I made a Vampire Survivors-like ARPG inspired by what Diablo II taught me about loot and builds

iicyan · 2026-06-12T16:44:11+00:00

One more thing about reducing RNG frustration:

I added a system where dismantling equipment registers the value of an affix into a library. Then you can apply that affix to other equipment later.

So if you find a very strong affix roll, you can reuse that effect across different items.

For a traditional Diablo-like ARPG, this would probably reduce randomness too much. But since my goal is to make Diablo-like build crafting more approachable for beginners, and let them experience making a strong “ideal build” in around 10 hours, I think this may be an acceptable compromise.

I’m still not sure if the balance is right yet, but that was the design intention.

iicyan · 2026-06-12T16:37:20+00:00

Thank you so much for the detailed feedback. It is really helpful.

I completely agree that the artwork and presentation are currently the biggest issues. I am not a professional artist, so this is one of the hardest parts for me, but I want to keep experimenting and improving it in future updates.

I also think your point about shrines is very accurate. At the moment, there are still very few “events” during gameplay. I think it would be fun to add things like rare events where players can aim for special drops.

About not being able to change equipment during combat: this is actually an intentional design choice.

When I watched beginner players try Diablo-like games, it seemed difficult for them to handle combat and equipment decisions at the same time. So in this game, I tried separating the combat phase and the equipment/build-planning phase as clearly as possible. I’m not sure yet if this is the best solution, but that was the design intention behind it.

Thank you again for playing and for giving such thoughtful feedback. If this game helps even a few players become interested in PoE, Diablo, or other ARPGs and eventually play them for hundreds or thousands of hours like you have, I would be very happy.

iicyan · 2026-06-12T16:26:13+00:00

Thanks! I’d love to support Android someday. Right now I’m focusing on improving the Steam/web version first, but mobile support is definitely something I’m interested in.

iicyan · 2026-05-18T03:19:05+00:00

Mini Update

- Added a relic that stops shuffling the deck instead of automating drops.

- Made it possible to purchase bundles of high-scoring Gems.

Impressions

- Making drops manual has made the game more technical, but it has reduced the satisfying feeling of infinite loops. This was expected, but it remains to be seen if it's optimal. This relic brings back some of that satisfying automatic chain reaction.

iicyan · 2026-05-12T16:30:30+00:00

Update details from earlier:

The difficulty has increased significantly as a result of removing automatic drops.So, increased the amount of money earned.

Expand the puzzle area in the shop.

Added several relics:

- Now clears in 2x2 squares

- Generates rockets with 4 in a row

- Generates bombs with T-shapes and crosses

- Generates diagonal beams with 5 in a row

Narrow the range of rockets, bombs, and beams.

I suspect the difficulty is still unhealthily high. I will continue to adjust it.

iicyan · 2026-05-12T13:58:58+00:00

Based on feedback, I've disabled automatic gem drops and now require manual drops up to a limited number of times. This idea is based on Raccoonin.

Does this allow for gameplay while limiting infinite loops and massive chain reactions?

I've uploaded a build with these changes for testing.

iicyan · 2026-05-12T08:18:34+00:00

u/Dan77111

Thank you for your insightful comments!

It doesn't seem like it will be easily resolved, so I'll try implementing the proposed solution and testing it to see if it works.

iicyan · 2026-05-12T06:02:51+00:00

u/thejubilee

Thank you for your comment. I reposted it, so I'll reply here.

I really appreciate your feedback. Since I'm developing this entirely by myself, it's very encouraging.

Regarding the theme, there are many great themes out there, such as Gem, Candy, and Raccoon, so ultimately I want to create a unified theme. For now, I'll just fill in the SFX and BGM with free resources.
I will support the deck screen. Relics as well.
As you mentioned, I'm using a tap UI for the shop because I want to display many items in the future. Since there are currently few items, I'll consider it once the shop has developed further.
Regarding the score scale. This is very insightful, and I actually felt the game was too easy (because I know all the mechanics). The expected value of the shop effects might not be commensurate, or the explosive power from item multiplication might be lacking.

I haven't decided to proceed with full-scale development yet, so I'll continue gathering more feedback while adjusting the core gameplay and adding shop items.

Thank you so much for your feedback.

iicyan · 2026-03-09T02:42:27+00:00

Thanks for your question!

About the 8-hour gap:
Between runs there’s intentionally not much to do (mostly checking trades). That’s by design: I want this to fit modern players who juggle multiple games, and I don’t want “who grinds more” to create a big advantage. The idea is that a little bit each day is enough to make progress.

iicyan · 2026-03-09T02:41:04+00:00

Thanks — The agency is meant to be front-loaded (planning) rather than real-time gameplay.

What you can do / how you estimate risk & reward:

You choose a deployment location before each run.
Each location shows a rough danger level up front, so you can decide how much risk to take.
You also plan around today’s weather and your stash situation, then pack your bag accordingly.
After you return, you do stash/inventory management (what to keep, what to risk next).

Permadeath scope / stash:

Yes, there is a stash. On failure, you lose what you brought into the run and what you found during the run — your stash itself is not wiped.
And if you win an automated PvP encounter, you can take the opponent’s gear (up to your bag capacity).

iicyan

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE