Chapter 3 - Update - Version 0.35

This update doesn’t introduce new story content, but it includes several important fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and groundwork for upcoming chapters.

This update doesn't bring any new story content but fixes a few issues and brings quite a few improvements to the game as well as laying some ground work for the next Chapters. 

I hope everything runs smoothly, but if you encounter any other errors, don’t hesitate to let me know. Your feedback helps keep the game at its best!

Improvements/Features

• The Phone icon now shows useful information (day, time, and money) when hovered.
• Wallpapers: You can now set any picture from the gallery as your phone wallpaper. The phone's layout has been slightly improved accordingly.
• Gallery: Hovering over a picture now gives hints on how to unlock it. All images now display a number, making it easier to discuss them with others.
• Champions are no longer immune to control effects! If your champion is controlled, any ability depending on them becomes unavailable (currently applies to attacks, but a lot more interactions are coming).
• Saving During Battles: You can now save during battles! However, loading that save will restart the battle from the beginning. This solution offers a fair middle ground and feels better than disabling battle saves entirely.
• Balance: Many units have received stat adjustments — overall, most Crit and Agility values have been reduced, abilities have been strengthened, and several units have had their identity better defined to support a more balanced, and enjoyable gameplay experience. Read more below.
• Splash damage is now implemented in battles in preparation for the next Chapters. For now, only the Bowman uses it, but more cards will follow...
• Improved the way controls, Champion's armor and resistance and dots are displayed during battles.
• Double crits have been eliminated (they were extremely rare, but technically possible).
• All Champion cards have been optimized.
• Multiple screen optimizations for smoother performance.
• Optimized how battles handle images — this removed many unnecessary files, making the game lighter overall (the difference will grow with future updates).
• The Walkthrough now includes the locations of all pictures.
• Sauna's update: Once you've seen everyone else, it's now guaranteed you’ll see the girl more often than an empty sauna.

Fixes

• The “Study with Jenna” objective now correctly disappears from the To-Do app once exams are over.
• Fixed (again) a bug with the To-Do app after completing Chapter 3.
• Sam's deck is now correctly updating with game difficulty changes.
• Resolved an issue where clicking on the phone’s wallpaper changed the time.
• Fixed a bug with the battle hit sound not playing correctly.
• Ember’s contact info now always displays accurately.
• Sam’s contact info has been corrected (you may need to wait for a new event to see the update).
• Deck units now properly update to match the current difficulty settings and latest game version.
• Fixed an incorrect error message when clicking a stunned unit in battle.
• Bran’s Champion card has been fixed.
• Restarting a battle now keeps the same starting player as before.
• Resolved an issue where enemy health could drop below zero upon defeat.
• Fixed a bug that occurred when closing the map while scheduled to meet Ed at the end of Chapter 2.

A few players (3 in total) have reported potential softlock issues — I was only able to reproduce and fix two of them. If you encounter one, please don’t hesitate to reach out so I can investigate further.

Many thanks to everyone who took the time to report bugs and help improve the game!

More about the Balance

The goal of the game is to be fun, challenging, and for every card to feel useful. Ideally, most cards should be appealing enough that you want to experiment with new combinations and decks.

While I’m already quite happy with the current balance — especially seeing how players have quite different views on what the “best” cards are — I’ll keep refining things to ensure each card has a clear identity and the game stays both fair and enjoyable.

This update brings two main balance changes:

• Lower Crit and Agility values: While polls showed most players were fine with the existing RNG, testers and I agreed that with new mechanics, units, and higher-tier cards coming, the game doesn't need such high crit/dodge rates if their not part of the Card's identity. This should reduce randomness and improve tactical clarity.
• Improved Ability reliability: Most abilities have been strengthened or made more consistent. The goal is to ensure they feel impactful and strategically worth using — not just small bonuses. Whether it’s stealing crystals or dealing poison damage, abilities should influence your decisions and open up new ways to play.

These changes are still subject to future adjustments. I’ll continue paying close attention to player strategies and feedback, and working closely with testers to ensure the game remains fun, fair, and balanced.