Hey folks, I realized I never put the second update here, that's my bad :

Overview:

1. Continued planning for Playtest/Demo
2. Added a new Combat Encounter: The Hivemind
3. Added functionality that allows for enemies to start at dynamic HP values
4. Updated Mutated Status to indicate how likely it is you can knock a character out of the Mutated state
5. Updated Fire-point of long-term status effects

Structure, dev focus. and the Playtest

The game's structure has been semi-finalized - before I was thinking of the game just beign a bunch of fights, then the final boss, but I wanted to have a bit of a "milestone" type system set up. I am approaching the process as a 3-act system, where a set number of fights will separate 3 consistent boss battles that make up the pieces of the main husk/body you are trying to take power from. The playtest is still slated for June, I'm working now on the non-combat encounters as well as the unlockable moves and upgrade systems. There may not be a lot of visual flare to show off, but I think with asset creation being scaled down for the both of those I might be able to show quite a bit more next update.

A muffled buzzing cascades down the halls.
The Hivemind is a factory of flesh, churning out expendable Mawquitos and slowing its prey as it tries to flee the buzzing horde. The Mawsquitos feed on anything they can, tiny bites adding up as they return blood to strengthen their host. Making minions doesn't go without strain, and in time Hive Mind is forced to drop its defenses, revealing it's core to bolster its brood. The sight alone throws the Mawsquitos into a frenzy, and with the added aggression comes new buffs and attacks. Beat down the growing tide, strike at the weakest points, and you might make it out alive.

• Added New Enemy: Mawsquito - a weak and flimsy utility character, that gets more aggressive when the Hive Mind changes stages.
• Added New Enemy: Hive Mind - a sturdy utility/debuff character that changes into an exposed long-term buffer for its Mawsquitos.

Dynamic HP Values

Enemies can now start at any HP value separate from their Max HP value. For future encounters this allows for a catered "Flow" to be much more achievable. In the case of The Hivemind, this was used to set player's focus directly on Hive Mind, both to give a chance to understand it was functionally immortal, and also give a round of setup if the player has the utilities to do so. In the future this will be used for encounters focusing on elements such as enemies that start "dead", enemies that have different phases/pieces that come in at different points, or enemies that split up.

Updates to Mutation States and Status Effects

Mutation is a pretty important mechanic that I wanted to make a bit clearer - enemies that are mutated have a chance to be knocked out of their mutated state; before this update that information was obscured. Now the Mutation effect has a bit more information, specifically stating the general resistance to being knocked out of the Mutated status, from "Low" when any hit is about guaranteed to disrupt them, to "absolute" when it's borderline impossible.

Status effects that are meant to last multiple turns now apply at a slightly different point in the turn order, being added after the current list of effects fires off and counts down. This was to fix a design issue where a status effect that lasted for 1 action would immediately fire off and go away. This fixes short term buffs/debuffs, and also makes it so if a character applies a bleed or regeneration effect on themselves, it will only start ticking down during later turns.

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This upcoming  update is pretty large, and was full of some growing pains as I figured out processes like writing flows and such. I hope to get that to you guys about mid-month, if everything goes right. Thanks as always for your support and interest!