HorrorVale has received a rather large patch! Although no major content additions are present, a lot of things have been polished, as well as some commonly requested features added.
Technical Changes
-D-Pad is now supported by default on Xbox controllers
-Integrated Xbox controllers much more comprehensively with a better layout and in-game Keyboard button prompts replaced with Xbox buttons
-Added a brand new Sort Item feature that allows you to sort by Type, Alphabetically, Oldest to Newest, or Newest to Oldest
-Added a new Fast Animations feature that allows you to speed up animations in battle (excludes important ones)
Bugs
-Fixed a layering issue with the Trampolines in HorrorVale Heights
-Fixed an issue where beating an enemy in the DracCorp Blood Bank during the blackout event could result in the black overlay remaining on screen indefinitely
-Fixed an issue where frame drops could occur after recruiting many Party Members
-Fixed an issue where the game could crash when performing specific actions (Notable example: Juno's 4444)
-Fixed an issue where using Alice's computer after obtaining the Stubborn Ghost's House Key would delete the key overlay
-Fixed an issue where multiple house keys could be obtained from the chest puzzle in Skeleton Manor
-Fixed an issue where a dark overlay applied when visiting the Forgotten Mansion would persist outside of it
-Fixed an issue where Marty referred to his Deathday as a "Birthday" (whatever THAT is...)
-Fixed an issue where a puddle of corrosive goop had incorrect collision in DracCorp Blood Bank
-Fixed an issue where the Act 2 Boss had an incorrect defeat animation
-Fixed an issue where the player couldn't check Sugar Rush in the States Tooltip
-Fixed an issue where the Frog King Medallion did not resist Blind
-Fixed an issue where the map could display the incorrect room in Dracula Manor
-Fixed an issue where exiting the Blood in the Bog at a specific frame after being touched by October Red's lights would allow the player to noclip
-Fixed an issue where certain enemies in HorrorVale Castle were incorrectly given a Party Member's ability
-Fixed an issue where re-drawing the leftmost card in Black Jack for Dummies/Hades of Spades would always result in being given the same card
-Fixed an issue where there was a single transparent pixel on Eva's face
-Fixed an issue where enemies could still move while under the effect of the Time Vortex
-Fixed an issue where beating a boss in the Dream Colosseum too fast could crash the game
-Fixed an issue where sometimes the 4444 Curse state wouldn't apply properly
-Fixed an issue where Juno's 4444 move could be done in quick succession if used against bosses in the DC
-Fixed the icon for Juno's 4444 in the skill list to the proper version
-Fixed an issue where enemies in the Dark Moon sidequest didn't have the proper weaknesses
-Fixed an issue where George's dead sprite wasn't displaying properly
-Fixed an issue where enemies transformed by Plum or Fig's abilities wouldn't have their graphic reset properly when the state is removed
-Fixed an issue where the Ultra Flu wasn't available for purchase anywhere
Balancing
-Changed the max buff/debuff to 2 instead of 3 (please note that this by extension acts as a slight nerf for characters like Jackie, while also preventing some enemies from spamming debuffs until you can barely damage them)
-Buffed a few early Act 1 Enemies ever so slightly
-Mothman & Bigfoot have been buffed slightly in their encounters at the Bone Zone and Drac Corp
-The Tasteless Netherling will now use Dark Blast significantly less often
-Juno's Death Rattle can now only be used in battle
-Buffed Sir Knightmare
-Gwen's "Fortify" Ability will now induce Provoke
-Added new upgraded version of Gwen's chips at end-game Jiang locations
-Buffed Jack's Ultimate
-Jack's ability "Gangster's Greed" will now last a turn longer and also boost his attack slightly
-Gave Kenneth a starter weapon
-Buffed Fig's ability "Blood Transfusion"
-Fig's ability "Boomerang" is now much more likely to inflict Confusion
-Fig's ability "Sleeping Powder" will now apply to ALL enemies
-Sleep now lowers Defense by Half
-Millie's "Scavenge" move now costs much less to perform
-Buffed Eva's move "Invisible Anvil"
-Lowered the defenses of the enemies fought in "Fire and Lightning" slightly
-Buffed the Drunk status effect to a 50% damage increase instead of 25%
-Changed the way the damage formula for Juno's "Spirit Shot" works so it scales with her stats
-Buffed some of the Carnival Weapons
-The Joy Status Effect will slowly charge SP as well now
Misc Changes
-Some minor polish here and there not worth mentioning
-Added the option to teleport in a few places in Wraps' Second Quest to speed things along
-Added icons for Stat Buffs/Debuffs
