Happy halloween Gladiators from Larissa and Dimitri!

We bring you a brand new update to our demo to celebrate the spooky season.

Changes

We've added the long awaited Infusions! You can now select an Infusion at the start of the game. These will influence the upgrades you'll get. Additionally, we've added two turrets near the Crystal to aid you in your effort to protect and recharge the Crystal. On top of that you will now receive your upgrades each time you level up, so no more waiting until the Crystal has decided to be ready! Exciting! We also removed the option to pick a difficulty as we both wanted you to experience the game as it was intended, challenges and everything.
We hope you will all enjoy this update as we got some big changes coming in the near future, so stay tuned.

Known issues

We've noticed that Steam thinks that the game doesn't have full controller support but we can assure you that it does. The issue is related to us not having all the designated icons ready for all different types of controllers. But rest assured, Crystalis Descendant can be fully enjoyed with a controller ^^

Closing thoughts

We both wish you all a happy halloween and we hope you enjoy the new update! Greetings Larissa and Dimitri

[ 2024-10-31 13:46:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Players,

Today, we have important news about Crystalis Descendant's progress in development and the release date. Because our community is the heart of our studio, our goal has always been to build transparent and honest communication with you. Every day, we strive to grow in this element. We made the difficult decision to move our release date of Crystalis Descendant to December 2024. We have a responsibility to deliver the best game possible, and we need more time to accomplish this goal. It's no secret that building a game with a three-person team is a challenge, not to mention the lack of funds & budget. We are planning to use the extra time to both focus on the level of quality of the game and invest more time into adding more things to the game; for example, we are going to add a third dimension to the game characters, making it more smooth to move and turn. We couldn't be more excited about Crystalis Descendant. This game is our passion, and we are dedicated to making it the best it can be. The toughest part of this decision is that we won't be able to put the game in your hands sooner. But we hope you'll join us when we release it in December 2024. We are sorry to keep you all waiting a little longer. We want the game to meet your and our highest expectations. Your enthusiasm has been very inspiring along the way. You have also given us a ton of feedback that we will use to make Crystalis Descendant even better. We believe in the game we're making, and we thank you for your patience. We'll see you in the arena. - Boxsun Team

[ 2024-07-08 18:00:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings Gladiators

We are happy to announce that we are taking a part in Endless Replayability Fest! Join us now and try our latest update.

Stay informed about the latest news and updates via Facebook and Twitter pages! Don't forget to join us on Discord to stay up-to-date with the game's progress and not miss any upcoming events.

~Boxsun Team

[ 2024-05-13 17:12:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings Gladiators

Were back again with another update for you. In this update we bring you more bug fixes, QoL changes and additional features. You can read all about these changes and more below.

Bug Fixes

• Player could get stuck on the platform in some situations after using the shop.
• Game being stuck sometimes after the player dying or the crystal being destroyed.
• Upgrade shop displaying the same upgrade twice.

Optimizations

• Improved the way visual effects are handled to improve performance.
• Grouped sprites together where possible to slightly reduce draw calls.
• Slightly improved target acquisition for the Crystallisk.

Quality of Life Changes

• Improved several colliders where the player could get stuck on.
• Increased the size of the hitboxes of the pots so now they like being destroyed even more!
• Improved sorting for several of the sprites so they should properly render behind and in front of others.
• Reduced the contrast of the blood splatters to reduce visual cluttering.
• Reduced the contrast of the arena slightly.
• Increased the contrast of the Player, Crystallisk, and upgrade effects.
  
• Improved visuals of the Crystal Essence you pick up to charge the crystal and gather XP.
  • They no longer have different colors.
  • They now appear larger and in bigger quantities when they are worth more.
  
  

Controller Support

We figured out that all of our fingers could use some training so we decided to add full controller support to Crystalis Descendant!

Difficulty Options

We introduced options to set your difficulty before starting a new run.

