Hello violinists! Just a quick update as a follow-up to last week's major update. A number of bugs emerged from it, which this patch will hopefully resolve.
One major bug that emerged as a result was that characters, stats and items would not load in properly after collecting the Flame Eater gem, which was guaranteed to happen in Castle Cordier. This issue should now be fixed, and your characters, stats and items should all properly load in!
That should be it. The full list of fixes is down below!
Bug fixes
Save data should now fully load when you have the Flame Eater gem.
The camera will no longer zoom infinitely after using the Minuet of the Earth to open a stone door.
Cutscenes in Castle Cordier no longer come back after viewing them.
Removed an invisible wall in the middle of Castle Cordier.
Fenrys should no longer appear in one of Castle Cordier’s cutscenes.
The ‘Change Party’ menu should properly open and close with the Y button when the game is displayed at 960x540 resolution.
The particle for Sybil’s Grand Flame II should now properly disappear when the spell fails.
When Sybil’s Spitfire spell fails, she now floats back down first.
See you, Violin Girl! Someday, somewhere!
Version 0.98 is here!
Viola's new update!
Hello violinists! As promised, definitely 100% on-time this time, Viola's new update is here! We've got new levels, a new song, a whole new character, the first sidequest, new enemies, new boss battles... It's just new, new, new for this update!
Have a great weekend and play to your heart's content!
General
New character added: Emerald, the spirit of earth! A bulkier mage with higher defense and earth-based spells.
New levels added: The Graves of Requiem, Cascading Falls and Castle Cordier!
New enemies added: Red Cubes, Cheruballs and Pink Skags!
New song added: Waterfall Waltz!
Fenrys’ Personal Quest has been added!
New boss fights are added!
Fenrys’ final Crescendo, the Rush Finale, has been added!
Several more banter conversations have been added.
Game over during a boss battle? You can now choose to restart the level or return to the overworld in addition to retrying the battle.
Some characters now need less battles to get to a higher support level.
Gems grant slightly lower stat boosts, and slightly lower stat reductions.
Character changes
Sybil’s Grand Flame and Spatial Crush now deal more damage.
Sybil’s Magic Surge grants a slightly lower buff.
Level changes
The first five levels now have more potions in the chests that have potions.
Several levels have been rebalanced to have less monsters per battle.
Enemy changes
The boss fight against Justice in Aurora’s Path has been made easier.
Several enemies have been made easier by lowering their damage and health.
UI changes
The Songbook’s song buttons no longer show controller buttons, but notes instead. Using the Songbook to play a song will still show the notes as buttons when used, corresponding to your chosen button prompt type.
Bug fixes
Songs performed through the Songbook now properly show which buttons need to be played, even if buttons have been rebound.
See you, Violin Girl! Someday, somewhere!
Next Viola update delayed until January.
So, it's the 30th of November, but here we are. No update for Viola this month after all. You might be curious as to what happened, but first of all:
The update is now slated for January 2020, and will include more content. Two levels instead of one, a whole new character to recruit in your party, a new song to play, the game's first "Personal Quest" and (hopefully) Steam Achievements!
The reason for the delay is two-fold:
I suffered a minor injury to my arm, causing work on Viola to be on hold for several weeks.
As we move closer to release, I want to focus on bigger updates, as opposed to sporadic, level-based updates.
Since the delay was going to be inevitable due to my injury, I decided to make this update the first multi-level update. Now let's take a deeper look at what's in it, shall we?
Emerald, the Spirit of Stone
Viola's first character that you have to go out of your way for. If you've managed to collect the two other gem shards, you can create the mute spirit of stone at their shrine.
Fun fact: Emerald was the fourth character I ever created for Viola. They also went through the most design iterations! They went from a glass cannon sword wielder to defensive, nature-focused mage.
The Graves of Requiem
One of the new levels in the next update, it's... a graveyard. Not the best place for Viola to be in, so let's help her get through it!
Personal Quests
Dedicated players might've already noticed this. Every time you sit at a Wishfire with one of Viola's allies, you'll unlock a new Crescendo... Except for the third time. The third conversation just gives you a little message: Personal Quest unlocked.
