies

• Instead of the old singular Token, we’ve implemented 4 new types of meta-currencies that can be collected and kept between runs.

• Meta-currency types and their default collection method:

  • Token of Exploration: gained when revealing starmap nodes
  • Token of Valor: gained after victorious battles and doing good deeds in events
  • Token of Glory: gained after defeating realm bosses
  • Token of the Void: gained after completing the game

Note: in the future we’re planning to add more ways to collect tokens, for example Token of the Void would be granted after defeating a Void Lord and not strictly when you complete the game. For the current Early Access content though, defeating the final boss (The Endkeep) rewards one of these tokens.

• Meta currencies are currently used to unlock and buy Boons at throne room vendors and to unlock Flow Modifiers on the Difficulty screen.

Note: we have more long-term plans with the new meta-currencies besides using them for unlocking Flow Modifiers (see below), such as unlocking more ‘cosmetic’ types of content in the future.

Challenge Screen and Spiritus Rank

• A brand new Challenge screen has been implemented that allows players to customize game difficulty with unlockable ‘Flow Modifiers’. Flow Modifiers can either make the game easier or harder, depending on player choice. This screen is accessible from the ship selection after the player’s second failed run; it will trigger an event featuring the King.
• Introducing Spiritus Rank: this number displays the overall difficulty of a run, as set by Flow Modifiers. Adjusting a modifier to make the game harder will increase the rank, and vice versa. Each point in this rank will increase the chances of getting additional meta-currencies, when you gain at least one during a run. With a higher Spiritus Rank, you unlock high tiered currency faster, which allows you to unlock higher tiers of Flow Modifiers to make the game even more challenging. What’s the highest Spiritus Rank you can master?
• The previous automatic realm difficulty (star ratings on Cosmic Chart) has been reworked into 3 Flow Modifiers, allowing players to set the individual difficulty levels for each realm.

Note: this is just the very first iteration of the Spiritus Rank system. If players respond well to it, we have plans to expand upon it in the future. Your feedback is crucial in order for us to make the best game possible for everyone, so please share your opinion on our Discord or on the Steam forums. Thanks a lot!

Starmap Experience

• Introducing starmap nodes with instant outcomes: there’s no event, you just get the outcome by travelling there. Outcomes can be positive or negative as well.
• Currently implemented instant nodes: ±Moonchill, ±Stardust, ±Subroutine, ±Token of Exploration, ±Token of Valour. Other node types are in the pipe such as ± to current Armour, Starmap scanner, Instant teleport node, etc. By default there’s only one instant node unlocked (Token of Exploration). You can unlock more node types at the Architect in the throne room.
• All node types (including shops) are now visible when you reveal them.
• Event nodes are now marked with a ‘?’. These include events with a battle outcome.
• Event generation has been reworked. Encountered events are now less likely to come up again in the next run. This should result in overall more event variety.
  Note: Our hope with introducing instant nodes is to further enhance strategizing on the starmap. These changes will hopefully result in more battles, less events and a snappier starmap experience overall. We hope you’ll like the changes, do let us know!

Boons & Meta-progression

Some of the throne room boons got reworked, some got removed or worked into Flow Modifiers, and we have a lot of new additions as well.

• Boons regarding effectiveness of the main attribute upgrades have been reworked into a singular Flow Modifier. In addition, the default value of each main attribute upgrade is now 3% instead of 1%, which makes upgrades feel more meaningful by default.
• Vigorous: has only 2 levels now.
• Energetic: has only 2 levels now.
• Navigator: has been renamed to ‘Starhopper’ and moved to the Architect.
• New boon: Explorer. Start your journey with more Moonchill (+1,+2,+3)
• New boon: Introvert. Start your journey with a Thumper in your cargo.
• Several new boons added to the Architect that unlock new types of instant starmap nodes.
• Lord Chamberlain and the Architect now mention all types of tokens in their respective throne room events, instead of just the one.

General Changes

• Fixed: when you have the Cripple subroutine, Malevolent Beam’s malfunctions now correctly apply a slow effect.
• Added cooldowns to player starting gadgets: Plasma Blaster (5 sec.) and Shuriken (4 sec.).
• Added visual and sound effects to the combat UI when an item comes off of a longer cooldown.
• Sound effects added to the UI when you gain/lose resources.
• Slightly enhanced the readability of the Paladin ship’s visuals.
• Spiritus Rank is now displayed on the Game Over screen.
• Survival mode end-screen has now more emphasis on player score.
• The icon for throne room vendors has been reworked to indicate the new meta-currencies.
• Throne room Boon vendors now display a hint at the bottom when you don’t have enough tokens to buy something.
• Cleared up item descriptions involving Kinetic Charge. Now every description contains an info icon and text on how to gain Kinetic Charge by default. This info icon is used in other places as well for general tips about game mechanics.