- 1 Month on Steam Celebration! - 22 March 2021
To celebrate Viola's first month out in the wild, we're doing a sale! Viola: The Heroine's Melody will be 25% off starting today at 10 am Pacific, until the 29th this month. Viola will receive a version 1.0.2 update some time in the future to fix additional bugs. Unfortunately, progress on the next patch has been halted due to health issues I've been experiencing. Recovery might take an extended period of time.
- Viola: The Heroine’s Melody hits the big time! - 17 February 2021
For the first time, you can experience Viola’s story from start to finish. In the 1.0 release you’ll be able to play the final four levels: Beyond Drum Village, Foot of the Mountain, The Nine-Spire, and Cosmic Stream. Will Viola finally be able to return home? You’re about to find out! Here’s a full list of new features included in the 1.0 update: Four new levels, including Viola’s final showdown! Three new Personal Quests for Ceryn, Arti and Justice! Three different endings to achieve, including a “true” ending! A fully functional “Story Mode”: no more rhythm inputs, faster support levels, and faster leveling. A fully functional “Custom Difficulty”: customize Viola’s difficulty as you please. Updated banter conversations and more banter points: 70+ conversations between party members. Updated storylines, animations and text: Viola’s story is better than it’s ever been! Improved feedbac…
- Viola: The Heroine's Melody hits the big time on February 17! - 16 February 2021
Viola: The Heroine's Melody releases tomorrow, on the 17th! Here's a quick schedule of what will happen on that day: Viola's price will change to $14.99 early in the day. Today is the final day you can buy Viola at its reduced Early Access price. At 9 AM Pacific / 12 PM Eastern / 6 PM Central European time, Viola's 1.0 update will release! Two hours later, I'll be hosting an AMA on r/Games: pop in and ask any questions you might have! If you've already bought Viola: The Heroine's Melody, the best thing you can do (next to having fun playing the full release) is to to leave a review! This is one of Steam's rare games with a full 100% positive rating in reviews - but lacking the "Very Positive" or even "Overwhelmingly Positive" tags. Put your review in and help get the word out! See you all tomorrow!
- 156.5 Hotfix - 10 February 2021
Another quick fix for Viola: some of you may have experienced camera issues in Viola's earlier levels since the 156.2 update, as well as some branch build issues that put players onto a Beta branch. Those issues have now been rectified.
- Version 0.156.2 - Hotfix - 8 February 2021
Uploading a new version to Steam to quickly fix an important bug regarding save data and Justice's Personal Quest. This quest should now be safe to complete once more. The update also fixes a number of different bugs, as well as new UI updates for the 960x540 view. Both sets were originally intended for the final release, so you're getting those early!
- Viola 1.0 releases on February 17! - 2 February 2021
Viola: The Heroine's Melody releases on February 17! Just two more weeks until you're able to play Viola: The Heroine's Melody from start to finish. It's been a year and a half since I started with Early Access, and close to three years since I started making this game. COVID-19 has had an impact on Viola's development, and it certainly had an impact on all of our lives. The previous delay was an indirect result of the pandemic, but it did give me time to work on content that was previously cut from Viola. Being able to put in extra time to make sure Viola is the best experience it could possibly be has been very rewarding. In any case, to celebrate the upcoming release date, there's an update right now that contains the following: Ceryn, Justice, and Arti now each have their own Personal Quest!! Updated visuals for battles - including better feedback, better animations, spell effects,…
- Version 0.138 is here! - 8 October 2020
I've got a new update for you all! It's a small one, but it does include a number of new features that were made possible thanks to the recent delay. We've got new difficulty settings, including customizable difficulty, a new character to recruit and two new side quests! The new character, Arti, is also the final character to be recruited in Viola. The whole gang is finally together! On top of that, there are new side quests to do, with a new town to explore. Momo and Emerald's side quests are both related to this quaint snowy town. Finally, the new difficulty settings allow you to change how Viola plays. If you've had trouble with any of Viola's rhythm game mechanics, or if you simply want to know how much health an enemy has, try out the new Story Mode. Or... customize your own experience by trying out Custom Mode! That'll be all! Have fun playing! See you, violin girl! Someday, somew…
- Version 0.129 + Release Delay - 14 August 2020
Delays Previously, Viola was planned to release in this month of August 2020. Due to complications regarding planning, marketing, the search for funding, as well as COVID-19, this will, unfortunately, no longer be possible. Instead, Viola will look for a more favorable window of release during Q1 of 2021. As the one in charge of Viola, I'm deeply sorry to disappoint you all. However, ultimately, making sure you get the best game possible is always the right call. I won't leave you with nothing, though: I've released a new update with several sidequests, as well as bug fixes that had been plaguing the game. See below for the full patch notes! So what's next for Viola? Previously cut content, such as additional sidequests & features, will be included! More options for players to enjoy Viola, such as difficulty levels and other customization options. Improved clarity & game feel for a more…
- Bugfixes for Version 0.112! - 25 April 2020
You guys have managed to identify a number of impactful bugs, so here I am to fix them! Thanks for playing Viola, and sorry for the inconveniences! The correct battle themes should now play in all battles, including the new boss battles. The Capriccio of the Woods can no longer be replayed on plants that have already been activated. Sybil's Wishfire conversation to gain bond level S now properly plays. The bookshelf in Niko's house will now function properly. The boss battle in Sybil's Personal Quest will properly play out if Sybil was in your party and not in the fifth slot. You can no longer return to the overworld after losing the boss battle in Sybil's Personal Quest to prevent the game from permanently un-recruiting Sybil.
