Thank you all for playing Rusted Moss! After hearing your feedback and bug reports, we have rolled out a hotfix which fixes several bugs that were affecting the playability of the game.
Bug fixes
Fixed enemies getting stuck in the ceiling in certain rooms
Fixed player sometimes getting stuck in certain rooms
Fixed Map Completion stat
Fixed softlock that occurred when talking to Hardmode Froy as Maya
Fixed menu double-input issue
Changes
Added more Mod functionality (For more info please visit Katspeak by kaisaii)
Added savefile backup code (For more info please visit this thread)
You can now disable the speedrun timer in the pause menu while in Maya mode
We will continue to keep a close eye on your reports and feedback. If you would like to report a bug/issue, please use our pinned Bug Threads in the Discussions.
Can’t get enough of faerie stories? Curious about the inspirations behind Rusted Moss? Check out these stories depicting the fae, from the capricious to the malevolent!
In no particular order:
1) 50 Ways to Leave Your Fairy Lover by Aimee Picchi (Read here)
Sweet and humorous, this short story gives some pointers on how to break up with an immortal fairy lover in a tactful way. A must-read if you ever find yourself in this situation and would like to not be horribly cursed as a result.
2) Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett
If you’re a fan of a female protagonist that is dour, irascible, and doesn’t quite get along with other humans (more out of discomfort of social situations rather than spite), you might enjoy this book! Emily is a brilliant academic who collects faerie stories (and the faeries are suitably dangerous).
I loved the cool, clever voice that the book is written in. There is a romance with a similar dynamic to the novel Howl’s Moving Castle — though important, it’s light and fun enough that, as readers who are not into romance, we loved this series. It’s cosy but isn’t afraid to have stakes.
The sequel was released this year, and it only improves on the first!
3) The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Tiffany Aching is a nine-year-old girl who journeys into faerie land to save her kidnapped brother, wielding nothing but an iron frying pan.
Brilliant story that subverts a lot of fairy tale tropes. If you’re tired of witches being wicked, this is a great novel to read.
This might be the first novel I read that depicted faeries as dangerous and strange. I ended up becoming a huge fan of Terry Prachett because of this novel. Expect witty writing and social commentary that’s both hilarious and insightful (something you’ll find in all his works).
4) Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett
Okay, so this is another Terry Pratchett novel but his work is incredible. This novel directly inspired Rusted Moss — in particular, the idea that faeries need only bide their time to enter the mortal world, when iron rusts and humans die. That section inspired the cycles of the Ages of man and fae in Rusted Moss.
This novel isn’t afraid of showing just how nasty faeries can be, especially compared to modern sanitised fairy tales. Faeries invade the land and witches are there to stop them even as other humans fall to the deceptive faerie glamour.
There’s also a lot of fun references to Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.
5) Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge
We read this novel during Rusted Moss’ development. Sunnydaze had suggested it to me and I went in not knowing anything about it.
It’s very well done and feels like a classic children’s novel written in the modern age. I’m not sure if I should go into too much detail because it’s best enjoyed without knowing much about it.
However, I think the title gives a hint as to what it is about…
6) Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirlees
Neil Gaiman put it best: “elegant, supple, effective and haunting: the author demands a great deal from her readers, which she repays many times over.” Lud-in-the-Mist is in his top 10 favourite books. It has some of the most beautiful prose I have ever read. It was published in 1926 and is an absolute, criminally underrated classic.
Faeries and the supernatural do not make the most direct appearances but they feel ever-present, just in the corner of your eye. The story deals with the relationship between a human town and the ephemeral Fairyland that is both near and far from the townsfolk’s lives. The town of Lud-in-the-Mist has rejected the fantastical and resolved to mark everything fairy as taboo, but conflict arises when fairy fruit is smuggled into town.
Lud-in-the-Mist is a lush, complex read that deals with societal norms and the clash between art and the sensible.
7) An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
An artist who paints the fair folk (who cannot themselves partake in human crafts without crumbling into dust) makes a terrible mistake: she paints mortal sorrow into the eyes of the fairy prince, a weakness that could cost him his throne.
Cool premise, right? Most of this short book depicts the artist and the prince travelling through the beautiful, eerie fairy lands. Fair warning — it is a romance novel. Sunnydaze did not tell me this when she recommended it, and I was confused as to why the author spent so much time describing the love interest’s bronze curls and dimples. It was incredible how much I read without realising it was a romance (basically when the inevitable kiss scenes started). Nothing against the romance genre, but I just think some forewarning would have been nice so I could have read the book in a different headspace.
