- Malkin's One-Year Anniversary - 18 November 2024
Malkin was released a year ago today. Since then, I've added DLC, more music and character options, and some important fixes and revisions. Thank you for playing.
- Malkin 40% Off During Turn-Based RPG Fest - 30 September 2024
Taking turns is fundamental. "Wait your turn" is one of the first things you learn as a kid -- along with the importance of sharing, a related concept. The best conversations are turn-based. The best experiences standing in line at the airport or grocery store are also turn-based. Love! -- Love itself is turn-based, if you think about it a certain way. Turns break indifferent, infinitely running time into human units. Pet the cat. Sip the coffee. Look out the window at the world passing by, where good things are always in the process of going away; then look back into that magical game world where good things just wait for you. When you are ready -- and only when you are ready -- take your turn and say to time, "Now you may pass." Malkin is waiting.
- Patch 1.03b - 28 August 2024
Malkin is getting a free demo. Spread the word. In token of the demo, I've added a minor magical item (pictured above) to the game. Look for it in Sieben's shop on day three. I've also tweaked the following things: Cleaned up several animations that include visuals from the wrong frames Made further revisions to Middle One's pendant dialog to make it more straightforward Added missing girdle book art to the base game Malkin Lock of Hare Shirt A hare shirt, not a hair shirt. The title of the game appears above the enigmatic art from the spell Lock of Hare. Drop me a line if you're interested.
- Malkin 30% Off Until July 11 - 2 July 2024
Woods>Beach. Get Malkin and its DLC at a 30% discount during Steam's Summer Sale.
- Hotfix 1.03a - 4 June 2024
Thanks to JarlFrank for alerting me to this bug. Certain characters (multitalented young witches with 13 or higher in multiple stats) would be unable to take a pendant from Middle One because the option to take one got pushed off the menu by all the pendant options. This halted progress. I've adjusted the dialog so that pendant options are broken up across three different menus. Please let me know if you encounter any further issues with pendant selection.
- Walpurgis Night Sale - 30 April 2024
Welcome May with Malkin, a unique, well-written, turn-based RPG. Malkin: 25% Off The game just had a new update. Patch 1.03 adds class and character options, a challenging survival mode, and more. To see the list of changes, see the full patch notes here. DLC: 25% Off Summon Wicked Anne to battle. Explore the green, green cairn. The Cairn and the Crossroads adds class and character options to the game and a rewarding side quest. Soundtrack: 40% Off! The update also adds four new songs to the game. Many of this update's additions are themed around music. In recognition of this, the 23-track soundtrack is 40% off during this four-day sale. Sale ends on May 4.
- Patch 1.03 - 27 April 2024
This is a major update. It brings a new, challenging game mode to Malkin, a new class, and new music, as well as many other exciting tweaks and changes. Many thanks to Bringitdon's Let's Play for the issues he caught and the inspiration. NEW FEATURES Survival Mode: Enabling survival mode via the main menu's Extras button will keep your character from recovering maximum HP and SP after every battle. The mode also comes with an exclusive foraging system that can help a canny witch survive a little bit longer. Achievement: Survival of the Witchest*: If you get either the best good ending (or the best bad ending) with survival mode enabled, you get what is probably Malkin's most challenging achievement. Class: Witch of the Tabor: A witch with three lores (Folk Magic, Natural Philosophy, and Swordplay) who draws SP from Charisma and levels faster than other witches. But watch out: they have…
- Patch 1.03 Releases on April 26 - 18 April 2024
Patch 1.03 is coming next week. DLC aside, this will be Malkin's biggest update yet. It includes: More music New items New portrait backgrounds A new, harder game mode A new spell for all witches Bug and typo fixes and other improvements A surprise I'm saving for release
- Hotfixes 1.02c-e - 24 March 2024
Hotfix 1.02c This addresses two endgame issues. Many thanks to the player who alerted me to these issues in the bug thread. *Added fail-safe to ensure that an endgame scene triggers properly *Repaired a faulty link in a certain endgame dialog Hotfixes 1.02d-e *Addressed several inconsistencies in Enzibar quest *Fixed typo in Enzibar quest dialog
- Hotix 1.02b - 22 March 2024
The dialog at the Bonnyjoy was broken for some character builds. This hotfix fixes the problem. Thanks to bringitdon for bringing this to my attention.
- Small March Update - 14 March 2024
I've added free summer portraits for all players. Now all the seasons are accounted for: I've also fixed a problem with two achievements ("Watch Out, Mr. Tumnus" and "Wickham Witch") not firing. Finally, I've added music to the title screen and character creation. It's "The Beast Above the House of Glory," the song that plays in the mountain region. What's Next? I'm still working on the four new songs I promised a while back. When those are released, there will also be some new free content! Here's a preview of one of the upcoming additions, a spell called Pavin of the Koi: Like the other musical-sounding spells (Ballad of the Jays, Ballad of the Frogs), this spell targets Will, does area effect damage, and debuffs enemies. Unlike those other spells, it uses several different damage types, making it more versatile. It's especially effective against groups of melee-oriented enemies: the…
- More Music, More Map! - 16 February 2024
I'll add four new musical tracks to Malkin in the next month or so, along with several new items and summer portraits. These will all be part of a free update. I'm very excited about these songs. I'll also be adding goodies to the docs folder from a Malkin-adjacent (analog) project I'm working on. These will include a map of the broader region in which Malkin takes place. Part of this map is visible above. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, comments, or bug reports to make. Thanks for playing, and let people know about the game if you enjoy it.