Branching Upgrade Paths

We heard your feedback and took it to heart. We introduced branching upgrade paths that only show certain upgrades if you have selected a previous upgrade. A clear example is with the Poison Mastery upgrade that will no longer show up unless you have picked poison related upgrades before.

Improved Crystallisk AI

No longer will you see stubborn Crystallisk who are determined to walk all the way to the opposite side of the crystal to reach their destination. We finally found a method to train them properly and they should now behave and move to a spot closest to them.

Additional Cutscenes

We finally got our cameras out and recorded the emotional moments of when a Gladiator falls in battle and when they failed to protect their vital crystal. [hr][/hr]

Upcoming

Heres a sneak peek at what were forging in the background!

Infusions

Following up on the Branching Upgrade Paths we are working on Infusions. These Infusions will have a chance of appearing every time you level up. Picking them up will grant you the option to pick an Infusion for your crystal, which will empower your attacks with a certain element while opening up related upgrades in the shop at the end of each wave.

Depth Events

Once the energy hotspot has been depleted, the crystal will descend deeper into the arena. Upon entering this new depth, youll be greeted by a random event that youll have to complete in time, before the crystal reaches the new depth. Doing so successfully will reward you with a Depth Upgrade! How exciting!

Depth Upgrades

These magnificent upgrades, which are separate from your regular upgrades, will have an effect that remains active throughout the entire depth. Unfortunately, our chief engineers still have to find a way to make them travel with the Gladiator when they travel to a new depth. So, for now well have to settle with these special upgrades not following us. Don't forget to join us on Discord to stay up-to-date with the game's progress and not miss any upcoming events.

~Boxsun Team

[ 2024-04-11 15:30:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings Gladiators

Hello Gladiators, here we are with our *checks calendar* Biggest and most important Dev log? Oh my, looks like were a little late on this one. But better late than never, right? Weve been hard at work over here, and we have so much to share! So without further delay, lets get to it! First and foremost, we want to go over the biggest change to our game, which is the core Gameplay. Now you no longer have to destroy burrows, nor do you have to fight against the crystal overloading. Now you have to work with the crystal and charge it by killing Crystallisk, which is relentless in destroying the crystal. With new unlockable upgrades that can cause afflictions to your enemies. Your only mission now is uncovering the truth as you Descend deeper into the depths of the Arena. [previewyoutube=BhWBisAuyug;full][/previewyoutube]

Patch Notes

Update

Version 0.6.0 is finally out! In this massive update weve overhauled the core gameplay, threw out the ld upgrades and replaced them with more exciting ones. We also introduce the new affliction system that comes along with the overhauled upgrades.

New Cutscenes

In this version we implemented new cutscenes for you to enjoy! Along with these comes the ability to skip the introduction cutscene by pressing ESC on your keyboard.

New Crystallisk

Out with only a single Crystallisk! We have implemented a total of 5 different types, with each their own unique behaviours.

• The Crystal Caster A ranged Crystallisk that will spit projectiles at their prey. These projectiles may seem slow at first but dont be fooled as they will catch you off guard the moment you stop being vigilant.
  

• The Ironscale A formidable adversary whos as tough as iron! These Crystallisk take quite a bit of firepower to take out. All this armor does come with additional weight, slowing them down significantly.
  

• The Ravager Berserker Beware the Berserker, a ferocious and relentless Crystallisk. These Crystallisk only have a thirst for blood and wont even bat an eye at the Crystal.
  

• The Obsessed Ravager They might seem small and harmless to gladiators but that is because they are obsessed with the Crystal and will stop at nothing to get to it. These little guys can asily sneak past unnoticed if the Crystal goes unsupervised.
  

New & Improved Upgrades

Become a Poison master, gain a thirst for blood or perhaps, become a Void fanatic as you unlock 19 new upgrades. Experiment with new combinations and form the perfect build suited to your playstyle! Additionally, each upgrade now scales with your attack power, critical strike chance and critical hit damage. Making each upgrade you take valuable. Here are some teasers!

Poison Nova

Critical strikes create a poison nova that deals damage and inflicts Poison.

