Thanks to all the feedback since release, I returned to update this demo so that it better reflects the progress I have made on the game as a whole in the past few months. Because of all the changes, fixes, and additions, I'm much happier with what new and returning players will be experiencing in this demo.

Even after sharing the demo initially, there were many things about it I wasn't really satisfied with. A lot of those things had to do with the inevitable comparison myself and many others would be making to the first ever demo - which was generally better received than this one. Considering that first demo was more a vertical slice, it makes sense that the actual Area 1 presented in this demo wouldn't be quite so filled, but its simple and straightforward nature still left it lacking in it's own right. Probably the most substantial addition made to this demo then, is the new ending.

When I released the second demo, it was shortly before I began work on Area 2 - the swamp. Because of this, the new transition from the forest to the swamp wasn't finished yet and didn't make it into the demo. Instead, the player reaches the campfire past the church or from within the depths, reflects for a moment at the fireside, then is rudely surprised by the witches scream in the distance. Ending the demo there probably left a lot of players unsatisfied and rightfully so. That whole event was created solely for the demo and felt pretty cheap because of it, especially when compared to either of the first demo's much more eventful endings. Now that work on the swamp is coming to a close, I have long since had that transitional area included in the game. So with this new update, after the player reaches the campfire, they continue on through the forest until sunrise and make their way into the swamp.

After I put up the last demo release, I was eager to finally see people's playthroughs and watch their reactions of this all new Area 1. Because of the branching nature of the first demo, most players only got to see around half of what was actually in there. To correct this, and to save me from working twice as much on content most people would only see half of, the new design of the game is mostly linear and the last demo reflects that. Despite this however, I noticed a common trend in players sprinting through the demo and missing a lot of the points of interest I had created. I think this mainly has to do with the length of the area and the fact that the player can run through most of it with out being impeded. That makes running the best way to complete the demo and there's no immediate need for the player to stop and look around.

Memory Reflections are little shining collectables spread throughout the game to hopefully encourage players to slow down and be more observant while they explore. They could be anywhere and aren't always obvious so I think players will find that it pays to be more carful while moving from area to area. To add a bit of value to these collectables, I have integrated them with the campfire scenes which until now didn't have much purpose from a design point of view. If the player has collected any of the area's Reflections, the knight will throw a bit of his body into the fire to reveal unique imagery connected with the memories. In the case of the demo, the images shed a little light on the significance of love and murder and how that relates to the soul. As for the rest of the game, I plan on sharing more of the lore and backstory in this same way.

Being equal parts a strength and a weakness, the enemy undead added a lot of interest to the original demo but were likely the cause of the most frustration for players. By the time I was ready to launch the second demo, I hadn't yet touched on the enemy behavior or fighting mechanics of the game so I left them out. Since then, the enemies and combat system have all received their long due attention and I'm much more confidant in sharing them with new players. In addition to the updates and changes, I thought it would also be necessary to tutorialize the fighting mechanics early on so that when the player encountered an enemy, they wouldn't feel so helpless and ultimately frustrated. That tutorial comes in the form of an in-world practice dummy. I wanted to avoid explaining the mechanics through text so I created the dummy to encourage experimentation. Acting as a bit of a puzzle with some progression ques, the dummy will eventually drop it's own Memory Reflection once the player has used all four of their attacks on it. Like the Reflections themselves, this tutorial is optional and the player may forego the collectable and skip it entirely.

There are plenty of other changes, fixes, and additions present in this new demo but maybe they are better left to be played rather than read about here. While I'm much more satisfied with this revised demo and the impression it aught to leave with new players, those returning from the last demo may not find it all that worth it to run through again. Still, if you have a spare half hour and want to see what's new, there's no better time to do so than now! And who knows, maybe you'll find something you might have missed on top of everything else.

Before I leave you, I'd like to take a moment to say thank you! It truly means everything that I have you to even write to let alone play my game. After all this time, it still surprises me to know I've had people following the project since the beginning and sticking around through all my difficulties and absences. I think many independent developers can relate when I say that it's sometimes difficult to believe in myself over the course of this long journey so it's all the more important to know there are fans of my work who believe in me. For that, I'm eternally grateful!

And for anyone who's interested, I've been posting weekly progress on the game over on my Patreon. I'm not able to make this game on my own and the support I get from patrons will allow me to finish Of Love and Eternity. At the time of writing, I'm a bit over half of the way to reaching my first goal which would mean I can sustain my living through the Patreon and focus completely on Of Love. If you would like and are able to, consider becoming a patron yourself.

patreon.com/acornbringer

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy the updated demo and I'll see you around.