A Discussion on Combat - Part 2: What Does 2.0 Combat do different? (Patreon)

Welcome to part 2 of this series! As mentioned in part 1 a compiled version of both posts will be posted as a devlog on Itchio later this week. If you haven't read part 1 you don't need to.

This post will be focused on explaining and examining how combat will be evolving from the current 1.0 demo builds to the full release 2.0 version.

Now while I COULD jump straight into the new combat mechanics I'd like to take a step back and examine how the game has changed in more of a chronological order. To begin we'll look at a brand new sequence that occurs once Red exits the Witch's domain.

Upon taking the first steps on your Journey Red will now awaken the soul of the Fool. This will be your first introduction to the new Arcana system. But what exactly does it mean?

Well we can first head over to our inventory. Here we can see that Red's equipment has been changed. In 1.0 builds Red had 3 Accessory slots. In 2.0 Red will only have 2. That third slot is now taken up by the Arcana slot. Here you can pick any available Soul you've awoken and equip it, granting Red the abilities of that soul. If you've played any game that used a class or job change system then you should have a good idea of where this is going and how it will work.

Each Arcana will drastically alter the way that you play the game. They each have their own stats, unlockable skills, weaknesses, and even effect what weapons and armor Red will be able to equip.

A new item has also been added to Red's inventory. You'll be able to find the Arcana Mirror in your Key Items section. This item will allow you to view and adjust any unlocked Arcana Souls on the fly. Essentially as long as you can access the menu, you'll be able to swap out your class and skills as you see fit. See a Shroom enemy in the distance? Set yourself up to have a Soul with Fire based skills. Is that an Imp? Better make sure you switch off that Soul that's weak to Wind damage.

This variability adds some much needed depth to combat. As in 1.0 with Red only having one default class, the options for weaknesses was pretty much impossible to manage. If for example I made her weak to fire I'd have to be VERY careful about any fire attacks enemies could use to maintain balance. Or else create items that negate her weakness and borderline become necessary. Now though the wide array of elements and damage types that Red can exploit are just as usable against her, with each Soul specializing in different areas and having built in weaknesses that different enemies can engage with to keep combat fresh and interesting.

When using the Arcana Mirror you'll be taken to the screen seen here. This is still in an early WIP stage but it gets the idea across. All 22 cards will be laid out, and any souls you've awakened will be turned over and visible. Simply select the Soul you'd like to edit to be brought to its upgrade screen. The Fool will be your default starting class, so let's focus on that one.

The Arcana screen displays your Rank and available skills. The Fool is a versatile class that covers all your bases and will generally be reliable at any stage of the game. At max Rank you'll have access to Wind magic, Healing magic, Buffs and Debuffs and a powerful Slashing attack that's always guaranteed to land a Critical Hit. Each class also comes with a built in Passive Skill that is always active. The Fool comes with the "EXP Rate Up" passive that generates more EXP in battle. At Rank 1 you'll also have access to the Skills Gale and Remedy. Gale is your basic weak Wind spell. And Remedy is your basic low healing spell. But at Rank 1 you can only choose to equip one of these skills at a time. As you Rank up to higher Ranks you wont just learn new Skills, you'll also increase the number of skills you can have active at once, with a maximum of 4 active skills.

The amount of options for player expression have now increased exponentially with just this one system. Due note however that Arcana skills can ONLY be accessed while Red is the corresponding class. You'll still need to progress on the Goddess skill trees if you want Skills that Red will always have access to. But with all this talk about Ranking up your class, I think it's about time we talk about how that functions.

Simply select the "Rank Up" button to see what it'll cost to reach your next rank, as well as your current materials on hand. To reach rank 2 you'll need 4 copies of the corresponding Arcana card, the Fool. These are indeed the cards you collect for defeating monsters.

However they aren't the SAME cards you're used to. I'm well aware that most players in 1.0 didn't engage with using these items. The randomness associated with them put people off, and the benefits being largely unnecessary left them to collect dust. Don't think that means you can easily rank up though. Each card has been MASSIVELY buffed to make the choice of spending them in battle, or hoarding them for future rank ups one to consider at all times.

Focusing on the Fool once more, lets compare the 1.0 and 2.0 versions of the item. In 1.0 when Upright this card would give Red minor buffs to her Attack, Evasion and Crit for 3 turns. In Reverse it would give minor buffs to her Counter and Reflection chances.

In 2.0 Upright will give Red a MASSIVE one turn boost to her Luck and Crit Rate, virtually guaranteeing you get a critical hit on your next move. And in Reverse likewise you'll practically guarantee a single Counter or Reflection on the enemies turn. Each option can easily turn the tide in a losing battle. But will it be worth it to use them? Or should you spend them on permeant increases to your fighting power by ranking up the related Class? The choice is yours. Oh yeah, just, one more thing. Tarot cards, and indeed, EVERYTHING. Now costs an action. There are no more items or skills that can be done for free. But that doesn't mean your turn will end if you need to heal.

Behold the new structure of Combat! Turn Counters! The crystals are currently a placeholder but effectively each Crystal you see in combat correlates to one "action." Every "team" in combat will always have at minimum 2 actions per turn. With these increasing for each combatant. Have Scarecrow in your party? Then your team gets 3 actions. Fighting a Vile Shroom? Then the enemy gets 5 actions. But the exploit system remains intact.

In this image you can see that Red still has 2 action crystals, but one is now broken half. Exploiting Weaknesses, or dealing a Critical Hit will not cost a full action, but instead only count as half an action. Meaning Red can at maximum have 4 actions per turn as a reward for skillful and smart play. But keep in mind enemies will get the same rewards. There's also a risk factor now. Missing or striking an enemy weakness will cost 2 actions instead of 1. Again this goes for both you and your enemies adding a lot more variety to build types and skill usage. Build a Red that focuses on evasion or counters too quickly end enemy turns. Or try to turn your 2 actions into 4 and beat down the enemy as effectively as you can.

All of the systems you're used to from 1.0 have been carried over into 2.0. Exploits to generate extra actions, tarot cards, reversal of fates, Evocation skills. They aren't always 1 to 1 but they are present. And most importantly player expression and choice now has far more meaning.

Combat no longer devolves into having the right magic ring to beat an enemy, but opting in to specific strategies and builds that come with risk and reward systems built in. Everything has been refocused around the games central, sole playable character without breaking the game when adding additional party members. And this is just scratching the surface.

There's still so much I'm working on behind the scenes to elevate these systems even further. But I hope you've enjoyed this first taste of 2.0 combat. I hope to share more with you soon. Until then, thank you so much for your continued support. And I can not wait to share the full experience with you later this year.