Dark Pulsar

A damaging pulse that turns into a revolving beam after every few pulses and has a chance to apply Void.

Afflictions

Certain upgrades will inflict affliction on their targets. These afflictions each have their own unique effects when applied. Here are a few examples of afflictions that were added.
Burn Burns the afflicted dealing damage equal to a percentage of your attack power every second.
Bleed Makes the afflicted target bleed over 8 seconds, rapidly dealing damage equal to a percentage of your attack power.
Conduct Shocks the target over 3 seconds and has a small chance to jump to nearby targets when dealing damage.
Poison Poisons the afflicted slowly dealing damage equal to a percentage of your attack power over 10 seconds.
Void Causes your target to be inflicted with void, locking a portion of their health. hen the targets health reaches the locked portion, void will instantly kill them. After 3 seconds, void will expire and deal damage equal to the locked portion of the targets health. Don't forget to join us on Discord to stay up-to-date with the game's progress and not miss any upcoming events.

~Boxsun Team

[ 2024-03-28 18:36:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Gladiators

[previewyoutube=r8dGMxLOX1s;full][/previewyoutube] It's been a busy four months since our last Dev Log, so we decided to bring you news from the back of the pantry. We know from your feedback that the Crystalis Descendant is your clear favorite, so we thought it only right that we should give you more of what you love, but with some extra-satisfying twists! Were incredibly pleased to announce that our game is receiving a new big update that will change lots of things related to our game, as some of our loyal members have seen in our latest Playtest on Discord. We wanted to break down our update notes and share them with you. Lastly, it's been a joy to watch players connect with the game, and we really appreciate everyone who has reached out with feedback and bug reports. Thank you! Without any further ado, let's jump in.

Core Overhaul

• Protect The Crystal

  
  We listened to your feedback and went to work with it! We redesigned our core gameplay and the crystal has reclaimed its rightful place! It's up to you to protect it from the endless hordes of Crystallisk and charge up its energy by defeating them. Once the crystal is fully charged, you can activate it to unleash a pulse of destruction. This pulse also indicates the end of the wave and allows you to unlock upgrades using the Crystal Shards you've collected during the wave. No more struggling with destroying burrows or fighting back the overload of the crystal, and in with the endless action and slaying!

• From Lives to Health Bar

  
  After feedback from the community and game redesign we changed the health system back to the Health bar. Long live the health bar!

Arena Update

• Arenas AKA The Temple (New)
  • Different layouts!
  • New structures
  • The lighting adapts depending on which wave you are in.

• Destructible objects/obstacles (New)
  • Vases
  • Benches
  • Pillars these fall to the floor depending on the players shooting direction.

HUD - Update

The Upgrade Overhaul

The upgrades get a complete new look and feel as they have more effects to allow for more diverse builds in combination with a rarity system ranging from Common to Legendary. These upgrades can now apply Afflictions to your targets with each their own unique effects. Some examples:

Shop Overhaul

The shop is getting a fresh coat of paint with new visuals and more information at your disposal.

Sneak Peek

[spoiler]Here is some concept art for the crystal upgrade forge coming soon
[/spoiler] Don't forget to join us on Discord to stay up-to-date with the game's progress and not miss any upcoming events.

~Boxsun Team

[ 2024-03-13 19:20:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Gladiators

[previewyoutube=v3yzuSofSP8;full][/previewyoutube] As we gather with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season, we wanted to take a moment to extend our heartfelt wishes to each and every one of you. May your homes be filled with love, laughter, and the magic of Christmas. This year has been filled with challenges, but with your help and support we managed to go on. As we say farewell to 2022, let's welcome the New Year with open hearts and renewed game. Thank you for being an essential part of our community. Your feedback and support helped us all the way. We look forward to the continued journey together. Wishing you a Merry Christmas filled with warmth and a New Year with our game! Warmest wishes, ~Boxsun Team

[ 2023-12-27 14:19:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Gladiators

We are back with a fresh update! We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to our players and community members for sharing their valuable feedback with us. As we promised earlier, we will continue to publish monthly development logs to keep you informed about what we are currently working on. Don't forget to join us on Discord to stay up-to-date with the game's progress and not miss any upcoming events.

