Hey there, So, Shards of Her 0.4.4 The Tempest update is here, featuring new story content and updates to the previous ACTs. There are improvements across the entire game, including writing, visuals, and audio. While there is still much work to be done, I wanted to release this update now as it offers an overall enhancement to the game in all aspects.

"They survived one Dawn, hoping for peace... They should have prayed the dawn never came again." - Aethra

There are new characters entering the scene, with more to come. Some characters are also leaving the scene, as the game world is quite dangerous, and lately, whispers can be heard once again. STORY & LORE - Bits and pieces were rewritten throughout the entire game to fix some story inconsistencies or simply rewritten for better flow. New lore details have been added, both in-game and in the Characters menu. So, make sure you check it out! In some cases, certain characters will have their full backstory included in the biography on their Characters page. So far, there are two such characters; you'll discover them as you play the latest update!
VISUALS - This is an ongoing work. The Prologue scene has been improved, and where possible, the quality of the renders was enhanced or they were re-rendered. I'm striving to achieve a cinematic level with each shot and to deliver the best possible experience, both visually and story-wise. Visually and in terms of writing, the entire game will be upgraded as we progress.

UI - The Main Menu of the game has been slightly changed. The animated buttons are not final, and regarding them, please let me know if you experience any performance issues, such as menu lag or other similar problems. The Options menu is also undergoing some changes, and the Fragments menu (previously Extras) is not final at all. I have other plans for it in future updates.
As you can see, a new small menu has appeared TOGGLE PERSISTENT VALUES, this menu will be used temporarily for the next few updates. If you load your last saved game and don't receive all the unlockables in the CODEX Menu, you can use this new menu to manually set the missing items to TRUE or FALSE. Please note that these values only cover content up to the latest build, as in this version, you need to unlock everything manually through gameplay.
The MEMORIES menu has also been updated with an introduction and a new UI. Lastly, there's the new CODEX Menu. While the UI for this menu is still being worked on, we'll discuss it further below.
AUDIO - New music has been added. I didn't have the chance to update the music in the older ACTs for this release, but that will be done in the future to enhance the experience though not necessarily with drastically different music than before. Additionally, the narration at important points in the game is now voiced over by a dear friend, and I truly appreciate the time she dedicated to this. More characters will have voice acting in future updates; I'm currently working on that. Now, the STEAM Page was updated with the new features and each one explained, not really necessary to write it here too, what wasn't covered in the Store Page it was in the previous DEVLogs and on this post, I hope I did not forget anything! Let's roll up with the final patch notes for this update. SOH 0.4.4 The Tempest Update

Engine Updated

ACT IV Story Content

Voice Overs for Narration

Script/Dialogue/Visual Fixes (Overall)

Story Fixes (Story Inconsistencies)

New Animations

New Achievements

New Intro Screens for ACTs

Game Conditions Updated

Notifications for Codex Entries Added (Overall)

*Persistent Data Values for Characters/Shards/Timeline & Realms

Added Skip Intro Option

NEW UI for Memories

In-Work UI for Options PROLOGUE - Veil of Illusion

Visual Enhancements

Small Dialogue and Narration Changes ACT I - Awakening

Visual Enhancements

Dialogue Fixes & Spellchecking

New Scenes Added

Small UI Changes

NEW Character Introduced ACT II - Echoes

Smoothed Transitions

Dialogue Fixes & Small Changes

Visual Enhancements & Fixes

Small Story Inconsistencies Fixes

New Small Scene Added (Nakata & MC Scene) ACT III - Reckoning

Dialogue Fixes & Small Changes

Small Story Inconsistencies Fixes

Smoothed Transitions *Persistent Data Values for Characters/Shards/Timeline & Realms - Due to the new persistent data update, when you load a save game from a version prior to 0.4.4, the game will attempt to unlock content in the CODEX Menu based on your previous progress. However, if you know you experienced something in an older playthrough that didn't unlock in the CODEX Menu, you can use the TOGGLE PERSISTENT VALUES option in the Main Menu to manually unlock everything up to the 0.3.6 build. NEW Codex Menu

• CHARACTERS - Explore the lives and legends of those who shape the destiny of this world. Uncover their pasts, their powers, and explore their evolving forms.
• REALMS - Explore the realms touched by both divine grace and primordial darkness. Uncover their forgotten lore, and prepare to walk their paths once more.
• THE SHARDS - Delve into the mysteries of the Seven Shards, remnants of a shattered goddess. Learn their histories, their powers, and the sins they embody.
• ASTROLOGY - Decipher the language of the stars. Explore the months and signs that guide the fate of this world, and discover the hidden connections between the heavens and the earth.
• TIMELINE - From the whispers of creation to the clash of destinies, witness the turning points that defined a universe. Uncover the truth behind the legends, one event at a time.

*New features and content will be added to the CODEX Menu in future updates (TBD/TBA). *FRAGMENTS Menu will go through some updates in future.

The echoes of sorrow have been heard. This act of Remembrance reveals the price of the past. Now... the Reaper comes to collect.

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[ 2025-05-07 13:43:27 CET ] [ Original post ]