Devlog #12 - October & November 2025

Fall is here, and the paths are covered with the first fallen leaves, swept along by a wind of change for the Great Tree.

Our testing and in-game explorations confirmed that the Tree was truly massive. The labyrinth of branches and walkways took a long time to traverse, even with the recent addition of rollers for Alva.

While exploration is an important part of the game, this enormous maze made completing quests and accessing buildings far too time-consuming. So we decided to shorten distances and concentrate the placement of buildings and activities around more dense points of interest.

Another positive side of this scale change is how it brought the villagers' houses closer together, really strengthening that village atmosphere. What's more, we'll even be able to create small thematic neighborhoods!

Our villagers are no longer content with just pacing back and forth. We've given them more sophisticated daily routines. Now they can pause to appreciate their surroundings, perform context-specific animations, and even take a seat on a bench.

In short, they're living their lives!

You can also chat with them at any time. Let's just say they're quite the chatty bunch and always have something to say.

Another improvement is the new merchant stall system. Each shop now has a stall that can only be used when the shopkeeper is present. To highlight this, certain visual elements and lighting dynamically change between open and closed states.

This means you can still explore buildings, complete quests, and visit residents even when they're off duty. The world continues to breathe around the clock, making the village feel truly alive whether it's day or night.

Acornia is a game built around interconnected systems. The combat system requires meticulous balancing of damage dealt and received from various sources to remain engaging. However, it relies entirely on the pastry crafting system, which is used to create ammunition and healing items. This crafting system also drives the game's economy, which forms the foundation of the management aspect.

With live testing sessions regularly held on the project's official Discord (feel free to join us! The current session is closed, but new ones will be offered in the future), fine-tuning these variables has become increasingly crucial. It's a long-term effort that is constantly evolving.

A huge thank you to all our testers for their patience! ♥

We’re a bit late for the Halloween season but we couldn't resist sharing the new animations for the Shroudmare, a new enemy in the game!

It's a strange amalgamation of artworks concealed beneath a stain-ridden canvas. Legend says the terror it inspires when emerging from the shadows is so intense, it literally freezes the blood of its enemies.

In the game, it's surrounded by a chilling aura, can vanish and reappear to inflict the "Freeze" status on Alva, so stay on your guard!

Production continues, and our efforts are paying off! As mentioned above, you can join the project's Discord to stay updated or be invited to participate in future testing sessions.

Thank you all for your support, and until next time!