This didn't actually do anything else, until the next update. You'll be able to complete the Personal Quest for Fenrys, and unlock his final Crescendo.
And for best friends, there's no better place to go than where you first met.
And what will we do there? Well... Best to find out for yourself.
That's all for now! See you all in January!
See you, violin girl! Someday, somewhere!
Let's squash just one more bug!
Hey violinists: I'm putting out another quick bug-fix. This won't take long at all, but I didn't want it to go unchecked.
Bug fixes
Fixed a bug regarding the cost of Sybil's Crescendos Magic Surge and Grand Flame II. They should now properly cost Crescendo Points instead of Ability Points.
See you, violin girl! Someday, somewhere!
Let's squash some bugs!
What's a new update without new bugs? And lo, the single person responsible for these mistakes swoops in to fix them. Yes, I describe me fixing bugs as "swooping". Take that as you will.
Overall Changes
Dialogue will no longer suddenly "jump" to the next line in the middle of a word.
Minor dialogue editing in all sorts of places!
Character Changes
New Crescendos were added for Sybil and Momo.
Bug-fixes
Going back to Violin Woods from the overworld and fighting a monster will no longer send you to the tutorial battle.
Those very same monsters will now no longer immediately respawn.
In the same level, chests will no longer "respawn" either.
The Prelude to Travel now properly works in the Violin Woods after beating a monster.
Sybil’s Spitfire spell will now properly deal damage.
Wishfire conversations with Momo and Sybil will now function properly.
That's it for now! The next update is going to be all about new levels and stories.
See you, violin girl! Someday, somewhere!
The Feature Complete update is out!
Hello violinists! I'm happy to announce that Viola is officially feature complete! Which means that all the planned features are now available for you to play around with. Future updates will be focusing on content: such as more levels, more stories, more characters, monsters, spells, quests... And so on!
The update also has a new level for you to visit, the Astral Tower. I've heard a lot of feedback from people who want the platforming sections to be a little more challenging. Since Viola isn't supposed to be a tough-as-nails platformer, I've opted to add a little more complexity by adding Viola's first musical puzzle!
Let me know what you think by contacting me on Twitter, or on Discord!
Without further ado, here's the list of changes for this update!
General Changes
New party member added: Sybil, the studious sorceress! Sybil’s magical prowess is unmatched, and her specialty is magical damage.
New level added: the Astral Tower! A vertical level with a musical puzzle and a boss fight.
New enemy types added: Frosthead and Black Slime!
Status effects are now usable in battle! Abilities from player characters as well as enemies can stun, poison, burn or confuse the opponent.
Status Potions have been added: use these to get rid of a status effect!
The overworld map has been added! You can now revisit older levels and wishfires.
Travel between previously visited levels by using the Prelude to Travel!
The Tabby Bros.’ Catshop is open for business! You can buy potions, gems, upgrades, and even key items in their shop.
Swap your party! With more than five party members, you can now swap between who’s in your party by pressing Y, or using the ‘Party Swap’ option in the Pause Menu.
New spells have been added for: Sybil and Viola!
More banter conversations have been added.
Character Changes
Fenrys’ Lupine Slash now has a chance to poison the enemy.
Fenrys’ Howl buffs less (modifier of 1.25 -> 0.8).
Fenrys’ Howl II buffs less (modifier of 0.8 -> 0.4).
Momo’s Blizzard Wing now has a small chance to paralyze enemies.
Momo’s Featherfall II buffs less (modifier of 1.7 -> 0.6).
Soleil’s Solar Essence now has a high chance to burn.
Soleil’s Sun’s Rays is now the Light element.
Soleil’s Shield Bash now has a chance to confuse, and the damage has been raised (Modifier of 2 -> 2.2).
Viola’s Perfect Strike now has a chance to paralyze.
Viola’s Healing Lyrics now heals more (modifier of 0.75 -> 1).
Viola’s Viola’s Blessing now buffs more (modifier of 0.5 -> 0.8).
Enemy Balancing Changes
Hothead’s Burning Breath now has a chance to burn.
