2人のプログラマーだけで活動しているインディー開発スタジオ。現在、横スクロールRPGを開発中。
An independent development studio with only two programmers, currently developing a Side-Scrolling RPG game.
One of the bigger changes in v2.08 was for Looking Mirror World.
For a while, this counter skill felt a little harder to use than I wanted. The reward was definitely there — a successful Perfect Parry can take away a huge chunk of the enemy’s stamina and push them into Break — but finding the right timing in real combat was not always easy.
After thinking about it for quite some time, I decided to let Looking Mirror World cancel the recovery of normal attacks.
This makes it possible to trade blows with an enemy, then immediately use Looking Mirror World to counter the next part of their combo. Of course, like in any action game, you still need to learn the enemy’s attack patterns.
Overall, the skill feels much better now.
I’m also planning to add some equipment that strengthens Looking Mirror World in the future, such as recovering HP or Red Magic Element after a successful parry.
Here’s a simple clip showing that flow in action.
#HopeTrigger #IndieGame #Steam #EarlyAccess #2DAction #RPG
Hope Trigger v2.08 Update
Added the new affix “Runecaster”, the new area “A Cradle for the Past”, and the new Another World skill “Guiltblade: Final Law”.
This update also adds “Command Sync”, which slightly increases the input window for Burst and Another World skills, making them easier to chain into combos.
The attached clip shows “Guiltblade: Final Law” in action.
More details
👉 https://t.co/I7hTkve5JQ
Dev Log
This update adds a new Another World skill, “Guiltblade: Final Law”.
The idea behind this skill is something I had been thinking about for a long time:
how can normal physical attacks become more than just a simple three-hit Combo, and instead form a more interesting damage loop?
In the past, after finishing a normal attack string, the player usually had to dodge, back away, or wait for the next opening.
But I always felt that if normal attacks had one more active follow-up option, the rhythm of melee physical classes could become much more interesting.
That is where “Guiltblade: Final Law” comes from.
This skill can be chained immediately after Original Sin moves and cancel their recovery.
If the current Combo Count is 3 or higher, the skill’s damage will be increased, and activating it will reset the Combo Count.
In other words, this is not simply a “fourth hit” added to the normal attack string.
Instead, it lets players choose the right moment during a three-hit Combo to cancel recovery and follow up with another attack, adding more variation to the flow of combat.
After trying it in-game, melee physical classes feel more interesting to play.
Attacking is no longer just “finish the string, then dodge.”
Now there are more things to think about:
Should I chain into the skill here?
Should I build the Combo Count to 3 first?
Would using it now make my damage loop more efficient?
That feeling of constantly deciding the next step while attacking is something I had wanted to add for a long time.
In future updates, I plan to gradually add more skills based on a similar concept.
Most of them will keep the idea of canceling normal attack recovery, but each may add different effects, such as absorbing red magic elements, reducing certain skill cooldowns, or creating other combat variations.
This is only the first step.
I will continue improving the feel and damage rhythm of melee physical classes from other directions as well.
#HopeTrigger #IndieGame #Steam #EarlyAccess #2DAction #RPG
Hope Trigger v2.07
Update
Added Combo UI display, along with new affixes, a new area, and new magic.
• Combo count can now be checked directly from the UI
• New affix added: Veilwalker
• New area unlocked: The Church Within the Apple
• New affix added: Goddess's Blessing
• New magic added: Tempest Bloom
• Partial adjustments made to the Command affix
More details
👉 https://t.co/4Z1kYVbfjH
Dev log:
In this update, we added a new battle UI element that shows the current Combo count.
The reason is pretty simple: some affixes now use Combo hits as part of their effects.
For example, one of the Archer-related affixes added earlier increases its extra damage based on the Combo count.
But after adding that kind of effect, I realized there was a small problem:
If the UI doesn’t show enough information, players may not even know whether the effect is actually working 😂
With this new Combo UI, the current Combo count is now easier to check during combat.
We’re also planning to add buff icon displays in a future update, so effects like attack power increases can be shown more clearly when they are active.
#HopeTrigger #IndieGame #Steam #EarlyAccess #2DAction #RPG
👇The video below showcases the newly added Combo UI.
@starhoundstudio Thank you!
Sometimes things feel completely different once you actually play them, and that’s exactly when the “Who designed this?” moment happens 🤣
Hope Trigger Dev Log
Over the past few days, besides working on the second phase of the story, I’ve also been developing a new bow magic skill.
