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Press release:
Lausanne, Switzerland, July 31st, 2023.
The Montpellier-based (France) indie games publisher Dear Villagers and Lausanne-based (Switzerland) indie games developer Sunnyside Games, are today very happy and proud to announce that they have just released the first major patch for their action-platformer “Nocturnal” (the said patch is available right now for PC via Steam, with console versions to follow at a later date).

To commemorate this occasion, Nocturnal will be 15% off on the Epic Games Store through August 3rd, and 30% off on Steam from July 31st – August 7th.

This update adds:
– New level select menu to replay specific sections of the game
– A new enemy “The Shielded”
– New lore items (five more letters to be found)
– New level segments with new narrative bits
– Tips during loading screens
– 5 new phoenix statues
– Improved combat feedback (main character and bosses)
– New dialogs
– New reading animation for letters and scrolls
– Improved sound effects for the main character
– UI improvements
– New dagger reflect tutorial
– Difficulty tweaks (Boss fights have been reworked)
– Level design tweaks (Removed some doors that prevented backtracking)
– A new performance mode to let you fully enjoy the game with lower specs
-And a lot of smaller adjustments and tweaks to polish the experience.

“While we’re happy with the original Nocturnal, we carefully listened to player feedback and tried to improve the game and deliver the most polished version possible,” said Sunnyside Games co-founder Gabriel Sonderegger.

“This update offers numerous improvements that we hope you’ll enjoy!”

After a difficult journey across a troubled sea, Ardeshir, a soldier of the Enduring Flame, returns to his home island of Nahran. Engulfed in a shadowy mist, Ardeshir must rely on fire to extinguish the sinister forces that have overtaken his native land.

Flame has many uses here. It can ward off the Mist, ignite the scenery, turn on machinery, and be used to burn beings of dark magic impervious to conventional weaponry. But be forewarned: one cannot breathe in the Mist, so you’ll have to use your wits as you intuit new ways to keep it at bay.

Grow more powerful by offering collected ashes to the flame. Gain powers that help you expand your lifeforce, hold your breath longer, or sacrifice ashes in hopes of gaining new powers along the way.

Nocturnal encourages challengers to brave its beautiful ruins with a host of optional trials. Those seeking the glory of a true challenge can enable a host of speedrunning features, like faster transitions, skippable cutscenes, and a pausable timer. Only the fiercest warriors will try their hand Permadeath Mode, where you only have one life to undertake the entire journey.

What critics are saying:
“If you like the genre and want something that has enough spark of inspiration to carry it through a few hours, it’s definitely worth investigating.” – Gaming Age

“Keeps things refreshingly tight, presenting a solid action game with a cool core mechanic and a handful of new ideas” – God is a Geek

“Nocturnal is a must-play title for fans of 2D action-platformers” – GameGrin

About Sunnyside Games
Sunnyside Games is a Swiss-based company founded in 2013 and composed of sorcerers, artists, and engineers that are working hand-in-hand to create challenging, immersive and well hand-crafted 2D games for PCs and consoles. Previous games from Sunnyside Games include Towaga: Among Shadows and The Firm.