Even if romance isn’t your thing, An Enchantment of Ravens has some delightfully wicked portrayals of faeries. If you enjoy reading about strange faerie curses on humans that have somehow offended one of the fae or about the inner workings of a strange and cruel faerieland, this book has that. The characters were okay overall but I think it was the world building happening around them that was the most enjoyable part for me.
8) Stardust by Neil Gaiman
A modern fairytale in which a boy, living in an English village on the border of Faerie, crosses the wall to retrieve a fallen star for the town beauty. Short, sweet and enchanting. You may have seen the movie, but the book is amazing!
That said, while Tristan ventures into Faerie, it’s more of a land of magic with witches and kings, than an exploration of faeries (though there are faeries in it).
I can so see the influence of Lud-in-the-Mist on this book. The mundane, mortal village on the border of a fairyland and the dreamy son who is drawn to it…
9) Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Full disclosure — we haven’t read this one, but it comes recommended by our brother. He described it as “if a Jane Austen novel had magic in it”. The TV miniseries is excellent.
Set in an alternate 19th century England, Strange and Norrell are trying to bring magic back to England. Magic is understated and serious work, and in true English fashion, there is much fuss about what kind of magic is proper and gentlemanly. It’s a rich droll work that explores the intricacies of the role of magic in society and its historical context. The novel has a delicious amount of footnotes for those that appreciate it.
Fairies in the book are portrayed as insane, powerful, and amoral children.
10) Reader’s choice
You tell us! We love our fae mean and weird, so let us know if you have any recommendations yourself!
Note: It is incredible how many different spellings of fairy there are. I feel each book uses its own.
Thank you all for playing Rusted Moss! We've implemented the last of the remaining changes that were introduced in the "Mod support added + 1.35 Hotfix" patch notes as well as a mod update.
Bug fixes
Fixed Look around mode refreshing grapple
Changes
Exposed more functions for modding (For more info please visit Katspeak by kaisaii)
We will continue to keep a close eye on your reports and feedback. If you would like to report a bug/issue, please use our pinned Bug Threads in the Discussions.
Thank you all for playing Rusted Moss! We've implemented some of the remaining changes that were introduced in the "Mod support added + 1.35 Hotfix" patch notes.
Changes
Katsaii credits added + updated catspeak
Now able to add sprites in mod support
We will continue to keep a close eye on your reports and feedback. If you would like to report a bug/issue, please use our pinned Bug Threads in the Discussions.
This latest update includes basic mod support! It is our first time working on something like this so many thanks to katsaii for helping us.
The mod support is made possible courtesy of katsaii's catspeak.
There are files in a folder called mod you need to edit. Details can be found on the catspeak github.
List of objects that can run mod code:
controller - a persistent object that runs from the moment the game starts instance - a basic object that pauses when the game pauses basic - an instance that can handle collision by default enemy - empty object that is considered an enemy player - an empty object that is considered a player hitbox - an empty object that is considered an hitbox
Making them run code in certain events is done by adding them to the object list in your mod file, then adding a section under holding their events.
There are example mods included to help understand the syntax.
The meta_info.ini file has a setting that determines if mods are enabled or not. Active mods need to be listed there.
1.35 fixes:
Fixed Level Editor crash bug
Fixed Giant Chambers trinket not working for Maya
Fixed ledge-jumping just as look around started causing player to fly
Fixed Short Fuse trinket not being affected by other trinkets
Maya now gets access to mana-pads in Interlude to prevent softlocks (The Great Climb)
Slight damage balancing
Fixed some attacks giving more mana then they should
Thank you all for playing Rusted Moss! After hearing your feedback and bug reports, we have rolled out a hotfix which fixes several bugs that were affecting the playability of the game.
Bug fixes
Fixed an issue with respawns in Ameli's challenge room
Fixed some bugs in Portuguese and Korean
Fixed leaderboard rooms forcing flexible mode off
Fixed Maya being able to parry unactive swords in Elicia fight
Fixed an issue where you could get stuck in walls in climb challenges
Added a max duration to the Pistol's saw when Energy Converter trinket is equipped
Fixed Fern being able to take damage while in respawn state.
We truly appreciate everyone's support and we hear all of your feedback! We are currently working closely with the developer to try and squash more bugs and implement more QoL features to help you master the grapple! Stay tuned for more updates!
