I think it was horbror who first suggested adding something to break up the combat. Well, now the main content of the game is done I finally decided to implement the first out of 2 or maybe 3 minigames that I would like to have. The concept had existed long before now in the shape of a series of sketches and notes but now it's real and playable.

Sadly, my self imposed limitation of having the entire game be playable with the mouse alone robs the experience from it's true potential but I think the end result is fun enough.

Fishing provides a short break from combat and a small amount of starting money, but the minigames also play a role on a new mechanic: trinkets.

Trinkets work as perks with the difference that you can only equip one at a time. A good use for perks that didn't make it to the final lineup in addition to providing a crutch for players who are having issues with the campaign since they can be unlocked early by playing the the minigames. I'm yet to fully balance the game so right now the game is probably the easiest it's ever been.

Each character gets 3 trinkets in total and I would prefer to leave what they do as a surprise, but as an example Mosca's playing card gives her a chance to heal a larger amount, similar to the You Shall Not Covet perk does for damage.

Astute readers have probably noticed that the UI is slightly different too. That is because I've been performing the highly exciting task of resizing textures that look too stretched and other minor UI crap that's barely noticeable. I don't have the excuse of "it's just a placeholder" anymore so I better make it look the best I can.

On a different note, work on the localization continues. Overall the game's story is comprised of about 80 pages of text so it's been taking longer to translate than I originally thought but I'm making progress nonetheless. Also, I made some changes to the slides at the end of the public demo, but I don't feel like showing those because it would be kind of a spoiler and they aren't that different anyways.

Anyway, that is all I had on this occasion. Thank you for reading, hypothetical reader, and I hope to see you again in 2 weeks. 

Wishlist Afterlife Gladiator on Steam!