- Version 0.112 is here! - 24 April 2020
The latest version of Viola is out! This will be the second-to-last update: Viola's adventure will come to an end in Q3 this year. But for now, we've still got some work to do! In this update you'll find new levels, spells, sidequests, and a lot of new songs and characters. The Castle Corridors level is unique: separated from your friends, you'll have to explore the whole level to get them all back! You'll also officially recruit Mallow and Ceryn into your party. You've seen them a number of times before, and now you'll be able to play as them! Steam Achievements were also added after narrowly missing the previous update. If you've played Viola before, your achievement data should automatically update to reflect your current progress. If that doesn't happen - let me know! The best way to get in touch with me (and other fans of Viola) is by joining Viola's Discord channel! I won't keep y…
- Bugfixes for Version 0.99! - 29 January 2020
Hello violinists! Just a quick update as a follow-up to last week's major update. A number of bugs emerged from it, which this patch will hopefully resolve. One major bug that emerged as a result was that characters, stats and items would not load in properly after collecting the Flame Eater gem, which was guaranteed to happen in Castle Cordier. This issue should now be fixed, and your characters, stats and items should all properly load in! That should be it. The full list of fixes is down below! Bug fixes Save data should now fully load when you have the Flame Eater gem. The camera will no longer zoom infinitely after using the Minuet of the Earth to open a stone door. Cutscenes in Castle Cordier no longer come back after viewing them. Removed an invisible wall in the middle of Castle Cordier. Fenrys should no longer appear in one of Castle Cordier’s cutscenes. The ‘Change Party’ menu…
- Version 0.98 is here! - 25 January 2020
Viola's new update! Hello violinists! As promised, definitely 100% on-time this time, Viola's new update is here! We've got new levels, a new song, a whole new character, the first sidequest, new enemies, new boss battles... It's just new, new, new for this update! Check out the details below. If anything's off, you can find me at Viola's official Discord channel, or at my Twitter account! Have a great weekend and play to your heart's content! General New character added: Emerald, the spirit of earth! A bulkier mage with higher defense and earth-based spells. New levels added: The Graves of Requiem, Cascading Falls and Castle Cordier! New enemies added: Red Cubes, Cheruballs and Pink Skags! New song added: Waterfall Waltz! Fenrys’ Personal Quest has been added! New boss fights are added! Fenrys’ final Crescendo, the Rush Finale, has been added! Several more banter conversations have bee…
- Next Viola update delayed until January. - 30 November 2019
So, it's the 30th of November, but here we are. No update for Viola this month after all. You might be curious as to what happened, but first of all: The update is now slated for January 2020, and will include more content. Two levels instead of one, a whole new character to recruit in your party, a new song to play, the game's first "Personal Quest" and (hopefully) Steam Achievements! The reason for the delay is two-fold:I suffered a minor injury to my arm, causing work on Viola to be on hold for several weeks. As we move closer to release, I want to focus on bigger updates, as opposed to sporadic, level-based updates.Since the delay was going to be inevitable due to my injury, I decided to make this update the first multi-level update. Now let's take a deeper look at what's in it, shall we? Emerald, the Spirit of Stone Viola's first character that you have to go out of your way for. I…
- Let's squash just one more bug! - 25 October 2019
Hey violinists: I'm putting out another quick bug-fix. This won't take long at all, but I didn't want it to go unchecked. Bug fixes Fixed a bug regarding the cost of Sybil's Crescendos Magic Surge and Grand Flame II. They should now properly cost Crescendo Points instead of Ability Points. See you, violin girl! Someday, somewhere!