If you have any feedback or bugs to report, please post them on the Steam forums.
Thank you all for playing Rusted Moss and sharing your bug reports! Apologies for the delay in sharing the patch notes but here are all the fixes for the recent patches:
Bug fixes
Fixed issue with legs when using custom palette
Fixed wings not displaying with custom palette
Fixed an issue where you can get softlocked during Sunken Library boss fight
Fixed an issue where you can submit to the same leaderboards multiple times
Fixed an issue where you couldn't submit to leaderboards while playing on flexible mode
Fixed issues with walls and collisions in certain rooms
Fixed issues with spawns where you get stuck in walls in certain rooms
Fixed issue with map icon
Fixed memory leak issue (audio)
Fixed an issue with Leaderboards not displaying correct names
Fixed an issue where Pistol failed to reload
Reduced initial Maya dash length
Made slight reduction in Maya dash max range (mostly to prevent wall clipping)
Added some missing credits
Tweaked void Fae knockback
Fixed several spawns in some climb challenge rooms
Fixed some audio issues with Maya's sword charge
Fixed an issue with Maya's crouch animation while holding a grenade
Fixed several visuals in certain rooms
Fixed issues where Maya's head gets stuck in walls
Fixed spike collision in one of the rooms
Fixed a typo in Froy's dialogue
Fixed a sound that incorrectly played in Sunken Library boss fight in Bossrush
Fixed an issue with Face Stealers' intro animation in base game
Fixed an issue where a scrapped room was displayed over Seer's room
Fixed an issue where Seer would clip into the floor (Bossrush hard mode)
Fixed certain rooms where enemies would fly offscreen or get stuck causing softlock issues.
Fixed issues with Froy's spawn in Bossrush room
Fixed issues with hair not being updated properly during the turnaround animation when palette mode was on
Fixed order of some assets in some rooms
Fixed an issue where achievement 'Rusted Platinum' failed to unlock when requirements were met
New feature
Added Froy in Bossrush
We truly appreciate everyone's support and we hear all of your feedback! We are currently working closely with the developer to try and squash more bugs and implement more QoL features to help you master the grapple! Stay tuned for more updates!
If you have any feedback or bugs to report, please post them on the Steam forums.
Thank you all for playing Rusted Moss! After hearing your feedback and bug reports, we have rolled out a hotfix which fixes several bugs that were affecting the playability of the game.
Bug fixes
Fixed a bug where the language is set to Traditional Chinese if a player has a pre-existing save file
Fixed a bug where Maya mode is not unlocked even if a player has previously completed the base game
Fixed several collision issues in the Tundra area.
Slightly readjusted the map in the Tundra area.
Note: If you have already changed the game's language, you might have to change it again. The language fix is for those that have not yet started the update.
We truly appreciate everyone's support and we hear all of your feedback! We are currently working closely with the developer to try and squash more bugs and implement more QoL features to help you master the grapple! Stay tuned for more updates!
If you have any feedback or bugs to report, please post them on the forum: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1772830/discussions/0/3828664382481109031/
New playable character - Maya (Unlocked after clearing the game, uses speedrun mode rules - dialogue disabled)
Extra difficult challenge zone (Juni’s Village - must have completed Juni's climb)
2 new areas to explore
300+ new rooms
Standard boss rush
Challenge boss rush
7-8 more hours of content
All the new content is considered “bonus content” and will not affect map % and achievements. This means that the current Rusted Platinum achievement (100% the game) can be unlocked without doing any bonus content.
The content update also has no new achievements.
To access the new zones: Go to the right of Abby. You can see it in the trailer linked above.
Rambling dev notes or, how this update came to be
by happysquared
art by Emlise
Inception of the major content update began during the tail end of Rusted Moss’ development. Emlise had designed an exceptionally challenging area that ended up being excluded from the base game due to its difficulty. She considered it tougher than Juni’s climb.
We were not sure what kind of players Rusted Moss would attract and ended up underestimating how insanely skilled some of you are. Due to player interest, we decided to add the challenge area back into the game - but better. Originally consisting of only 15 rooms, it now features around 200.
This ended up increasing our scope and we also made new zones with less intense difficulty. Each of these areas will debut with new sprites and music! While we don’t have an exact date, the Rusted Moss soundtrack (available on Bandcamp, Steam, Spotify) will also be updated accordingly.
