Greetings from Team Tapas!

With the 0.8.0 patch, we released our very first Epilogue Chapter (Epilogue 1). This update was about more than just adding a new stage. It was an important attempt for us to introduce and test a new system with a different tempo from our main story chapters.

While preparing Epilogue 1, we asked ourselves, “How can we make the game more fun while keeping it fresh?” and “How can we show our players the potential of the epilogue chapters?” As we challenged ourselves with preparing Epilogue 1, we were able to try new ideas while identifying areas that needed improvement. 

In this dev blog, we’d like to share our reflections as we created and changed Epilogue 1 and share the future direction of the game.

Epilogue 1 Dev Review

Compared to Chapters 1-4, Epilogue 1 has a much faster tempo that centers on creating and optimizing builds with the newly introduced Special Skill System. During production, we had a blast experimenting with a variety of ideas. However, we noticed a few problems.

The most notable issue was the Time-Attack System that we implemented during each boss battle. Compared to bosses in previous chapters, the Epilogue 1 bosses were designed with simpler and easier attack patterns. When we tested the game without the Time-Attack System, players were able to clear Epilogue 1 even with low stats, but the problem was that it took too long.

When players did not fully upgrade Sil and were on a low-spec playthrough, battles dragged on excessively and the game felt tedious. To prevent this, we introduced the Time-Attack System. However, the Time-Attack System also highlighted areas that needed improvement.

Issues with the Time-Attack System

The first issue with the Time-Attack System was that players often did not immediately realize that a time-attack was in effect during the boss fights. Although a clock UI appeared at the start of the battle, it was not very noticeable. So after the player ran out of time, many players did not understand why the boss suddenly used a wipe-out attack.

The second issue was that the Time-Attack System itself did not directly address the core issue that players had on a low-spec playthrough. We wanted to create mechanics that would encourage players to reach a certain level of stats to clear the game, but the Time-Attack System felt insufficient. We now realize that players would have had a better game experience if the difficulty had been adjusted more naturally through learning monster attack patterns, learning how to optimize builds, and improving the presentation of the boss battle. 

The last issue was that the base stats required to clear the boss within the set time was set a little too high. When designing the difficulty, we assumed players would have fully upgraded Sil while progressing through Chapters 1-4. In practice, however, many players reached Epilogue 1 without fully upgrading Sil. This meant that players often had to push Epilogue-exclusive upgrades to very high levels, which led to excessive repetition.

To address these issues in the 0.8.1 update, players can now increase their progress for certain achievements while playing Epilogue 1 and the Time-Attack UI has been made more visible during boss fights. We hope these changes will reduce confusion and give players a clearer sense of how to progress.

0.8.1 Patch Notes

• Improved the visibility of the UI that shows the remaining time in the Epilogue 1 boss battles.

• Progress for the following achievements can now also be earned in Epilogue 1:

  • Reach n Cumulative Boss Battle Clear(s) (n increases once per boss defeated)

  • Reach n Cumulative Normal Battle Clear(s) (n increases once per wave cleared)

  • Defeat Boss n time(s) using `Giant Scissors` (n increases once per boss defeated)

  • Defeat Boss n time(s) using `Magic Scissors` (n increases once per boss defeated)

  • Defeat Boss n time(s) using `Broken Scissors` (n increases once per boss defeated)

• Fixed an issue where the Leech Ring artifact caused abnormal damage scaling on the Leech spell.

• Fixed an issue in some challenge modes where the Difficulty Selection UI would not close with the ESC key. 

• Fixed a bug where the time limit gauge would not appear under certain conditions in some of the side missions.

• Fixed an issue where the scissors used in a side mission were forcibly equipped after playing the side mission and returning to another chapter.

• Fixed an issue where some of the attack patterns of the final boss in Epilogue 1 did not deal damage.

• Fixed various text and UI errors.

Future Update Roadmap

Currently, we are preparing Epilogue 2. After that, we plan to sequentially add Epilogue 3, rework existing chapters, improve Challenge Mode, expand Side Missions, and add a Card and Costume system. 

Epilogue 2

Our next update will introduce Epilogue 2, designed to emphasize the fun of optimizing builds while exploring a wide dungeon. Epilogue 2 will feature our most complex map, and in this map, you will be able to optimize your build and experience combat and growth in diverse ways.

The foundation of Epilogue 2 will be built on a new Artifact System. You will store dropped artifacts in a limited inventory and need to strategically choose which items to buy in shops and which items to upgrade through synthesis. The playstyle will be similar to deck-building games.

The Special Skill System will also be expanded. Building upon the system introduced in Epilogue 1, you will be able to gradually enhance special skills through artifacts and a growth system, allowing for even more build variety. 

Learning from our mistakes with Epilogue 1, Epilogue 2 will be designed to reduce the burden of repetitive play. It will focus more on in-combat growth and learning rather than permanent progression from upgrading Sil. Our goal is to make each run feel more meaningful and immersive.

Content Expansion

We also plan to improve Challenge Mode, expand Side Missions, and introduce a Card and Costume System. Based on certain playstyles you can achieve in each chapter, we plan to add in new ways to clear Challenge Mode and new Side Missions. The rewards will include new cards and costumes. Currently, the only way to experience Challenge Mode is by adjusting the difficulty of certain numbers. In the future, we will provide deeper strategic challenges and new goals.

Reworks of Existing Chapters

We plan to rework Chapters 1-4 and Epilogue 1.

Since Chapters 1-4 shape players’ first impressions of the game, we want to refine them with particular care. We aim to diversify normal monsters and room types, improve certain systems, expand build options, re-tune difficulty and growth curves, and improve overall balance for a smoother early-game experience.

As mentioned earlier with Epilogue 1, we also plan to improve the Time-Attack System. Rather than relying heavily on time limits, we will enhance the presentation of each boss battle and the design of their attack patterns so that players can naturally improve and learn how to optimize builds as they play the game.

Closing Remarks

In this dev blog, we shared the 0.8.1 patch notes, our reflections on Epilogue 1, and our future plans. Of course, there were many more ideas and challenges that we could have covered, and there are still many areas that we can improve on. But we wanted to focus on what is most important to us. You.

All of the feedback you’ve given us until now has become a tremendous source of support for us. We always strive to carefully review your comments on Steam, Discord and other channels, and the ideas and critiques you have provided have played a key role in shaping our game. In the future as well, we hope you will continue to support us.

We will continue to deliver new content and improvements so that your journey in Garden of Witches always feels fresh and enjoyable.

Thank you.