- Let's squash some bugs! - 19 October 2019
What's a new update without new bugs? And lo, the single person responsible for these mistakes swoops in to fix them. Yes, I describe me fixing bugs as "swooping". Take that as you will. Overall Changes Dialogue will no longer suddenly "jump" to the next line in the middle of a word. Minor dialogue editing in all sorts of places! Character Changes New Crescendos were added for Sybil and Momo. Bug-fixes Going back to Violin Woods from the overworld and fighting a monster will no longer send you to the tutorial battle. Those very same monsters will now no longer immediately respawn. In the same level, chests will no longer "respawn" either. The Prelude to Travel now properly works in the Violin Woods after beating a monster. Sybil’s Spitfire spell will now properly deal damage. Wishfire conversations with Momo and Sybil will now function properly. That's it for now! The next update is goi…
- The Feature Complete update is out! - 11 October 2019
Hello violinists! I'm happy to announce that Viola is officially feature complete! Which means that all the planned features are now available for you to play around with. Future updates will be focusing on content: such as more levels, more stories, more characters, monsters, spells, quests... And so on! The update also has a new level for you to visit, the Astral Tower. I've heard a lot of feedback from people who want the platforming sections to be a little more challenging. Since Viola isn't supposed to be a tough-as-nails platformer, I've opted to add a little more complexity by adding Viola's first musical puzzle! Let me know what you think by contacting me on Twitter, or on Discord! Without further ado, here's the list of changes for this update! General Changes New party member added: Sybil, the studious sorceress! Sybil’s magical prowess is unmatched, and her specialty is magic…
- Next update in October - 27 September 2019
Hey violinists! You may have wondered, "it's the end of September, where's that new Viola update?" Unfortunately, due to an increase in work, the new update will launch in October. Here's a quick iteration of what you'll get in the newest update: An overworld map, allowing you to go back to previous levels. A shop to buy or sell gems, potions and other items. A new level, the Astral Tower, including a musical puzzle. A new character, the studious sorceress Sybil. The Astral Tower The Astral Tower is the home of the mages: Viola's first destination to find out if there's a possibility for her to go home. The level itself is completely indoors, and invaded with monsters. A lot of players wanted more a little more going on in the platforming sections! So this level has the first puzzle in Viola, and of course it's a musical one. Keep your ears perked for that! Studious Sorceress Viola's ne…
- Version 0.76, and a sneak peek into the future! - 23 August 2019
Good day, violinists! Today's update day, and it's actually a rather small one this time. I've been working on creating new features, which I'd like to introduce alongside a new level, character, spells and more story. All of this takes a while to create, so in the meantime there will be small patches to change the game's difficulty, as well as fixing bugs from time to time. That said, here's a quick sneak peek at two new features for Viola! https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F33984780%2Fb3c360424d0b11649c22bffc1f2c7086d9dc451a.png First, the overworld! You'll be able to travel to levels you've completed to find chests you've missed, or battle monsters for extra experience. You can also go to any of the Wishfires you've unlocked! This'll heal your party, and you can raise your bond level with your party members to gain new Crescendos. https://steamcdn-a.akam…
- Version 0.74.15 is out! - 9 August 2019
Hello violinists! A new version of Viola is out, with a lot of changes! You can check out the full list below. In short: controller prompts and rebinds are now fully functional. The game has been made easier overall by nerfing a few enemies. And a new level has been added! Now watch me sleep for one million years. Enjoy! https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F33984780%2F1083af7c3e3c7050f79fb5ce9f70a2aec2886a59.gif Version 0.74.15 Changes New Additions & Changes New level added: Beyond Harpie Village! Explore the emerald-filled caverns beyond Momo’s hometown and make your way out of the Everdistant Sylvan. New party member added: Momo, the kindest Harpie is now usable in battle. Momo’s speed is almost unmatched, and she specializes in buffs and debuffs! New enemy type added: Stalagmight! You’ll be able to learn a new song: the Minuet of Earth! Button prompts now…
- Viola Update: Version 0.73.1 released! - 31 July 2019
Patch Notes for Version 0.73.1! New Additions & Changes As requested: PS4 controller prompts have been added! Also requested: The D-Pad can now be used for Viola’s movement, as well as the menus. If you’ve made changes to your control scheme, the game will have to restart and reset the control scheme. You will see a message in-game if this is the case, and you will need to redo the changes you’ve made to your control scheme. Each Gem now has their own unique sprite. The Slime enemy now drops a unique Gem to equip. The camera no longer zooms in when getting an item from a chest. https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F33984780%2F0c138f9ea8c1ab07f4e6f0e812668d7b93dc2931.gif Bug fixes: Losing a battle now properly sends you to the game over screen. Save data now reloads when returning to the main menu. When playing a song you’ve already learned, the party will play…