Red Slime’s Burning Knuckle now has a chance to burn.
Justice’s Flame Breaker now has a small chance to burn.
Skag’s Wild Slash now has a chance to poison.
The Black Wolf’s Dark Bite now has a high chance to confuse.
Stalagmight’s Quake now has a chance to confuse.
The following enemy’s stats have been changed:
Hothead MAG (24 -> 23)
Skag HP (75 -> 65)
Skag DEF (9 -> 10)
Skag RES (12 -> 14)
Skag’s Wild Slash’s damage (Modifier of 1.2 -> 1.3)
Red Slime HP (60 -> 55)
Wolf’s Wild Bite’s damage (Modifier of 1.75 -> 1.5)
Black Wolf HP (150 -> 200)
Stalagmight HP (40 -> 50)
Stalagmight Strength (48 -> 43)
Stalagmight’s Quake damage (Modifier of 0.4 -> 0.3)
Bug fixes
Playing the Prelude to Travel now properly displays whether or not you can travel back to the overworld.
Using the Prelude to Travel no longer brings you to a black screen.
Gems can be properly equipped from the Status Menu.
Level-specific bug fixes
Enkindler’s Path: Audio cracks during cutscenes have been fixed.
Harpie Village: The door to the town hall now properly leads to the town hall.
Beyond Harpie Village: The BGM will now properly change to the appropriate music when coming back to the level from battle.
Beyond Harpie Village: The BGM will now properly change when going to a new area.
Next update in October
Hey violinists! You may have wondered, "it's the end of September, where's that new Viola update?"
Unfortunately, due to an increase in work, the new update will launch in October. Here's a quick iteration of what you'll get in the newest update:
An overworld map, allowing you to go back to previous levels.
A shop to buy or sell gems, potions and other items.
A new level, the Astral Tower, including a musical puzzle.
A new character, the studious sorceress Sybil.
The Astral Tower
The Astral Tower is the home of the mages: Viola's first destination to find out if there's a possibility for her to go home. The level itself is completely indoors, and invaded with monsters.
A lot of players wanted more a little more going on in the platforming sections! So this level has the first puzzle in Viola, and of course it's a musical one. Keep your ears perked for that!
Studious Sorceress
Viola's newest party member is one of the mages: a spellcaster and a historian. She's the most capable magic user of the group, with high speed and damage!
With more than five party members, you'll be able to swap your party members in and out outside of battle!
And more!
This is a big update that completes all the main features of Viola! I'm sorry it didn't come out during the month I initially promised, but it's to make sure the quality doesn't take a dip. See you guys in October!
See you, violin girl! Someday, somewhere!
Version 0.76, and a sneak peek into the future!
Good day, violinists! Today's update day, and it's actually a rather small one this time. I've been working on creating new features, which I'd like to introduce alongside a new level, character, spells and more story. All of this takes a while to create, so in the meantime there will be small patches to change the game's difficulty, as well as fixing bugs from time to time.
That said, here's a quick sneak peek at two new features for Viola!
First, the overworld! You'll be able to travel to levels you've completed to find chests you've missed, or battle monsters for extra experience. You can also go to any of the Wishfires you've unlocked! This'll heal your party, and you can raise your bond level with your party members to gain new Crescendos.
As promised in Viola's latest level, you can visit the Catshop! Buy Gems, Potions, or important quest items with the money you've gathered. You can also sell Gems or Potions you no longer need.
That's enough for now. Let's take a look at the changes for the new version.
Version 0.76 Patch Notes
Game Balancing
Hotheads’ Strength has been lowered (23 -> 21), as well as their Magic (26 -> 24).
You now encounter less monsters in Aurora’s Path.
Even with all the nerfs to Hotheads, players still had some trouble with them. They're a nasty bunch! They're now less powerful, and you'll encounter less of them when engaging in a battle.
That's it! Until next time!
See you, violin girl! Someday, somewhere!
Version 0.74.15 is out!
Hello violinists! A new version of Viola is out, with a lot of changes! You can check out the full list below.
In short: controller prompts and rebinds are now fully functional. The game has been made easier overall by nerfing a few enemies. And a new level has been added!
