The wicked Cult of Nagaraja is shrouded in secrets, their foul deeds carried out within the serpentine depths of The Temple. Only those brave and lucky enough can hope to endure the trials of The Initiate.



Stone Story RPG adds its newest Legend, “The Initiate”!

Uncover the mysterious rites and rituals of the cryptic Cult of Nagaraja. Shadow an aspiring initiate as they take on the Great Worm’s perilous trials.



“The Initiate” is a special Legend, as it’s the first direct sequel to another Quest: “Roof Overhead”. As you play through “The Initiate” we hope you enjoy the work we’ve put into fleshing out our vision of the Dark World (and all its oddball characters).

From the beginning, Quests have been an opportunity for us to expand upon the foundation of Stone Story RPG. We believe in the game’s core design, and it’s incredibly exciting for us to see how far we’ve been able to stretch our creative muscles!

As part of the new Quest, Stone Story RPG will also be running Challenge Event VI - Rite of Passage, which runs from March 18 to 23.

All players who participate in this event will receive the Cultist Mask, a powerful Lost Item* that further deepens your arsenal. Wield the power of Nagaraja and summon the Great Worm to aid you in battle!

*Lost Items are rare pieces of loot that can be obtained outside of limited-time events. For information on Lost Items and their drop rates, please see here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/603390/discussions/0/4227150602803257910/

• Complete the quest “The Initiate” to obtain the Cultist Mask.
  
• At the end of the event, participants will receive upgrade loot
  
• To proceed with the Challenge, players must complete a series of goals. Each goal completed (note: need event details)
  
• Each goal requires you to use the Cultist Mask in creative ways.
  
• (Note: Events may repeat, and all gameplay-related rewards can still be obtained through normal play. Enchantments can also be removed from the event loot and placed on another item.) (note: this bullet point dependent on loot)

For full release notes on this update, please see here.

To discuss Challenge Event strategy, visit our Discord server or post on the Steam forums.

Stonscripters and ASCII artists alike, prep your Mind Stones for another StoneJam!

It’s been a while since we’ve held our community-focused scripting jam, and StoneJam 5 will be coming up soon! What better way to start off the new year than with a chance to flex your metaphorical Mind Stone muscles?

Below are just some of the creative submissions for StoneJam 4; we hope they inspire you to build something of your own!






If you’ve been following the game since we released into Early Access (or even before!), you’ve seen just how much this game and its community have grown.

Stone Story RPG began with a handful of wild ideas, ideas that you’ve seen become reality in things like The Quest Update, harder difficulties, and Lost Items.

If you’ve followed us for some time, you’re also aware of just how much we like to plan ahead! To that end, the SSRPG team will soon be redirecting development resources towards launching mobile.

What does this mean for Quests and other in-game content? Well, for starters it means that this is an opportunity for us to scale development up even further!

The rough plan now is to finish development and exit EA with console launches. The revenue gained from this will go towards funding mobile development and, should things go according to plan, allow us to push out Green Difficulty and other new in-game content!

We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the best way to move forward for both the team and our community. We hope to have your support in the coming new year and look forward to everything 2022 has in store for Stone Story RPG!

-SSRPG Team

Stone Story RPG Twitter

Stone Story RPG Discord

- New Quest: The Initiate!
- New Lost item: Cultist Mask!
- New item: R&D Book!
- New Challenge Event: Rite of Passage!

Stonescript
- Added item.left.id, item.right.id
- Added loc.isQuest
- Added storage.Keys()
- New Sounds: mask_summon_1, mask_summon_2

Balance
- Bardiche:
Changed the Bardiche's activated ability to increase base damage instead of critical multiplier (bardiche_buff_crit_mult):
From: +0 base damage, +1.5 critical multiplier
To: +17 base damage, +0 critical multiplier

- Croaked: Changed Kevin's goal from 25 to 18 snails.
- Craft Grappling Hook cost changed from 90 to 70 wood.

Improvements
- Upgraded engine to version 2020.3.29f1
- The back page of the Crafting Booklet is now localized.
- Hotspring Shop: On a player's first day, the Name Tag is replaced by a +4 enchantment.
- Players can no longer see seasonal skins before acquiring the Quest Stone.
- Added "1 of 3" to the Metal Chunk descriptions.
- Improved layout of the Event Reward dialog.
- Minor improvement to formatting consistency in Japanese and Spanish(LA) texts.
- Minor art improvement to the banners in Temple background.

Bugs
- Smack Hammer: Fixed a bug where the quest would sometimes end abruptly.
- Simplified Chinese: Fixed localization of the Crafting Booklet's last page.
- Fixed seasonal background in the mountain climb cinematic.
- Fixed a bug in the first-time user experience where pressing ESC in language selection closed the window.
- Fixed a bug where some sprites would load with height value +1.

The wicked Cult of Nagaraja is shrouded in secrets, their foul deeds carried out within the serpentine depths of The Temple. To become a Cultist of Nagraja is to surrender your entire being to the path of the Great Worm.

