As of 2018, Axis Descending’s development has been cancelled.

The project has lead to a number of amazing friendships, moments of discovery and serves as the penultimate learning experience for me from 2009-2017. After working on the project for almost a decade, taking 4-6 months off here and there to focus on developing my academic career, getting married, moving between homes, celebrating the birth of my son and so on, your support and interest has not gone unnoticed. My friends, family and supporters are what helped me find the drive to continue building a world that was broken, both within the narrative and the development process.

As I noticed it becoming more and more unhealthy to continue working on, I still found myself surrounded in people who saw a part of its vision. They admired something in this world I was showing them. They wanted to see more of a world filled with floating islands, colorful characters and a band of sky pirates looking to help their leader get revenge, save the world and have a few laughs along the way. It reminded them of something. Something important. So when I look back and miss working on this, grieving as I have to displace something that was always on the edge of my mind, I’ll remember that.

One of the biggest additions is the way the camera will function from here on out. Larger areas tend to pose a navigation problem, visually. In tighter areas the camera’s distance is appropriate but when you reach those giant sprawling environments you need to be able to take in more of that world and see where you can go, where you’re heading and key points of interest. Now, the camera steps back a bit in those areas to resolve those issues.

A new upgrade is available and spread throughout the world called “Chalices”. These objects are normally hidden behind the same illusory purple magic that hides away hidden treasures and other objects. For now, it’ll be unlocked right away, but these act as more of an endgame upgrade to make traversal easier. If you are nearby one you can use the magic key to teleport to it and launch yourself in the air. Think Specter Knight. Shortcuts, effectively. Like getting the Space Jump/Screw Attack in Super Metroid and discovering yourself able to float your way through levels with ease.

More tool interactions with enemies/objects! Use that sneaky Magnus Glove to pull the Guard’s shield away and make them vulnerable. Use those Bombs to blow up MORE walls and debilitate your enemies. Experiment to see what works best and discover what enemies are weak against!

Foreground elements. Every area in the game has been given foreground art that, in my opinion, really ties the room together.

Armor sets, instead of picking and choosing individual armor pieces, makes a return. Additionally, further scope cutting measures have resulted in Dual/Polearm weapons being removed from the game. This means the Longsword weapon type is getting a few new attacks and skins! It simplifies things, placing more focus on the balance of physical and magical attacks and the way they impact the environment and combat.

Reclaiming Lost Loot

Losing and reclaiming loot is going live. That means materials you collect throughout the game now function in a very Dark Souls, Shovel Knight sort of way. If you are defeated, materials you’ve earned since you last left your airship will be lost. Return to that spot to reclaim your goods. If you can’t, you forfeit them!

Reworked Armor System

You aren’t restricted to costume-like armor swapping anymore. Now you can choose individual armor slots to change your appearance. More skins will be coming with this update as well, so stay tuned for more non-set-related gear to pop up and populate the wardrobe!

Reworked Ability System

Abilities and spells armor sets provided in the past can now be equipped to a hotbar of sorts. This means you can create your own custom character build for your adventures and utilize more of the abilities, spells and tools Axis has at his disposal at any given point in time!

New Primary Weapon: The Polearm

The Demo for Axis Descending is getting its largest update yet with version 1.8. The update features a complete rewrite of the collision code and subsidized animations, resolving hits to the framerate and microstuttering completely. It also revamps the current content, providing better context for the introduction sequence through edited dialogue, additional and revised cutscenes and more. 

1.8 introduces the Charge mechanic that stores excess electrical energy you earn and can be released through a powerful burst attack. Earrings can now be equipped as well that provide unique bonuses like replacing your dodge roll with a dash or reducing your friction and increasing your speed.

Current mechanics, like certain armor sets, have been reworked. The Aegis and Hunter sets have been given overhauls to better suit their role in the game and provide unique and interesting augments. Aegis now gains mana when defending and struck and can release a boomerang-like shield. The Hunter pet is no longer directly controlled by the player and will follow their lead, using different attacks autonomously depending on the attacks you use.

After completing the introductory sequence, players are introduced to the Rinpoche airship. The player’s home and game hub. Here, you can explore the island of Severn and discover the first side quest “dungeon” in the game called the Kar’Kaden Crest. The Crest includes a brand new tileset, look and feel, and story content that explores the lore of Axis’ world and introduces a few new characters to the mix.