Update 1.2 is here - a major August patch featuring gameplay improvements, a new location, controller support, boss overhaul, and more. But first, a quick update from the team:

Team Update

The BERENICE development team has recently gone from 6 to 3 people.
We’re now a compact trio: composer, programmer, and 3D artist - pushing forward together to polish the game and bring it to its full potential.
Thanks for your patience and continued support - we’re giving it everything we’ve got.

Now let’s talk about what’s new

Controller Support

You can now fully play BERENICE using a controller:

• The entire game and menus are now controller-friendly

• Control scheme is displayed in Settings -> Controller

• We had to adjust the menu structure slightly to support this, but it should feel smoother overall

New Location - Tears District

A new area has been added before entering the Endless Palace: Tears District.
This will serve as a hub space, where quest-related characters will appear in future updates. For now - explore. Something’s already moving out there...

Audio & Music Update

• BERENICE’s singing has been reworked - richer, more haunting, closer to her intended sound

• Ambient sound design added: background music now shifts depending on what spawns in the procedural room (enemies, upgrades, items)

The result: a more reactive and layered atmosphere throughout.

Performance Improvements & Optimization

• Baked lighting in some areas

• Reduced texture sizes

• Simplified materials

• Cleaned up level clutter and made some geometry more static
  -> All of this gives a performance boost, especially on mid-range systems.

  But optimization is still ongoing.

Character Controls

• Sprint is now toggled with a single press - no need to hold the button

• Herman is no longer locked to camera movement - you can now turn and move freely

New Boss Model - The Hunged One (Palace Vaults Section)

The boss in the Palace Vaults has been reworked to reflect the original artistic vision.
Meet The Hung One - a towering four-legged creature suspended by hundreds of wires in a frozen illusion of order. A monstrous relic of architectural obsession.

Its cracked skin reveals ropes and hooks instead of muscle.
The skull is bare - stretched like a spire.
Once a symbol of stability, now a grotesque monument to control and decay.

Balance Tweak

• Mayor of Edinburgh now heals much less - the fight is more fair and intense.

Visual Touches

• Small art and lighting improvements across several areas

• Minor refinements to level composition (no spoilers)

Localization Fixes

• Most issues with English–Russian localization have been resolved.
  Menus, settings, UI, and in-game texts should now display correctly depending on your language selection.

☺️ Thank you for playing

We're still working — but this is a big step forward.
Let us know what you think of 1.2 in the discussions - we read everything.

- SATORI Ent. Team