Hello all, and welcome to another update for the Archaeogem Demo!

This time around, we have implemented many improvements, bugfixes and features to the game based on your feedback since the last major update. While this is a smaller update, we have made a whole host of changes to ensure players have their best time playing Archaeogem!

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For starters, we have improved and refined the gameplay in both the tutorial and the crystal areas, given the feedback from the community. Among these changes are:

• Visual improvements to the tutorial area;
  
• Small visual tweaks to the crystal area;
  
• More intuitive gameplay for the bridge section of the crystal biome;
  
• More intuitive gameplay for the final room of the crystal biome.

Secondly, we have heard several comments regarding certain recurring gameplay issues and have taken some time to address them. Those are:

• Overhauled moving platforms, which now transfer momentum more accurately and fairly, and also accelerate and decelerate;
  
• Fixed bug where the player would die if a falling platform with spikes respawned on top of the player;
  
• Crouching player sprite now looks lower as to indicate the changing player height more clearly;
  
• Player looking up now has a higher visibility range;
  
• Dialogue speeches can now be sped up by holding the skip dialogue button.

On top of that, we have also added a timer for speedrunners, and made some changes to the in-game UI:

• It is now possible to enable an on-screen timer for completing a chapter;
  
• The pause menu now shows your current gameplay time for that chapter;
  
• All gameplay settings can now be accessed through the pause menu, including controller settings;
  
• Controller settings now show the movement buttons;
  
• When the game is paused, it is possible to hold down the dash button to hide the pause menu;
  
• Now you can restart the chapter via the pause menu even when the player is dead.

Save slots have been massively improved, making them more intuitive to use, and also integrated them with the new gameplay timer. We have:

• Slots look and feel better, with improved animations and clearer display of information;
  
• They now show the correct information pertaining to the demo area;
  
• Slots will now show you the total gameplay time for that save. Important: players who had saves before this update will have their initial timer set to 0.

We have also worked to improve the overall gameplay experience by taking in and resolving bug reports sent by players. Those include:

• Fixed a bug where parts of the player's progress were kept even when the chapter was restarted;
  
• Fixed the bug where the credits would roll infinitely;
  
• Improved performance in some of the levels.

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We're still hard at work on the upcoming chapters, new game mechanics, and more. You can reach out to us if you have suggestions, feedback, bug reports, or if you just want to share your experience with Archaeogem. We're over on Twitter @Gagonfe.

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more updates and news, and happy archaeologing!

Welcome, everyone, to an exciting update on Archaeogem! We're hard at work finishing the game's many levels, features and secrets, but we figured we could give you all a better taste of what's to come. So sit tight, grab a beverage, and take a closer look at some of the many cool things you'll be able to experience in our newly updated Archaeogem Demo!

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After all the feedback we've gathered from the demo, one of the things we've worked the hardest on was creating a more distinct and cohesive visual language for the game. Each chapter now has a unique color palette, richer decorations, more visual effects, and clearer indicators for mechanics, secrets and more!

Most notably, the tutorial chapter – also known as Prologue – got a complete makeover: dynamic colors, new tiles, brand new soundtrack, and a lot of fireflies to illuminate the night!

The first chapter also got a fresh coat of paint, with more tile variation, particles and lights. We have a brand new animated background and some lushly decorated rooms that'll give you an unprecedented feeling of adventure.

And have you noticed the player? Our intrepid archaeologist, Louis, now looks and feels a lot more akin to his character. He's gotten many new animations, and a fancy dialogue system with a wide range of facial expressions for his characterization.

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Of course, for as much as we might love glamour, the devil is in the details. We had an amazing opportunity at the Brazil Game Show to get a first hand look at players from all walks of life giving a chance to Archaeogem. We carefully took note of everything we could: where they struggled, where they had an easy time, what they liked and disliked, and so on. Since then, we've shifted some of our focus to implementing and improving on multiple quality of life features, so that the gameplay would feel responsive, dynamic, and – most importantly – fun for everyone, from beginner to pro-level players.

The first thing we did was adjust the difficulty curve of the first chapter. Old time players might have noticed some sudden spikes in the challenge at certain points. We've since smoothed them out so that, whilst still tough, the game never felt unfair, especially since most players would still be getting acquainted with the its controls and mechanics. We've made routes more intuitive and reliable, and redesigned several areas to facilitate core moves.

Next, we polished the player controller to give players a better sense of control and power. While the old version already had some features such as coyote time and buffer jumps, we went ahead and added many more invisible helpers: tile corner correction, platform snapping, buffer aim, and buffer whipping. Now the only challenge you'll need to worry about is how to navigate the hazards of the world with your vast suite of movement tools.

We also worked relentlessly to remove as many bugs as we could – except for the flying kind we added to liven up the place, of course. On top of that, we've added more value to some of the gameplay aspects, such as with how emeralds are collected.

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If you thought that the better graphics and gameplay features were exciting, then what we're gonna show you next will be a doozy! As we work on the other chapters and the overall gameplay core, the need for new features kept arising. Of course, we couldn't leave these out of the first chapter and, consequently, this updated demo.

You've seen the new dialogue system introduced above, but its purpose is far greater than just expressing Louis's thoughts and feelings. Introducing: NPC quests! Now, the player will be able to interact with other characters, and even complete tasks for them!

On top of that, you're given an additional optional goal besides reaching the gems stowed away at the end of each biome: collecting Prismatic Stars! These rare items are found in every biome and require some work to get ahold of. Nevertheless, they should entice any aspiring archaeologist to fetch every single one of them!

Last but not least, we are introducing save slots. This way, you can more easily keep track of your progress, challenge yourself to fewer deaths, or share the fun with friends and family.

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The updated free demo is now available for download, and includes the Prologue as well as the entirety of the first chapter. We love Archaeogem and will continue to work hard on its upcoming chapters for the full release, and we cannot wait to share with all of you the many cool things in store for this game.

If you want some more exclusive sneak peeks, progress updates and news about the game, you can follow us on Twitter @Gagonfe

Thank you for reading this update, and happy archaeologing!