Hey everyone! 

Things are hectic as we juggle our day jobs and the push to get the holiday update out. We're still aiming for a release this year!

Holiday Cheer

This update will be smaller in scope, focused on bringing festive cheer to the Academy. You'll be able to help various characters decorate their locations for the holidays.

New Game Mode: Major Changes

The biggest change coming in this update is the replacement for the "Journey" mode, which we previewed in a previous devlog. We've made significant progress and also refined some aspects of the original concept:

• Expanded Exploration: The play area is no longer limited by the screen edges (as in our Brotato reference). You'll now have a much larger environment to freely explore.
• Resource Gathering: Special objects will appear on the map, allowing you to gather resources for the main gameplay loop and experience points for leveling up.
• Final Boss Showdown: Instead of waves of enemies, a timer will count down to the appearance of a final boss.
• Level-Up Progression: Instead of choosing upgrades between waves, you'll now select upgrades upon leveling up.
• Experience and Leveling: Gain experience and level up by collecting dust dropped by slain monsters or found in special objects throughout the environment.

We believe these changes will make exploration more meaningful and sessions faster-paced.

Thanks for your continued support! We're doing our best to meet your expectations.