Now watch me sleep for one million years. Enjoy!
Version 0.74.15 Changes
New Additions & Changes
New level added: Beyond Harpie Village! Explore the emerald-filled caverns beyond Momo’s hometown and make your way out of the Everdistant Sylvan.
New party member added: Momo, the kindest Harpie is now usable in battle. Momo’s speed is almost unmatched, and she specializes in buffs and debuffs!
New enemy type added: Stalagmight!
You’ll be able to learn a new song: the Minuet of Earth!
Button prompts now correspond to your rebinds.
Equipped gems now show their name and effect.
Your gold now shows up in the inventory.
Balance Changes The following enemies have had their HP and defense lowered:
Blue Slime (25 HP -> 20 HP)
Crazy Wolf (35 HP -> 30 HP)
Hothead (50 HP -> 40 HP, 12 DEF -> 9 DEF, 11 RES -> 9 RES)
Skag (90 HP -> 75 HP)
The Black Wolf miniboss (165 HP -> 150 HP, 20 DEF -> 17 DEF, 21 RES -> 18 RES)
The following enemies have had their physical damage lowered:
Crazy Wolf (22 STR -> 20 STR)
Hothead (30 STR -> 23 STR)
Red Slime (35 STR -> 30 STR)
Skag (35 STR -> 32 STR)
The Black Wolf miniboss (65 STR -> 60 STR)
The following enemies have had their spell damage lowered:
Hothead (31 MAG -> 26 MAG)
The following enemies have a lower chance of using their spells:
Hothead (55% -> 35%)
The following enemies now give more experience:
Black Wolf (35 -> 300)
Niko:
Niko’s Nyahaha! Spell now lowers more resistance (Magic modifier of 0.8 -> Magic modifier of 0.9)
Bug fixes:
Setting the control scheme back to default now works properly.
The default control scheme has been updated so a few buttons no longer overlap.
If you’ve made changes to your control scheme, the game will have to restart and reset the control scheme. You will see a message in-game if this is the case, and you will need to redo the changes you’ve made to your control scheme.
You can now rebind the cancel button.
You can now rebind any input to the current ‘Cancel’ button.
Several UI buttons can no longer be triggered multiple times.
All chests show the correct contents when opening them.
UI buttons no longer randomly grow in size.
Controllable Launchers launching the player down now properly give control back to the player.
The credits are properly displayed.
Inventory now shows the correct amount of Gems.
Songs should now be properly visible in the Songbook.
Level-specific fixes:
Aurora’s Path: Fenrys playing the Enkindler’s Aria now shows button prompts corresponding with your choice of prompts (Xbox/PS4/Keyboard)
Everdistant Sylvan: Playing Enkindler’s Aria when learning the Prelude to Travel now properly triggers dialogue.
Everdistant Sylvan: PS4 controller prompts now show the proper notes when learning the Prelude to Travel.
Harpie Village: You can now change your Gems in this level.
See you, violin girl! Someday, somewhere!
Viola Update: Version 0.73.1 released!
Patch Notes for Version 0.73.1!
New Additions & Changes
As requested: PS4 controller prompts have been added!
Also requested: The D-Pad can now be used for Viola’s movement, as well as the menus.
If you’ve made changes to your control scheme, the game will have to restart and reset the control scheme. You will see a message in-game if this is the case, and you will need to redo the changes you’ve made to your control scheme.
Each Gem now has their own unique sprite.
The Slime enemy now drops a unique Gem to equip.
The camera no longer zooms in when getting an item from a chest.
Bug fixes:
Losing a battle now properly sends you to the game over screen.
Save data now reloads when returning to the main menu.
When playing a song you’ve already learned, the party will play along with correct timing.
A banter conversation between Fenrys and Niko no longer goes infinitely.
Songs you’ve learned are now recorded in your Songbook.
Level-specific fixes:
Violin Woods: Can no longer get stuck between walls and a specific spring.
Enkindler’s Path: Fixed a bug where a specific enemy did not load combat.
Don't forget that Viola has her own Discord server! Stay up to date on Viola's latest news and development!