Lets dive in.

In the Works

The Crystalcaster

Our amazing artist continued working on a new type of Crystallisk that we briefly covered in our previous Dev log. The Crystalcasters are masters of ranged combat and will attack from a distance, using energy projectiles, also known as the spitting ones by the gladiators. Here you can see the progress from sketch to actual sprite made by our talented artist. We cant wait to add it to the game!

Improvements

The Sanctuary

Behind the scenes we started working on a brand new area youll encounter in the game called The Sanctuary. In this area youll be able to select different characters to play as, as well as pick your weapon and ability of choice. Additionally, youll be able to permanently upgrade your favorite weapons and abilities here using your hard earned Crystallum at the giant forge. We wont disclose too much just yet as we want to surprise you with whats coming. Stay tuned for more information about The Sanctuary!

Updates

HUD overhaul

Were finally done with overhauling the HUD and implementing all the features. The HUD is now bottom centric and all the important information is visible at a glance. Some new elements have been added to display your progress to achieve Overkill Time as well as the power boosts gained during.

From Health Bar to Lives

We decided to change the way your player health is managed as we think this will create a more engaging and clear experience. While it used to be a health bar, which made it less clear to how much health you had left, we now switched the system around and went with lives instead. This way you can easily see how many lives you have left allowing you to focus more on the game itself!

Depleting Not Filling

The crystals stability gauge now depletes instead of filling up as this makes more sense to convey that the crystal is losing stability over time.

Burrow Counter

Weve included a burrow counter that displays how many burrows youve destroyed and how many burrows there are in total. This makes it easier to check your progress during the wave.

Weapon & Ability Cooldown

Both the weapon and the ability cooldowns are now clearly visible on the HUD, making it a lot more intuitive.

Audio System Overhaul

Were in the process of converting our old audio system, which was starting to show its flaws by now, to the new system using FMOD Studio. This allows us to implement adaptive soundtracks, scaling sound effects, audio balancing, and so much more Overhauling the audio system was nothing short of a daunting undertaking as it meant we had to unlink a lot of our systems and triggers to implement the new FMOD events. With the new system in place, our audio engineer could now focus on setting all the effects and soundtracks up creating an amazing atmosphere while doing so.

Additional Soundtracks

With the new overhaul of our audio system also came new soundtracks! Our audio engineer immediately went to work and made full use of the power of FMOD by implementing a system that scales the intensity of the soundtracks as you progress through the waves. Additionally, we also added some new soundtracks made by our lovely artist Andrew Dunne for the shop area and during Overkill Time.

Overkill Time

In our previous Dev log we introduced a new mechanic called Overkill Time. After gathering all of the feedback of our community we iterated and improved on the idea to ensure it felt right. The more you crush your foes the more you revel in the power by racking up a power enhancing boost that will last even after exiting Overkill Time.

Fullscreen Overlays

To enhance your experience weve added several fullscreen overlays during certain events. We think this will help you to detect if a certain event is triggered like for example being low health or when the crystal is about to overload.

Fracturion

We reduced the amount of armor Fracturion has making him easier to kill and more interesting to invest in high damage upgrades.

New & Improved Upgrades

With this update we bring 2 new upgrades and an updated version of the Stormbringers Fury upgrade! The 2 new upgrades are all about drones and making them stronger while the updated Stormbringers Fury is even more devastating.

Hive Mind - NEW

Summon a pack of drones that will lock-on targets and launch themselves towards the target to destroy them. Each stack, up to a maximum of 10 stacks, increases the damages of each drone and the number of drones you can have active.

Tinkerer - NEW

Each stack increases the damage of all your drones by 20%.

Stormbringers Fury - UPDATED

The new update brings even more mayhem as you now truly become a god of thunder! The lightning summoned by Stormbringers Fury will now strike multiple targets summoning a multitude of lightning bolts.

