The Hope/Despair system has always been a bit of an oddity. Often it feels irrelevant, as there are few rewards for having a lot of it. Sometimes it feels like an annoyance, as when you’re struggling, it can further punish you. So today’s update is an attempt at giving it more of an identity, and more of a function.
Previously, picking up Hope Crystals gave you Hope. Now that works the other way: You can turn your Hope into Hope Crystals. At the end of a run, praying to The Mother will convert any hope you’ve earned into Hope Crystals, which you can spend as normal. And as for earning Hope, it no longer drains while fighting, and you get a certain amount every time you clear a Combat level.
Without any other interactions, you will reach the end of a normal run with about 50 Hope, which will net you half the Crystal Reward from that level. However, any additional Hope you earn during the run will net you extra Hope Crystals. It works the other way, too. Any Hope you spend during the run, will be fewer Crystals you earn at the end.
My “hope”, is that this new system will start leading to some really interesting decision making in the game. As development proceeds, levels will more and more be asking, how many Crystals are you willing to give up to get a leg-up? How much challenge are you willing to accept to get more Crystals?
Thanks for playing my game, everyone. As usual, I love hearing your feedback. I will be listening. I don’t always get things right the first time. In the end, the game is for you, the people choosing to spend time in this world.
Changed files in this update