We’re also excited to have Maya as an unlockable character. During development, we had joked about having a Maya mode and a lot of laughs were had as we listed out crazy ideas of what her kit would be like. I guess you have to be careful what you joke about, it might just come true…
Boss rush was also a popular request and we are happy we figured out a way to implement it! Due to how Rusted Moss was made, it was a complex feature we weren’t sure we could pull off.
We would not have been able to make such an extensive update without your support. We faced a lot of uncertainty during development.
Will anybody even play our game?
What if the challenge area is so hard that 0% of players will be able to complete it…
Is this mechanic too complex?
Earlier this week, Emlise was just telling me how she had to remind herself that people did like her game.
Making a game involves a mix of arrogance and desperation. We wanted to make a game catered to our own personal tastes - a game we wished existed but could not find. Who cares if nobody else likes it? However, we could not ignore the desire for others to experience our creation. I think it is an eternal conflict for creators; you’re torn between wanting to express yourself without restraint and also knowing that if nobody plays your game... you'll be sad.
I’ve seen Emlise’s skill in Rusted Moss and also harder level designs that she revised because she wasn’t sure if others could repeat her acrobatics. Compromise easily sneaked in the cracks of worry left by development. However, the experience and feedback from Rusted Moss’ conclusion left Emlise with a more positive mindset. She told me that if she had the chance to remake the game, she’d make it even weirder.
However, knowing her, I think the doubt will always be there. It ebbs and flows. Throughout the development of Rusted Moss (and her other games), she had a constant worry that the game would be terrible. She worried nobody would play it while also simultaneously fearing that too many people would play it - development fuelled by anxiety and panic.
Emlise feels that Rusted Moss’ development was fun overall because of how self-indulgent it was. However, it was also fraught with anxiety as we feared players would not invest time in mastering our unconventional grappling hook. In the end, it was humbling to see players surpass Emlise’s grappling hook skills - something she did not think would happen.
To be fair, Rusted Moss is the largest game we have worked on and we’ve never had so many players before; Emlise’s previous game, TWWWR, sits at just 52 reviews on Steam. Rev sits at just 44. I don’t think she expected so many players to be engaging with Rusted Moss.
Sorry, I think I am rambling at this point. It just feels a bit sad and surreal releasing this final update. It is hard putting all of our feelings into words and how impactful your support has been! We love reading all your comments and watching all your gameplay.
At the very least, the takeaway is that we’re so grateful to all of you. Thanks for taking the time to play Rusted Moss. Your support has fuelled this update and it would not exist without you. We’d also like to thank PLAYISM for believing in our game and for their support.
We hope you enjoy the extra content. And if you don’t, at least you didn’t have to pay for it!
If you'd like to support us, you can buy 10,000 copies of Rusted Moss. Or, you can buy the artbook, and soundtrack - both available as DLC on Steam.
(The soundtrack is also available on bandcamp: HERE)
Things to do before the Rusted Moss update (or how to get your hands on merch?)
1) Practice your speedrunning
We gave away some Rusted Moss enamel pins as prizes for our last speedrunning competition!
(Belated) Congratulations to the top 5:
Mr. L
Serena
bluehairedemon
PacmanFan5011
WuSeagal
While we are working on sending the prizes out, we also made a montage of the top 5 players! I always find it exciting to see players just crush our game.
[TAG-10]
We're thinking about hosting another one once the update is out and bringing back the Fern plushie as a prize so it would be a good time to start practicing ;)
Speedrunning can be pretty intimidating so we also wanted to have prizes for everybody that put their time into it. Everybody that participated is going to receive post cards and a cute brochure styled as a game manual that was only available during that one time we exhibited at PAX. Oh, and a terrible drawing of Fern (or another Rusted Moss character) for some reason.
2) Check out user made levels!
We put out a poll on our discord earlier this year on what other contests people would like to see. Custom levels were pretty popular!
We haven't had one yet but it is something we'd really like to do and start talking about once we finish sending off the Rusted Moss speedrun prizes.
Custom levels are also a great way to play more Rusted Moss content. Some players have been incredibly creative with their workshop levels so really recommend trying them out or making your own!
3) Play Rusted Moss Arena
Just as a fun exercise we wanted to try making a multiplayer game and that's how we turned Rusted Moss into a platform fighter. There is no matchmaking so you do need to find somebody to play with (it is all online - not local - and you just need to send a link to them)