Fixes

• Misaligned hitboxes
• The hitboxes of several things have been made more accurate
• Fracturion attacks having too large of a hitbox
• Burrows not displaying correct damage state
• Dashing through walls
• Crystallisk keep attacking/dealing damage even after death
• Audio playing too loud

Known Issues

• Soundtracks not fading into each other nicely
• Fracturion not being able to charge into the top wall
• Upgrades not affecting other upgrades and only affecting weapon
• Damage upgrade not increasing the damage of other upgrades
• Critical hit damage not applying to other upgrades
• Upgrades not being able to critical hit
• The overkill bar in the HUD can start shaking after going into overkill and
• immediately going out again through getting hit
• Audio becomes louder when hitting Fracturion repeatedly
• Audio balancing

[ 2023-12-07 17:58:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Gladiators

We have some awesome news for you today. We have been busy making our games look and sound better than ever, and we are thrilled to share this with you today. These updates include Visual Changes, Audio Changes, Bug Fixes, and some other changes. We hope you love the new update as much as we do. We value your feedback and support, and we cant wait to bring you more amazing content in the future. Thank you for being part of our family! Without any further ado, let's jump in.

Content

• Overkill Time

  
  Enhancing the look and feel of the game is one of our top priorities. Introducing the visually stunning "Overkill Time" state. Crush your foes and revel in the power by killing a certain number of Crystallisk. The more kills you make, the longer you stay in this state!

Temporary upgrades

• Hive Mind

  
  Harness the power of the hive mind as you command a swarm of small flying drones to accompany you. These drones faithfully follow your lead, intercepting and sacrificing, adding a dynamic element to your strategic gameplay.
  

• Tinkerer

  
  A stat upgrade that unlocks a cascade of power! Elevate your minions with each stack, transforming them into relentless allies that inflict escalating damage upon the Crystallisk. Unleash the might of your upgraded minions and conquer the hordes with unparalleled strength!

Additional Crystallisk

• Crystalcaster Crystallisk

  
  Masters of ranged combat, these Crystallisk attack from a distance, using energy projectiles or other long-range attacks to target the player. They maintain their distance and rain down destruction from afar, making it challenging for the gladiator to counterattack.
  

Improvements

• Stormbringers Fury

  
  Stormbringers Fury Has been reworked into a fine upgrade with multiple strikes falling on the Crystallisk making it into an epic experience.

• HUD overhaul

  
  The HUD has gone through some iterations and now is one of those cases. Luckily Thanks to our community, we know exactly where the pain points are and how to iron them out. This version of the HUD is very elegant with clear indicators.
  

~Boxsun Team

[ 2023-11-20 17:55:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Gladiators

Exciting news keeps coming your way! Brace yourself for another thrilling stream to light up your day. Tonight, we're turning up the excitement with a third livestream that's set to make your evening truly legendary! Join us for yet another unforgettable adventure. It's not just any stream; it's a golden opportunity for us to connect, play games, and craft more indelible memories together! Do not forget to join us and have the chance to get a free key. Check it out Here Don't forget to join us on Discord so you can be part of all the fun.

[ 2023-10-16 14:45:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Gladiators

We've got some exciting news to make your day even better! Tonight, get ready for a second stream that's sure to make your evening epic all over again! Join us for another unforgettable adventure. It's not just a repeat; it's another chance for us to hang out, game together, and create more memorable moments! We have also prepared some exciting giveaways to celebrate this Epic moment with our amazing community. Check it out Here Don't forget to join us on Discord so you can be part of all the fun.

[ 2023-10-14 18:56:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Gladiators

We've got some thrilling news to brighten up your day! Tonight, we're cranking up the excitement with a stream that's bound to make your evening epic! Join us for an unforgettable adventure. It's not just a stream; it's a chance for us to hang out, game together, and share some memorable moments! Don't forget to join us on Discord so you can be part of all the fun.

