With this update I have added a number of routes for Rhode in The Clash section of the game. This area is accessible after The Mossbacks if you take a more negative route. If you need help reaching this location please contact me via the Discord ticketing system detailed under Bug Reporting.

Known Issues
• Russian language has not been updated past Fern/Rhode in Animus.
  
• English is the only language past the Mossbacks.
  
• Facial expressions in Emelios Clash scene are missing.
  
• Some audio queues in Emelios Clash scene are missing.
  
• Facial expressions in Rhodes Clash scene are missing.
  
• Some audio queues in Rhodes Clash scene are missing.

New Content
• New routes have been added for every possible interaction path with Rhode during The Clash. This section is exceptionally complex due to your choice to skip her entirely, fight her in the dark world, fall out of the dark world on Emelio, or go to lunch with fern instead. As such this took quite a bit longer to write so apologies for that!
  
• We went to Judgement and told Emelio we wanted things to be this way.
  
• -> We went to lunch with Rhode
  
• --> We fought Rhode and won in combat.
  
• ---> We killed Rhode.
  
• ---> We did not kill Rhode.
  
• --> We fought Rhode and lost in combat.
  
• ---> We never moved during the encounter.
  
• -> We went to lunch with Fern.
  
  
• We went to Judgement and told Emelio we didn't want things to be this way.
  
• -> We went to lunch with Rhode.
  
• --> We treated her badly.
  
• -> We went to lunch with Fern
  
• --> We treated her badly.
  
  
• We didn't go to Judgement.
  
• -> We went to lunch with Rhode.
  
• --> We treated her badly.
  
• --> We treated her well.
  
• -> We went to lunch with Fern
  
• --> We treated her badly.
  
• --> We treated her well.

Bug Fixes
• The Steamdeck version no longer crashes on startup under some configurations.
  
• The Linux version no longer crashes on startup under some configurations.

Bug Reporting
• Please report any issues on our official Discord at https://discord.gg/piratesoftware
  
• There is a channel called #heartbound-ticket where you can report stuff!
  
• Include a screenshot, it makes it much easier to fix!

Upcoming Content
• The rest of Animus (Chapter 3) is being actively developed.

Was going to drop the update the last week or so but a lot needed to be changed and I was very busy with our ferret rescue work. Thankfully I have everything written and implementation is a breeze so that's not going to be an issue.

With that in mind here are all the routes in the upcoming patch.
This is split into three primary trees and will branch out based on other choices.
In total it's around ~200 new dialogue lines between you and Rhode.
This has been spoilered for those of you that don't want to know.

We went to Judgement and told Emelio we wanted things to be this way.
-> We went to lunch with Rhode
--> We fought Rhode and won in combat.
---> We killed Rhode.
----> We destroyed the flower crown.
---> We did not kill Rhode.
----> We were bit during the encounter.
--> We fought Rhode and lost in combat.
---> We never moved during the encounter.
-> We went to lunch with Fern.

We didn't go to Judgement.
-> We went to lunch with Rhode.
--> We treated her badly.
--> We treated her well.
-> We went to lunch with Fern
--> We treated her badly.
--> We treated her well.

We went to Judgement but told Emelio we didn't want things to be this way.
-> We went to lunch with Fern.
-> We went to lunch with Rhode.

The ARG has also been updated to the next step.
The Steam version of the game has also been fixed in this next update.

Also, as a point of clarity for those that are upset at my streaming schedule and the games I play on there. I run a company of 15 people and a ferret rescue of 60+ animals. If this indie game could pay for it all I definitely would just be doing this. It cannot and has never been able to. The stream and the community that supports me streaming -allows- me to work on this game and accomplish all of the objectives I set out to do.

Stay Frosty.

The next update should drop this week.

I was going to launch this on the 1st but the dialogue with Rhode just didn't hit right.
She previously didn't discuss any of the timelines in which you went to the Dark World and fought her.
This made those routes feel incredibly disjointed and took the player completely out of the experience.
I will be doing the implementation for this section live like we did last month.
Gives a good time to talk about the game and systems involved as well.

I've also been looking into reports that the game is crashing on Steam Deck.
We've had this reproduce internally finally so I have some data to go on for a fix.
Will let you know what I find when I do.

Animus has been tough with all of these routes but I think it's worth it to do it right.
See you then!

With this update I am mostly looking for feedback on story direction for the end of Animus. If people find Emelio's actions here to be compelling then I will continue pushing this area until completion.

Known Issues
• Russian language has not been updated past Fern/Rhode in Animus.
  
• English is the only language past the Mossbacks.
  
• Facial expressions in Emelio's Clash scene are missing.
  
• Some audio queues in Emelio's Clash scene are missing.

New Content
• The Clash is now accessible after the Mossbacks scene all goes wrong. This area has a number of different routes based on how you played through the entire chapter. It also dynamically changes based on how you act through this room. Most things in Animus work like this but this room has a lot more complexity to it as it's the culmination of every potential route. For now Emelio's section is the only one available.
  
• Dialogue has changed for the Artifact in some areas.
  
• Some things in Animus are now remembered.
  
• All memories have been forgotten.
  
