Lone Ruin designer plans to add more replayability in response to player feedback
"Seeing unsatisfied players breaks my heart"
Roguelike twin-stick shooter Lone Ruin is available now for Nintendo Switch. Designer Hannes Rahm is making the rounds, talking about the game’s development, as well as players’ reactions to it. In a new interview with Game Rant, Rahm discusses the criticisms certain players have had, and how he plans on incorporating that feedback in future updates:
Hannes said Lone Ruin was designed with short play sessions in mind, including no meta-progression. “Your first run has the same potential as your last, and no content is locked away behind some grindable in-game currency.” He points to 2022’s break-out indie hit Vampire Survivors as an antithesis to his design philosophy, but recognizes that without the same tangible rewards, it can make a game feel too short. This is the main feedback Hannes has received.
Some ideas to encourage replayability are being toyed with, such as adding a checklist for which starting spells were used to reach the center of the ruins or a difficulty-boosting system akin to Slay the Spire’s Ascension or Hades’ Heat. Hannes is also hopeful cut ideas can arrive in future patches, from extra perks to rerolling shop items, and even a “blood orbs” spell that was so powerful it cost health to use.
It’s a mark of a good developer to be willing to listen to players’ criticisms, and it sounds like Hannes Rahm genuinely cares about the experience people have with his games. He also seems dedicated to finding solutions to negative feelings without compromising the game’s core design philosophy. Right now, no future updates have been detailed or confirmed, but it sounds like Lone Ruin players should have something to look forward to down the road.
Click here to read the full interview to learn more about the design and influences on Lone Ruin, and click here to check the game out for yourself on the Switch eShop. (It’s currently 10% off until January 26, 2023!)
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