[ 2023-10-09 20:00:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Gladiators

Welcome to the very first entry in the "Crystalis Descendant Dev Log," We will step into the shoes of our game developers and experience the process of creating a game from nothing. Septembers been a very busy month for us and we wanted to take the opportunity to share some progress with you all before our memories fade. We will try to keep up with monthly development logs as its a good way to track our progress and keep you all in the loop. Weve been a bit quiet about sharing our progress lately for a few reasons. One is that weve been working hard towards finalizing the game systems. This isnt flashy work and it doesnt look great in gifs, but oh does it add to the feel of the game. With systems comes boring stuff like menus, settings, languages, UI, game state, save data, controls, and transitions but there are also a few features that came together this month that were really excited to share. Without any further ado let's jump in.

New Mutation: Fracturion

• New mutation barges into the arena!
• Has armored scales and takes significantly reduced damage
  
• Has 3 different attacks: Stomp attack Charge attack Bounce attack
• Enrages when below 50% HP

Animations

Crystal

• Basic idle
• Start of wave
• Wave idle
• End of wave
• Overload
• Overload idle
• Corrupted (when mutation invades the arena)
• Corrupted idle
• End of corruption

Gladiators

Gunslinger:

• Idle
• Run
• Spawn
• Faint

Crystallisk

Ravager:

• Run
• Spawn
• Bite

Mutations

Fracturion:

• Roar
• Idle
• Run
• Stomp attack
• Anticipation for charge attack
• Charge attack
• Slamming into obstacles
• Bounce attack
• Anticipation for bounce attack
• Enraging
• Defeated

Environment

• Torch flickering

Audio

Crystal

• Basic idle
• Start of wave
• Wave idle
• End of wave
• Overload

Crystallisk

• Added a death sound for the Crystallisk

Mutations

Fracturion:

• Roar
• Stomp attack
• Run
• Rolling
• Impact: Armored
• Impact: Exposed
• Impact: Obstacle
• Exhale
• Defeated

Environment

• Gate crashing

UI

• Added button sounds for the different menus

Environment

Arena gate:

• Broken
• Intact

Generic:

• Torches

VFX

• Added several different VFX elements

General

Updated sprites for several game assets:

• Crystal
• Gunslinger
• Minigun
• Crystallisk
• Fracturion

Tweaks

Gladiators

• Added different stats for the Gladiators: Vitality: Amount of hitpoints Agility: How fast the Gladiator moves Fortitude: Damage reduction Luck: Chance to evade an attack

Gunslinger:

• Increased the Gunslingers movement speed slightly
• Increased the Gunslingers HP to 105 (was 95)

Crystallisk

• Increased spawn rate of Crystallisk significantly

Ravager Crystallisk:

• Decreased the Ravagers HP to 45 (was 125)
• Decreased the Ravagers damage to 11 (was 14)
• Decreased the Ravagers HP gain per wave to 2 (was 4)

Burrows

• Increased amount of Burrows per wave slightly

Mutations

Fracturion:

• Increased amount of XP rewarded for defeating Fracturion to 6300 (was 3045)
• Removed basic attack sequence
• Decreased amount of XP rewarded for defeating Fracturion to 4000 (was 6300)

General

• Upgrades now display the amount of stacks you unlocked
• Decreased XP-scaling per level
• Increased amount of XP gained per shard
• Increased required XP for first level

System

• Reworked combat system for Mutations to be more consistent

Audio

• Adjusted volume of sound effects for volume balancing

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug where Fracturion would not charge to a fixed distance
• Fixed text overflowing on large numbers for the floating damage numbers
• Fixed pause menu not working after some time

Known Issues

• Lightning strike upgrade does not get reset
• Dashing through the gate
• Title PRESS E TO INTERACT stays present
• Burrow states are visible on top of each other
• Pause menu stops working
• Pausing when Fracturion roars keeps roar VFX present
• Wave stats on result screen displays 14 waves completed instead of 15

Web Build

• Menu scaling
• Browser sometimes displays error when attempting to go fullscreen

[ 2023-09-29 18:42:36 CET ] [ Original post ]