• All changes from Patch 1.0.9.64 have been merged into the public branch.

Bug Fixes
• Text has been updated to reflect you carrying a singular duck in a bathroom.
  
• There is no longer an incorrect audio check when music has ended.
  
• Steamdeck will now be more stable when dealing with audio assets.
  
• Steamdeck will now be more stable when dealing with large texture pages.

Bug Reporting
• Please report any issues on our official Discord at https://discord.gg/piratesoftware
  
• There is a channel called #heartbound-ticket where you can report stuff!
  
• Include a screenshot, it makes it much easier to fix!

Upcoming Content
• The rest of Animus (Chapter 3) is being actively developed.

Had to take a year and focus on everything else as seen here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/567380/view/516325480311292020?l=english

Going forward we're doing monthly update builds on the first of each month.
These are going to be done on a separate build which you can read about below.
These builds will be highly unstable at times so please put in bug reports.
Depending on the severity of issues I will put out additional builds throughout the month.
Anyway, have fun!

Monthly Development Build
• The code to gain access to this is "PirateSoftware".
  
• You can access this by using that code on Heartbound > Properties > Betas within the Steam Library.
  
• This build is for WINDOWS ONLY.
  
• Make sure your Steam client is fully up to date to get this build.
  
• Hitting Shift will allow you to add/remove some blend layers.
  
• Hitting Alt will allow you to add/remove the greyscale shader.
  
• Hitting Ctrl will allow you to enable/disable graphical information.
  
• Hitting Space will allow you to save the game wherever you are standing.
  
• There is a Keyboard/Controller input display on the top left that shows last hit key.

Known Issues
• RURU language has not been updated past Fern/Rhode in Animus.
  
• Our translator lives in Moscow and cannot be paid due to the war.
  
• Once we have a way of fixing this the RURU translation will move forward.

Changed Content
• # has been added to the Heartbound font.
  
• Sheldons storyline has been extended.
  
• Country Locale codes have been replaced with localized language names.
  
• A Quit button has been added to the menu with an "Are you sure?" option.
  
• An end is no longer the end.

Bug Fixes
• The Pocketwatch is no longer on the wrong layer after a sequence in the mines.
  
• It is no longer possible to softlock by talking to Sheldon while he leaves the house.
  
• It is no longer possible to softlock by answering a question in the same frame it was asked.
  
• The credits text no longer fail alignment if you pause during it.
  
• Fern no longer talks outside the box when it all goes wrong.
  
• # in names no longer cause newlines on the credits screen.
  
• A textbox in lunch rush no longer breaks out of bounds
  
• The pause menu no longer shows the room behind it along the edges while moving.
  
• Lighting no longer remains on characters when a light is turned off while they stand in a lightsource.
  
• The game no longer crashes on September 2nd every year.
  
• The achievement "Engage Headbutts" can now be obtained.
  
• Multiple names have been changed in the credits per request.
  
• The client no longer crashes during Rhodes bite mini-game.
  
• Fixed audio memory issue in numerous rooms.
  
• Fixed lighting related memory issue in Act 1.
  
• Fixed lighting related memory issue in Animus Mines.
  
• Lore can no longer get stuck in a loop intermittently in Animus.
  
• Fixed multiple performance related issues on Steam Deck.

Bug Reporting
• Please report any issues on our official Discord at https://discord.gg/piratesoftware
  
• There is a channel called #heartbound-ticket where you can report stuff!
  
• Include a screenshot, it makes it much easier to fix!

Upcoming Content
• The rest of Animus (Chapter 3) is being actively developed.

These patch notes are totally real.
You can trust me. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Check out the daily streams on Twitch.
You can now also watch on YouTube!

Known Issues
• There are no issues.

New Content
• Text has been removed from the game.
  We've replaced all of the text with cinematics. Each of these will be cut into quarters where each quadrant will be the days most popular TikTok video. We find that this increases player retention dramatically.
  
• There are now ads between each room.
  Game development is hard and expensive. Ads allow us to keep making the game to the quality we have been. Running ads between each room just makes cents.
  
• You can now buy Baron as a micro-transaction.
  
• The Demo is now only $100 and localized pricing has been removed.
  
• A VPN is now required to play Heartbound.
  
• Heartbound is now sponsored by Kernel Level Anti-Cheat. Yes, all of them!
  
• ░L░O░O░T░ ░B░O░X░E░S░ ░I░N░ ░B░I░O░
  
• Each chapter is now a DLC sold for only $15.99.
  
• The previously mentioned DLC is actually a monthly subscription.
  
• The monthly subscription does not include the battlepass.
  
• All socks are now NFTs. Blockchain. Ownership. Money. Web3. Crypto. Investment.
  
• All art is now AI generated which is clearly better than stinky old human hand made art.
  
• The OST has been removed and replaced with exclusively Mongolian throat singing.
  
• Heartbound is now a AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA game. The first of its kind.
  
• Heartbound has been renamed to Y to follow the great example set by X.
  
• There is now a $0.99 microtransaction fee to respawn after losing a fight.
  
• Y now has a new Pay Per Step system! PPS is very innovative.
  