Many such aspirants who seek to curry the beast’s favor take on harrowing trials to prove themselves worthy enough.

Should you have enough courage and luck, you may be able to endure the perils of The Initiate.



As fortune would have it, you come across a cultist initiate in your travels. She is less than forthcoming with information, however.

If you’re to learn more about this mysterious cult, she’s your best chance.

"The Initiate" is the seventh Quest Drop of the update and will be playable in Stone Story RPG beginning March 18th!



Keep an eye out for our next announcement, where we'll discuss the new Legend, accompanying Challenge Event and Lost Item, StoneJam 5, and the project's roadmap looking ahead.

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-SSRPG Team

Stone Story RPG Twitter

Stone Story RPG Discord

Long time no see, Stoneheads.

We emerge from our winter hibernation to bring you spring tidings and loot!

From now until March 15th, Stone Story RPG will be running a 20% off sale and a 2x Loot Event.

Complete runs in the Mushroom Forest to earn this extra loot (which also includes 2x Lost Item drops).




When we first launched the Quest Update, the plan was to push out sixteen Legend quests. Thus far we’ve released twelve unique adventures that have taken players from homey hot springs to frantic skeleton factories!

We still have four legends currently in-development; however, after reevaluating development priorities we will be shifting resources to other parts of the project.

Our current focus is to make Stone Story RPG ready for other platforms, particularly mobile.

We had set milestones for the Quest Update and managed to exceed them, which has encouraged us to speed up mobile design. We feel confident about the game and want to focus now on bringing it to as wide of an audience as possible.

The four remaining Legends are fully designed and most are implemented, but they still require polish. There’s quite a lot to sort out, as each Legend will also introduce three new Lost Items alongside three new Challenge Events.

But wait, don’t forget- there’s another Lost Item coming right around the corner!




In the next Legend, The Initiate, you’ll be delving deeper into the mysteries behind the Temple and its cultists.

But why merely look?

Embrace Nagaraja and take the great Great Worm’s power for yourself!



The Initiate will be playable in-game on March 18th.

---

-SSRPG Team

Stone Story RPG Twitter

Stone Story RPG Discord

We hope that Poena hasn't been giving you too much trouble. If you need a break, why not give Hrímnir a visit? Until January 2nd, we'll be running our seasonal Winter Event! Complete runs of Icy Ridge for 2x loot.

Stone Story RPG will also be on sale until January 5th. Get the game and soundtrack for 20% off and start building your loot hoard!

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/15414/Stone_Story_RPG__Original_Soundtrack_Bundle/

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-SSRPG Team

Stone Story RPG Twitter

Stone Story RPG Discord

Hello Stone Story RPG friends!

We hope you’re enjoying the event. It’s certainly been very challenging, even for the most experienced of adventurers!

Poena was a great opportunity for us to expand upon the game’s world and introduce an interesting new mechanic.


The process to building Poena is the same used for the rest of the game’s world design. Various elements from pop culture and mythology fill a bucket that, sometimes, will have ideas that line up together and work well naturally.

Take for example Nagaraja, the boss of the Temple location. Nagaraja is constructed from several such pop cultural and mythological building blocks: giant fantasy worms from series like “Dune” and “Star Wars” perfectly aligned with the venomous nature of the Serpent King in Hindu myth.



But it doesn’t stop there!

The Temple itself is heavily based on the Red Temple from 1993’s “Prince of Persia 2”. The reveal of the Red Temple can be seen in the way the Temple is revealed in Stone Story RPG: a cinematic landscape approach towards a mysterious towering structure.



Funnily enough, the Temple and Nagaraja developed independently of each other until the pieces suddenly fit and made sense: giant worms are traditionally a “desert” character so why not fit Nagaraja into the Temple’s theming?

There are countless other examples of this design philosophy at work in the game, but the general idea is that sometimes there’s a gap in Stone Story RPG’s design and it’s our work to fill it.


Poena is the most recent product of this design. Lore-wise, we already had a solid base to work from: Xyloalgia is the corrupted remains of Leuce (whose positive aspects remained in Acropolis as a white tree). Thus, if Leuce has been considered a female character then it follows that Xyloalgia would as well!



Expanding upon this, Xyloalgia’s gender reveal took its lead from how Metroid revealed Samus’ gender. We wanted the moment of revelation to have impact, but the initial sketches felt a bit weak. Nothing that fit the personality of the character.

This was where Polyducks came in. Polyducks took the idea of Poena and crafted her in a deliberate depiction of the female form twisted by corruption. Poena embodies the spirit of vengeance and punishment. The dark and dirty core of retribution lying deep within Xyloalgia.

It’s her very character that also informs how she works mechanically in a boss fight. The Mirror debuff mechanics underscore Poena’s very nature: When you’re fighting her, you’re fighting the negative parts of Leuce.



You can take a look at how standardcombo animates Poena on his Twitch channel vods.