-Updated the visuals for the Graves in battle so State/Buff icons are out of the way of the Nameplates
-Adjusted the flashing during the end of Mask Guy's quest to not be so intense as well as gave Tall Guy his bust from the Second Quest
-When Recording a Creepy, Mask Guy will now instantly learn the move instead of giving you a tape
-Record also has a proper animation now
-Updated Nessie's sprite to be a bit more in line with her Act M appearance
-Added new icons to abilities to showcase whether the move is Physical (scales with Attack), Supernatural (scales with Fear Attack), or Neither
-Also added a new Tutorial book for Advanced Combat that covers SP, Phys/Sup Abilities, and Ultimates. (This technically takes the slot for Moments in the Diary, so if you've already collected that Book, you'll need to go to the Deep Woods and collect it again)
-Updated transitions in Skeleton Manor to fade in/out like every other transition in the game
-Added an eating animation when using Jewel Candies for better feedback
-Added Bats flying around to various points in the game for visual flavor
-Increased the brightness in the Withering Woods and Deep Woods areas by 35%
-Made some of the trees evil
-Added some floating Wisps to the HorrorVale Heights and Deep Woods for visual flavor
-Also added some fog to the Deep Woods
-Remade the overworld sprite for Officer Smoggy to be more compact
-Added signs in the HVPD Vents that should help players who don't realize the first floor vents have three exits
-Added a Red Coffin outside of a mysterious shack in town
-Added a new "Minigame Difficulty" option that makes minigames that require fast reaction time less punishing
-Added new portraits for various vendors and notable NPCs including Marie, Fritz, Hood Dude, Grave Hands, and Jackie Lohp
-Updated the sprite for Alice throwing the rock
-Dance Shoes will now increase Evasion instead of granting resistance to Trapped (a state that doesn't exist)
-After defeating the first Secret Boss, she will now tell you to visit her to buy the item you're looking for
-Klaus has new dialogue after rejecting or accepting his offer instead of just repeating it
-Added a black coffin deep in Gumdrop Gulch Mine
-Added Bus Stops in the Withering Woods that can be unlocked after completing Act 2
-Made it easier to run away from the Succubus and Incubus in West HorrorVale
-The Mystery Grotto will now only be available if the player has been to the Pumplin Village at least once to avoid confusion
-Gave the Time Vortex State a unique icon
-Skippy's Save/Load State abilities will now save and load States as well as DP.
-The Ghost Pepper found in the Dracula Manor basement is more visible now
-Made the bag on the table during "The Tale of Two Crows" more visible
-Adjusted Bolt's attack animation to reduce flashing
-In the Quest "Where We Belong", Gwen will now specify that A Friend can be found in an abandoned building in the Woods.
-Defeating all 12 Nymphs will unlock a teleport shortcut in Gallows Grove that takes you right to the Mother Nymph grove
-Added new unique animations for Dark Blast, Blood Blast, Frost Blast, and Smoke Blast
-Made it easier to differentiate a ramp in the Military Zone from a wall
-Added a new NPC in the Act 4 cafeteria that will recycle Duds into Unknown Ingredients
-Plum now has optional dialogue after defeating a certain Secret Boss
-Added a new "Scarecrow Mask" Key Item. It can be used to change the appearance of a certain Party Member outside of battle. If you already have this Party Member recruited, interact with any Save Coffin with them in your party to get it
-The last party member's move "Disarray" and its "Fixed" equivalent have been changed to restore all DP, and can be used on allies
MAJOR SPOILER CHANGES:
-Created a proper cut off spot for when Act 4 ends and Act 5 begins, complete with brand new art and curtain scene. This is intended to help players understand that there's a bit more game left than they might think.
-Also removed some "finality" to text when entering the maintenance shaft and the main rift entrance
-Act 5 also now has its own tab in Alice's diary. If you have a previous save that already completed the game, you might find Act 5 text in the Act 4 tab still, just ignore it. Visiting a Red Coffin at least once will fix it.
Notes about Minigame Easy Mode
This DOES apply to:
-The chase segment in the Senior Realm
-Segments involving the Floatshroom
-The bottom of the well segments in Dracula Manor and Juno's Quest
-The Huntress hunt segments
-The boat minigame & its Act 4 equivalent
This does NOT apply to optional minigames such as:
-Carnival Games (The Netherduck shooting game is planned to be reworked in a later update)
-The Balloon version of the boat minigame