• Single Player now requires online access at all times.
  
• Battle Royale mode has been released. Where we droppin?
  
• Y requires 5 Factor Authentication for your account to be approved.
  
• Y now has extreme time-limited Twitch drops. FOMO is fun!
  
• Y now has a TOS that you must agree to... or else.
  
• There are a number of new dance emotes in the cash shop.
  
• There are now hundreds of new hats in the Gacha system.
  
• All purchases must now be made with Y-Coin a new cryptocurrency minted today.
  
• Bees.

Bug Fixes
• There are no bugs. I am a perfect programmer. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Bug Reporting
• There are no bugs to report so you cannot. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Upcoming Content
• This is all the content you need.

Merry Christmas!!!

This is the last bug-fix patch before a major content push. There was a ton wrong with our Steamdeck builds and this should resolve most of them. This was over 160 tickets of issues all drilled into a month and a half so we should be stable for the foreseeable future! If you're still having issues on Deck please make sure you're running the game at 60fps on the latest firmware. The Demo will be updated in the next few days as well.

I wanted to get a content patch out this month but the community has increased over 50x due to an explosion of our YouTube content. This took a lot of management and time to batten down the hatches and get everything organized. As a studio we're WAY stronger now as a result and there are so many of you here and enjoying the game that it's overwhelming. Thank you for everything and I hope you enjoy what comes next.

Check out the daily streams on Twitch.
You can now also watch on YouTube!

Known Issues
• RURU language has not been updated past Fern/Rhode in Animus.
  
• Our translator lives in Moscow and cannot be paid due to the war.
  
• Once we have a way of fixing this the RURU translation will move forward.
  
• If you are triggering piracy detection on Linux or Deck please uninstall and reinstall the game.

New Content
• The Settings menu now has an option to disable/enable wiggle text.
  
• New facial expressions have been added for Sheldon.
  
• New facial expressions have been added for Shelly.
  
• Sheldons Stroll cutscene has been updated with better effects.
  
• Shellys Stroll cutscene has been updated with better effects.
  
• The Pause Key can now be used to Pause the game in addition to Escape.
  
• Spacebar can now be used to accept things and move conversations forward.
  
• Hitting Cancel on controller while on the close menu button now closes the menu.

Bug Fixes
• PC and Linux no longer crash by spamming controller inputs.
  
• Steamdeck no longer crashes on startup intermittently.
  
• Steamdeck now has improved performance.
  
• Steamdeck asset caching has been improved in all environments.
  
• Steamdeck lighting performance has been improved.
  
• Steamdeck OLED no longer crashes by spamming controller inputs.
  
• A number of Shellys animations are now on the correct texture page.
  
• Rotating text has been slowed down to be more readable.
  
• Cleaned up some PT-BR translation errors.
  
• Cleaned up some JA-JP translation errors.
  
• Cleaned up some ES-MX translation errors.
  
• The third eyeball in the Barghest encounter is now visible.
  
• A hidden page in the Darkworld is now visible.
  
• A textbox should no longer remain forever in the mines.
  
• Mushrooms no longer appear on top of Lore.

Bug Reporting
• Please report any issues on our Discord in the Heartbound-Ticket channel.
  
• Include a screenshot, it makes it much easier to fix!

Upcoming Content
• The rest of Animus (Chapter 3) is being actively developed.
  
• The next step is the resolution of the Mossbacks family quarrels.
  
• After this Animus will be completed.

It's time for the Steam Awards again and this year Heartbound is up for the Labor of Love award!

We've been updating Heartbound for a number of years now and I'm excited to get everything fully finished and out there next year. During this event we've put the game on sale for 20% off and I hope all of you new players have a blast.

You can find the stream on Twitch or YouTube!
You can also join the community on Discord!

Have a great holiday and stay tuned for what comes next! :HBHeart:

v 1.0.9.62



As always you can watch us build the game live on Twitch.

Known Issues
• RURU language has not been updated past Fern/Rhode in Animus.
  
• Our translator lives in Moscow and cannot be paid due to the war.
  
• Once we have a way of fixing this the RURU translation will move forward.

New Content
• Shelly has new talky animations.
  
• Shelly has new standy animations.
  
• Shelly's storyline has been finished.
  This portion of Animus is finally complete. Both Shelly and Sheldon have 36+ possible routes in their respective rooms for the Forest Stroll section. There are only a handful of rooms left in Animus before we move on to Jotunheim. Estimated release date for Animus is now December 2023. Will let you know if that changes as we get closer but I doubt it will!

Bug Fixes
• Multiple dialog errors have been fixed in French.
  
• Multiple dialog errors have been fixed in English.
  
• Muspelheim no longer crashes the client.
  
• The credits no longer crash the client.

Bug Reporting
• Please report any issues via DM on Discord to Thor#5264.
  
• You can also send these to GoPirateSoftware@Gmail.com
  
• Include a screenshot, it makes it much easier to fix!

Upcoming Content
• The rest of Animus (Chapter 3) is being actively developed.
  
• The next step is the resolution of the Mossbacks family quarrels.
  
• After this Animus will be completed. We're targeting December 2023!