The new bow magic uses the wind element.
After an arrow hits a target, it sequentially summons two tornadoes near the impact area.
The current idea is for it to work as an AoE-focused magic skill for clearing groups of enemies, though I’ll still need some time to test and see how effective it actually feels in gameplay.
Next, I’ll be moving on to designing two new enemy types, along with their attack skills and AI behaviors.
Right now, I imagine their difficulty being somewhere around medium level… but once the actual balancing starts, who knows how things will turn out.
There’s always a chance that during testing, even I’ll end up yelling:
“Who designed this terrible game?”🤣
#HopeTrigger #IndieGame #GameDev #2DAction #RPG
👇The video below showcases the new bow magic.
Hope Trigger v2.06
Update
1. New area: “Sunlit Candy House”
A place that feels warm… but something isn’t right.
2. New quest added in Eclipse Temple,
along with a new affix “Sniper” based on the Archer’s third-tier class.
More details
👉 https://t.co/lt4TNyoZ08
Dev log:
This time, I finally finished the first stage of all four storylines.
It took a bit longer than expected.
This part mainly focuses on the past of a key character.
After completing it, players can obtain materials used to upgrade classes,
so the Archer’s third-tier class, “Sniper”, is now available.
From testing, Sniper’s clearing speed has improved noticeably.
This is mainly because combo buildup is faster,
and when paired with builds that scale damage with combo count, the improvement becomes quite clear.
Next, I’ll continue working on the second stage of the story,
and will also gradually unlock third-tier classes for other classes.
#HopeTrigger #IndieGame #Steam #EarlyAccess #2DAction #RPG
Hope Trigger Dev Log
Recently, I’ve been working on some new Warrior build directions.
One of the clearer directions right now is a “low HP / high risk” playstyle,
where the lower your HP is, the stronger you become in combat.
However, there was a problem I kept running into during the design process:
how to let players lower their HP intentionally,
while still maintaining a dangerous state without instantly dying.
After looking at some other games,
I came up with a few possible directions:
-Gaining Red Magic Elements also grants some form of healing
-Reduced damage taken during certain attack animations
-Some powerful attacks consume the player’s own HP
I’ll be exploring these ideas further and see how they develop.
We’ll see if this eventually turns into a playstyle
where you’re constantly dancing on the edge of death 😂
…while the dev team keeps adjusting the numbers.
#HopeTrigger #IndieGame #GameDev #2DAction #RPG
Hope Trigger v2.05
Update
• New area “Eclipse Temple” (Partially available)
Explore the ruins and uncover what happened in the past through scattered journals.
• BGM updated in this area to enhance atmosphere
• Healing / Potion adjustment
→ Getting hit while drinking will no longer consume the potion if no healing is applied
• Buff duration adjustments for certain classes
→ Improved combat pacing and skill timing
More details
👉 https://t.co/SGvcsL8kQU
Dev Log
Recently, I’ve been adjusting the buff system.
Previously, buff durations were quite long,
so once applied, you could mostly ignore them—
they almost felt like passive effects.
At first it actually felt pretty good,
but over time, combat started to lose some depth,
because there was less need to think about
when to reapply buffs or when to act.
The overall pacing became a bit too flat.
So this time, I made some adjustments to the durations
to bring back more rhythm and decision-making during combat.
(In short, you can’t just leave them on forever anymore 😂)
#HopeTrigger #IndieGame #Steam #EarlyAccess #2DAction #RPG
Hope Trigger – Dev Log
Recently, I’ve been working on new environments and story content,
spending quite a bit of time on worldbuilding and map design.
At the same time, I’ve also been adjusting the healing system.
Previously, using a potion would immediately consume it,
but if you got hit at the exact moment of drinking,
it would result in:
Drink → Get hit → Potion gone → No healing
When I first noticed this during testing, I actually found it kind of funny.
At the time, I thought it might be fine—maybe even a “feature” of the game.
But as development went on, I kept getting killed by this myself.
Looking at it from a player’s perspective, it’s honestly pretty frustrating 😅
So I decided to adjust this design.
The game is already challenging enough in other areas,
so at least for something like this, it should feel more intuitive.
I’m currently updating the logic
to make healing behavior more consistent and avoid situations like this.
Designs that seem funny at first but end up frustrating players—
I’ll need to be more careful with them in the future 😂