FIXED
- Fixed an issue where the Completionist achievement wouldn't unlock
- Fixed an issue with single-use scripts being usable more than once
- Fixed Steam cloud not syncing across platforms
- Fixed Steam overlay not working on MacOS

FIXED
- The game no longer softlocks when enemies evade a push script
- Levels now properly end if you kill more than one enemy with the last cycle using the lightning script

ADDED

• New level type: BLOCK THE EXIT, where you lose as soon as one enemy reaches the exit
  
• New level type: PAINFUL MOVES, where you take damage upon moving
  
• New level type: KEEP MOVING, where lightning spawns on your position every turn
  
• You can now cycle tabs in the inventory with the Tab key or L/R buttons on the controller
  

• Selecting scripts you use on yourself now automatically highlights the player tile and shows a shortcut icon on the player
  
• With the new types the levels are rolled at random again (except node gates every 5 levels)
  
• Reworked some of the existing levels, mostly making early ones easier
  

• Levels now end properly if there are no more enemies alive
  
• The augment and reroll buttons on items properly update on all items, making it no longer possible to spend more kernels than you have
  
• The number of available kernels in the inventory is no longer rounding up in certain cases
  
• The text in story screens is now left aligned for better readability
  
• Closing an achievement popup no longer triggers inputs on what's behind it
  
• Fixed content being cut off in the new help overlay sometimes
  

ADDED

• New ENTANGLER set; with it every time you lose health, the enemies lose as much. Also it gives you the MASOCHISM skill to damage yourself and makes you regenerate health every time you eliminate an enemy!
  

• Reworked the spawner / lightning tile highlights yet another time to increase readability
  
• Removed the warning icon from the player in exit levels, instead the turns left are also shown above the exit
  

• With the last update I accidentally displayed the install button on items in the archive during the game which is fixed now! :-P
  
• Made the new help overlay a bit more narrow so you can close it more easily on mobile
  
• When using the back button from the new game screen the title screen no longer loses focus
  
• At the end of the demo, the screens are properly layered again
  

[h2]ADDED[/h2]

• Full controller and keyboard support: consoles here we come! <3
  
• Archive folders: you can now create builds in the archive with folders!
  
• A new screen with stats across your normal and ladder games
  
• MINELAYER script: for the rest of combat, you leave shock mines as you move
  
• More Gigasprite boss level variants
  

• Completely reworked difficulty scaling:
  
  
  
  • Each run ends after level 100, but runs now have a score!
    
  • After each gate reward you can choose a difficulty upgrade
    
  • You can get score bonuses by choosing harder difficulty upgrades
    
  • For each item taken from the archive in normal runs, you have to choose one difficulty upgrade
    
  
  
• Made many performance improvements under the hood to save energy and keep your device cool ;-)
  
• Removed the help mode in favor of a new ingame overlay which displays info about the current run, your character and all enemies in the level
  
• Improved spanish translation (thanks to Estyx Translations <3)
  
• The full PIXEL PUSHER set no longer grants the ability to push immobile enemies; instead you leave shock mines upon pushing
  
• Removed all levels with both Megasprites and Spawners
  
• Removed translucent tiles from all levels, instead teleport scripts are now disabled in gate levels
  
• Grid overload strikes no longer affect treasures
  
• RANGED ROUNDHOUSE script damage nerfed from 100-300 to 100-200
  
• MELEE ANNIHILATION (3) script damage buffed from 40-120 to 50-200
  
• MELEE ANNIHILATION (5) script damage buffed from 100-300 to 200-300
  
• MELEE CROSS (1) script damage buffed from 50-100 to 80-120
  
• MELEE CROSS (2) script damage buffed from 100-200 to 100-300
  
• MELEE TRIPLE (2) script damage buffed from 40-120 to 100-200
  
• RANGED CROSS (2) script damage buffed from 50-200 to 100-200
  
• TELESTOMP damage buffed from 50-200 to 200-300
  
• Removed EVADE bonus from Megasprite bonus pool
  

• The options in the language select and similar interface items are now a little bigger and easier to select on mobile devices
  
• Using certain scripts can no longer lead to levels ending early
  
• Teleporting enemies no longer teleport when they could move and attack instead
  
• Added a cap for meta bonus and loot per level to deny certain exploits
  

Good news, everyone! The content update isn't quite done yet but I have created a beta branch on Steam where you can check out some of the upcoming changes!

