Version 0.2 out with a lot of new contents!

A much overdue update is finally out, introducing new levels, new enemies, new game mechanics and (last but not least) the first boss.

Unfortunately I've been really busy at work, thus I postponed this update several months beyond the planned date. My apologies for the considerable delay. Properly testing the newly introduced game features took a lot of time, too. I hope this will be a solid (almost) bug-free foundation to build the final game upon in 2024.

Version 0.2 .0 introduces new game mechanics:

Game Hub - Unlocked after the first 3 levels, this is a safe area where the player can:

• buy skills, upgrades and potions
• travel to other areas (provided they are already unlocked)
• get visual hints about the game story 

Once unlocked, the player can enter the Hub from every checkpoint (and then get back to the same checkpoint).

Hero Skills - The player can rely upon 3 special abilities to fight tough monsters. They drain out the newly introduced Rage (blue) bar, so the player has to strike with the sword in order to replenish it (that is, in short: strike hard -> replenish Rage bar -> use skills -> repeat).

• Berserk - Enter a state of fury, doubling the sword damage. It drains quickly the Rage bar while active, so use it carefully.
• Magic Shield - A force field surrounds the hero, protecting from the hardest blows. It lasts only 15 seconds (good things aren't meant to last, are they?).
• Cast Fireball - A basic spell, launching a flame projectile in a straight line from the hero's hand. It delivers moderate damage at impact.
• Armour upgrade - Not properly a skill, this is a passive reduction of incoming damage. It can be upgraded three times, up to 30% damage reduction.

Skills aren't available at start, the player has to unlock them in the Hub in exchange for dark crystals, gained killing monsters. 

Game design side-note: skills can all be unlocked in a single game, no mutual exclusions: the full array of skills will be useful to overcome the challanges of the late game stages. Which skill to obtain first depends on the player's choice.

Other new game mechanics:

Poisoning & antidotes - Some attacks poison the hero,  which means continuous loss of health during time for a certain duration. Antidote potions stop immediatly the effect of poison.

Ranged attacks - A few monsters will lauch projectiles against the hero (mages for now). They are usually weak, but their bullets can deal a lot of damage.

Explosive barrels - as the name implies, they can explode causing a huge amount of damage both to the hero and to the monsters. If you trigger one of those with a sword blow, you have 3 seconds to get away (advice: explosives are very sensitive to fireballs).

Shortcuts - Open paths to traverse a level easily, should you play it again.

Alongside new elements, I made some improvements and polishing to the game graphics and gameplay. I will update the video trailer soon to reflect the new features. 

Previous save games should be fine, but I couldn't test this for sure and I advise you to start a fresh New Game.

As always, I wish you're going to enjoy the game. Comments are welcome, so I can improve the game balance and solve bugs.