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-SSRPG Team

Stone Story RPG Twitter

Stone Story RPG Discord

Steel your nerves, stoneheads: Poena, Mistress of Punishment is now available in Stone Story RPG!*

Beware her fetid claws and her Mirror abilities, which allow her to reflect any debuffs back to their source.

Until Dec. 24, we’re also running a 2x Loot Event for all treasures dropped by Poena!



And be on the lookout for a hidden achievement with this update!

*Poena is available only in Cyan difficulty (or higher) in Deadwood Canyon.

A foul wind blows from Deadwood Canyon.

Amidst the buzzing beetles and twisted trees, a specter of vengeance clings to the air. You’ve traveled these paths before, but something is different…




Where Xyloalgia once stood, a wicked figure now hunches atop a rough-hewn stump. Dirty, matted locks twist to reveal malevolent glowing eyes and razor-sharp teeth.

An unsettling feeling washes over you. Anger, vengeance, and retribution: a tide of aggression stems forth from this creature, spilling forth onto the canyon floor.

Almost as if you could hear the creak of aged bones, the monster raises back an unnaturally long arm and swings.

Whoever they are, whatever this is, one thing is for certain: They cannot be reasoned with and must be unmade.



On Dec. 17, we’re adding a new boss character to Stone Story RPG: Poena, Mistress of Punishment!

Poena brings her terrifying presence to the game as a Phase 2 in the Xyloalgia fight. Crafty adventurers would do well to carefully consider their strategy when facing the Mistress of Punishment.*

*Poena is available only in Cyan difficulty (or higher) in Deadwood Canyon.

Swift action means a swift death with the Mirror mechanic: any debuff inflicted upon Poena will be reflected back to its source.

To accompany this update, we’re also:

• Running a 2x Loot Event with Poena until Dec. 24
  
• Adding a hidden achievement for the new boss fight!

Making Poena would not have been possible without the help of fellow textmode artist and gamedev, Polyducks!

We’ve been a longtime fan, and we’re so happy we could get their help to make this boss truly terrifying.


*Concept art by Polyducks*

Be sure to check out their work and follow them on Twitter!

-SSRPG Team

Stone Story RPG Twitter

Stone Story RPG Discord

In “Remnants of Five”, we introduced the Hotspring Shop and a new in-game currency: Ki Crystals.

Like the Mushroom Shop, this new store offers items that players can purchase to aid them in their adventures.

However, the Hotspring Shop has a more premium stock! Whether it’s Lost Items, enchantments, or Name Tags, use your hard-earned Ki to obtain powerful new additions to your inventory.

Starting today, we’re running a Double-Ki Weekend!

From now until Sunday, earn twice the Ki from all sources (this includes both @ and Crystals).

• Defeating enemies
  
• Basic Ki can also be earned from unmaking items
  
• Daily Crystal from the Hotspring Shop
  
• The Weekly Challenge Crystal Treasure
  
• Crystals from Delta Treasures

Like all of our other in-game events, Double-Ki Weekends will repeat.




Though of the focus over the past few months has been centered around the Quest Update, the team has also been tweaking how events work. We've invested time to make sure that the event system is robust and expandable.

Events are an important way for our community to engage and collaborate with one another. After all, two ASCII brains are better than one!

In order to improve the experience, we've restructured how event goals are presented (such as with Wild Ride and Titan's Trial). The new system will allow players who missed an event to still get rewards!

There's a fine line to balance between FOMO and fun. We never want our players to feel like we've cheated them or taken advantage of their playtime. This is why all events have the opportunity to return in some shape or form and why we wanted to address the goals and rewards.

On a design level, goals ARE the reward! Think of it like this:

1. New player starts the game
   
2. Over time they unlock a new Legend
   
3. This new Legend gives them loot
   
4. This loot has goals attached to it

Each step of the way, we want you to be engaged. Goals are able to fill in space and give the Quests more room to breathe.

Figuring this out has been a fun and challenging process! Huge thanks to all our community members for playing the game and providing valuable insight.

Hope you're able to farm plenty of Ki this weekend~

-SSRPG Team

Upon returning to your shelter, you spy a curious note waiting for you. It would seem your skills in potion-crafting have not gone unnoticed!

The Guild of Smack-Hammer may have been a scam, but surely you won't get fooled twice. Time to put your skills to the test and prove your worth to The Cauldron Collective!



Stone Story RPG adds its newest Legend, “The Cauldron Collective”!

You've blended some bubbly brews to give you an edge in battle and, much like your crafting, such skills are highly valued. Though the Guild of Smack-Hammer was not all it seemed, perhaps things will be different with the Cauldron Collective.

Time to show them just what you can make!




Don't forget that until November 30th, you can grab Stone Story RPG for a 20% off discount. The Dark World always has need of more adventurers!

"The Cauldron Collective” puts us at 10 out of 16 planned Legends that have been added to the game.

We hope you all look forward to more adventures in the Dark World!



-SSRPG Team

Stone Story RPG Twitter

Stone Story RPG Discord