The major update, v0.30 is released! The full version of the game has been released! (more details below)

Ascension!

You can now ascend after reaching 500m on the full version.

You have 12 ascension skills to pick from, all giving permanent boosts to your turtle, and lasting through all future ascensions.

I recommend starting a new savefile as there have been tons of rebalancing changes in the last few updates, but the game lets you continue if you wish!

If you wish to restart, you can load the current save and press the folder icon and cut your saves to another folder, then reload the game, 

Corals!

A new currency, Coral, has been added. You gain these exclusively from ascending.

The further you push, the more corals you gain.

You will encounter coral bosses every 100m. The amount of corals rewarded per Coral Boss increases every 500m.

In future, Coral Bosses will receive a new special mechanic and a unique visual.

Full Version Beta out now!

You can now get the full version here: https://yyz.itch.io/siegeturtle/purchase

I will write a full post with further details, including Siegeturtle's brand new roadmap, but here's the summarized TLDR draft:

What you get in the full version: 

• A free Steam key when the full version transitions to Steam!
• Your itch.io progress continues, no save loss.
• Content identical to the Steam Full Version at release.
• Ascension is subject to balancing changes. I'll be improving the game progressively based on your feedback!

What's in the full version now:

• Ascension

What's coming in future updates: 

• Home Island
• New companions & skills
• Multiple save slots
• Character customization
• Coral Bosses and Rage mechanic
• More QoL (e.g. Stat Breakdown tooltips)
• Final Ending & Unlock after ~10 ascensions
• ...and possibly new systems based on interest: Mining (TBD), Journals (TBD)

A roadmap will be published tomorrow or sometime this week.

Demo has been changed, now includes:

• Distance up to 250m
• Skills up to level 30
• Early companions and skills
• A taste of progression - but Fishing, Pearls, and Milestone Rewards are full-version only.

These are the same limitations on the web version, so if you're on web there are no changes.

Improvements, QoL, and more!

Plenty of changes are made to both the demo and full version, such as crit-able cannons, full changelog below:

Full Version Content

• Full Version Content: Ascension has been added
• Full Version Content: Add 12 New Ascension skills

Improvements & Balancing

• Cannons can now do critical hits
• Cannon damage: 5% -> 2% per level
• Dolphin Blessing: 10% -> 8% per level
• Equips give x10 HP and MP Regen
• LUK enhancement crit rate: 5% -> 3%, Belts give x5 Crit Rate
• Bee stings -5% -> -3% per level, max level 300 -> 500
• Phantom step evasion per level 0.5% -> 0.1% after Lv 10, max level increased: 100 -> 360
• Life and Mana leech rebalanced
• Fix Life and Mana leech no cooldown, cooldown set to 2s
• Sunny Side Heal% reduced, cooldown increased to 6.2s when maxed
• Add bee sting animation
• Add bee sting status icon and ability to toggle autocast on it
• Change crit colours to yellow > orange > red
• Hide crit and super crit stats if mega crit is available
• Rename Achievements to Milestones
• Add HP Regen%, MP Regen%, MP% to stats
• Add quality selection screen upon first startup
• Add leaderboard button for Steam

Fixes:

• Fix SP spent on stat screen displaying wrong
• Fix 'Die' button not working if your defense is high
• Fix distorted UI shader vfx

Do let me know your thoughts on Ascension if you get to try it out. For those who mainly want to wait for the Steam release, no worries too, I look forward to having the game out on Steam! If you haven't already, you can consider wishlisting it so you can get news on the release there!

I also actively make changes to the game - feel free to share your feedback here or discuss the game with others on Discord!

Thank you for playing Siegeturtle~

-YYZ