I'm particularly looking for feedback for these awesome new features:

- Keyboard/Controller support
- Difficulty scaling rework

Please note that the update isn't done in terms of balancing and content (think more unique modifiers for the difficulty scaling for example). The ladder is also disabled on the beta branch.

To play this version, choose the beta branch in the game's properties on Steam. If you want to play with your current profile, copy your profile folder "blackenslash" to "blackenslash_beta". You can find this folder here:

Windows: %APPDATA%\blackenslash\
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/blackenslash/
Linux: ~/.local/share/blackenslash/

If you're not convinced yet, have a look at the preliminary patch notes:

ADDED
- Full controller and keyboard support: consoles here we come! <3
- Archive folders: you can now create builds in the archive with folders!
- MINELAYER script: for the rest of combat, you leave shock mines as you move
- More Gigasprite boss levels

CHANGED
- Completely reworked difficulty scaling:
> Each run ends after level 100, but runs now have a score!
> After each gate reward you can choose an upgrade for the enemies
> You can get score bonuses by choosing harder enemy upgrades
- Made many performance improvements under the hood to save energy and keep your device cool ;-)
- Improved spanish translation (thanks to Estyx Translations <3)
- The full PIXEL PUSHER set no longer grants the ability to push immobile enemies; instead you leave shock mines upon pushing
- Removed all levels with both Megasprites and Spawners
- Removed translucent tiles from all levels, instead teleport scripts are now disabled in gate levels
- Grid overload strikes no longer affect treasures
- RANGED ROUNDHOUSE script damage nerfed from 100-300 to 100-200
- MELEE ANNIHILATION (3) script damage buffed from 40-120 to 50-200
- MELEE ANNIHILATION (5) script damage buffed from 100-300 to 200-300
- MELEE CROSS (1) script damage buffed from 50-100 to 80-120
- MELEE CROSS (2) script damage buffed from 100-200 to 100-300

FIXED
- The options in the language select and similar interface items are now a little bigger and easier to select on mobile devices
- Using certain scripts can no longer lead to levels ending early
- Teleporting enemies no longer teleport when they could move and attack instead

Thank you all so much for playing the game and for the amazing feedback so far! <3

This first update squashes some bugs and adds some quality of life improvements.

ADDED
- Set parts now have a little number on the icon for clarity
- The Steam version now checks for previously unlocked achievements at startup
- In exit levels, a little warning icon appears on your character before you run out of turns
- In grid overload levels, a little warning icon is displayed if you're standing on a lightning tile

CHANGED
- The lightning animation is now 33% faster overall
- The enemy spawn animation in survival levels is now 50% faster
- Counter attacks can no longer be countered (which also makes the Schrdinger's sprite bug much more rare)

FIXED
- FastBoot now properly calculates cycle bonus
- Salvaging or archiving a part now properly removes the script from your loadout
- The Elusive achievement no longer always unlocks upon beating level 25
- The level info below the progress bar now fully disappears on mobile devices with cutouts
- The ladder can now be scrolled on mobile devices
- Augmenting a variable now respects the cap exactly
- The effective health in the gear summary now updates properly

Good news, everyone, Blacken Slash is now available!

What you should do now:

• Play the game!
  
• Write a review on Steam!
  
• Tell your friends about it!
  
• Tell your favorite streamer to play it!
  
• Join the Discord server and help shape the game in the months to come!
  

• Keyboard only controls
  
• Gamepad controls
  
• Folders to organize builds in the archive
  
• Level Editor
  
• Run statistics
  

First off: thank you for your interest in this game! It's my third game but the gratefulness hasn't worn off one bit. I'm very happy to be able to make cool games and even more happy that some people out there actually like my stuff!

Blacken Slash is gearing up for the release, I'm applying finishing touches here and there and I'm very happy with the results. The character art is now in the game and really helps to create the atmosphere:





I've also reworked the item comparison for more clarity:



And you might have noticed the cool glitchy shader the enemies now have:



And these are just a few select changes I've worked tirelessly these past few weeks to make this the most high quality game I possibly can. And it shows: when playtesting, I regularly lose track of time and play way more than I intended to.

I can't wait for y'all to get your hands on the game. In the meantime, if you haven't already, do check out the free prologue and see all the new changes for yourself:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2003750/Blacken_Slash_Prologue/

Ask questions and watch the dev play the demo!

Ask questions and watch the dev play the demo!