- The Cairn and the Crossroads DLC Released! - 31 December 2023
Happy New Year! The Cairn and the Crossroads is out now. It adds a few more gothic touches to Malkin and a number of new player options. I hope you check it out. THE CAIRN AND THE CROSSROADS: THE NUMBERS 5 witch classes 4 spells (including one that summons Wicked Anne) 5 hexes (including one that summons a floating sword) 1 new trait 1 side quest 4 items 1 new ruined house 3 combat encounters 4 new answers to the 7 Questions 4 new achievements 2 new enemies 15 new portrait backgrounds (spring/graveyard) many lines of verse Patch 1.02, releasing alongside the Cairn and the Crossroads, includes the following changes for all players: Additions to the Map of the Woods. Red Xs indicate story encounters (and for those with the DLC, the yellow X indicates the new side quest) Typos in multiple dialogs It was possible to break the quest in the orchid cave by walking through a wall -- Now it's no…
- Helpful Additions to the Map of the Woods, Update News - 29 December 2023
The Cairn and the Crossroads is coming soon. Along with the DLC's new spells, witch classes, items, and creatures, I will add something for all players, both those with and without the DLC -- story markers on the Map of the Woods. In development, I at first didn't want the map to have any markers at all except for the landmarks players discovered as they explored. I suppose this is because I wanted people to get lost a little and to be surprised. But Malkin has a fairly demanding timeline, and I didn't want players to get lost for too long; that "Now what?" feeling can be a bad thing. So I added the blue markers the year before release. Each blue diamond corresponds to a point of interest -- a part of the main quest, a side quest, or just something unusual. Hopefully, this would keep players exploring. But currently, there are lots of blue diamonds and no easy way to distinguish between…
- Winter Update - 21 December 2023
Happy holidays! Malkin has some new wintry content. WINTER BACKGROUND PORTRAITS These can be found on the third page during portrait selection. THE HOLLY RING For now, this item can be purchased from Sieben whenever you run into her. It's also been permanently added to the randomized treasure table. It can be worn by either Knott or the young witch. It improves fortitude and cold resistance -- especially useful when an usher inflicts cold damage using the Rod of Zero Thanks. ALL CHANGES Added winter portraits for all witches Increased number of pages in portrait selection Adjusted shops to include Holly Ring A certain magic item wasn't appearing on some random treasure tables; it has been added Adjusted random treasure tables to include Holly Ring
- Winter Sale! - 21 December 2023
Malkin is 15% off! With DLC on the way, some seasonally appropriate new portraits, and a price even lower than usual, it's a great time to give it a try. The soundtrack's on sale, too -- and if you snag the two things together, you're still paying less than you would for fancy eggnog. Malkin will outlive the eggnog. Try Malkin.
- The Cairn and the Crossroads - 19 December 2023
The DLC includes five new witch classes, a summoning spell, a side quest, and more. Visit the new Steam page to learn about all the new stuff. Below, I discuss one new addition in detail -- zero-cost spells! PREVIEW: ZERO-COST SPELLS These two spells cost neither SP nor HP to use.* Both offer SP recovery -- especially useful to witches who don't have a lot of consumables -- and one even heals the young witch. *Well, sort of. See below! CHALICE OF NIGHT This is a versatile spell that restores 2 SP and buffs your Wisdom by 3. This makes reaping SP from elf candles more efficient. It's also the only spell that removes the pesky Shaken status effect! It will do 2 cold damage to the caster, though, so witches with cold resistance are slightly better positioned to take it. FLUSH OF YOUTH The caster of this spell recovers 1-6 HP and 1-6 SP. This can be a great help in a pinch, and if you roll…
- Patch 1.01 & DLC Announcement - 13 December 2023
The first major patch for Malkin addresses some bugs and balance issues. Low SP and companion strength in the early game have been most affected. Please report any bugs or balance problems on the forum or by messaging me. If you like the game, consider spreading the word or reviewing it! If you dislike it, I invite you to send me a few words of gentle discouragement -- privately. FIXES/ADJUSTMENTS -Fixed leveling up doubling some advancement bonuses -Fixed SP not being adjusted for some effects -Thickened Knott's rind (+10% resistance bonuses) -Fixed Vigorous Growth giving the wrong bonus -Gave Pharaoh +2 HP -Addressed tomato heirloom (not a typo) not functioning as intended NOTE: Some of these changes require a new game to take effect. COMING SOON: THE CAIRN AND THE CROSSROADS More details to follow soon.
- Hotfix 1.00c - 29 November 2023
FIXES/ADJUSTMENTS -Added new graphics to combat UI so moves remaining is clearer -Fixed potential issue with navigation wheel not being in the right place on some displays -Made the function of help buttons for various screens consistent -Adjustments to tutorial messaging -Adjusted (unusually) jerky animation on one player token -Passive effects of lores and backgrounds are now viewable via EFFECTS button on character sheet -Cleaned up some misleading floaty text during combat
- Hotfix 1.00b + Fall Portraits - 24 November 2023
It may be August in Dudow, but it's fall here. I've added new portraits with autumnal backgrounds for the young witch -- with a few seasonal costume changes, too. The seasons are important in Malkin, and I plan to introduce more seasonal backgrounds as the year marches on. Your companions have new portrait options as well -- 1) the default white background or 2) a melancholy landscape background. You can select one or the other using the new "Extras" button on the main menu. This only works for new games. This update shouldn't conflict with your saved games, but if you have any trouble let me know! FULL UPDATE NOTES FIXES/ADJUSTMENTS -Fixed the "Dreams of the Witch House" achievement not firing -Removed extra blank pages from portrait selection -Added "Extras" button to main menu. This allows players to opt in or out of using added game content (right now, just the new companion portrai…
