Replayability: March 2024 Dev Log

Hey everyone, we're back with another URAGONER dev update! This time, we're diving into replayability – how we're making each tower run a unique and exciting experience.

What's a "tower run"?

In URAGONER, your mercenary company takes on missions like assassination, espionage, and more. The city of Sokbu is dominated by towering skyscrapers, giving most missions the name "tower run". Of course, some missions might take you to sprawling complexes instead! In URAGONER, this is represented by a hexagonal grid which would be familiar to fans of games such as 4X strategy games like Civilization and gacha games such as Blue Archive and Honkai Star Rail. Clearing (or skipping) each floor and reaching the top of the tower is the primary goal for each tower run.

Your squad, represented by smol Eri, walking into a battle encounter tile.

Making Every Run Unique

In every tower run, you'll face your target high in the building's peaks. They'll send minions, bodyguards, and obstacles to slow you down. But don't worry! You'll have a few tricks up your sleeve:

• Modifiers: You begin with a random free modifier, a special buff that shapes your entire run. Combine synergistic modifiers for powerful combos, or take cursed modifiers for a real challenge! You'll find more modifiers by defeating tough enemies or opening treasure nodes.

You start a run with a free random modifier every time.

A clearer look at modifiers.

Modifiers come in different rarities; here is an example of a legendary modifier.

• Upgrades: Upgrades are permanent power-ups for your characters. Unlike modifiers, they stick with you between runs! These are rarer and found in the same ways as modifiers, or purchased at shops.

  Upgrades visible at the shop, showing up as different rarities with a special effect around the legendary upgrade.

A close look at an upgrade chip.

• Shops: Earn currency by winning battles and spend it in shops scattered throughout the towers. Bigger payouts require taking on riskier battles, but you might miss out on a crucial upgrade from the store if you choose to take the safe route early on, potentially killing a run. And hey, check this out – we're adding patron-submitted characters as random shopkeepers!

An example of an NPC at a shop selling upgrades and modifiers. Rerolling the shop changes what the shop carries, for a price.

Finally, here's a look at our new treasure box opening animation...

Gacha addicts should enjoy this one!

That's all for now! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for even more gameplay updates next month.