Ova Magica - An adorable farming and monster taming game!
Created by ClaudiaTheDev
Inspired by Stardew Valley, Slime Rancher and beloved classics like Harvest Moon and Pokémon! For PC, Switch, XB1/SX and PS4/5.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
November 2022 Dev Update
over 3 years ago
– Mon, Nov 07, 2022 at 02:34:40 AM
This is probably your most burning question, so I'll answer it right at the beginning!
When will the Closed Backer Preview (CBP) be available?
In December in our last update for 2022. I don't want to commit to the exact day, but it will be 100% before Christmas🎄. I hope you are as excited as me♥!?
There will be more information on Twitter and Discord shortly before that.
Steam Deck Support
Ova Magica is fully playable on the Steam Deck. I have even better news: The Closed Backer Preview already runs on it! It's actually currently my preferred method for testing the game and maybe some of you will already play it on the Steam Deck♥?
If you selected "Nintendo Switch" for your digital key (full game release), but now prefer Steam, drop me a message here and i will unlock your survey.
Development Updates
I want to share some of the cool new things which happened since the last update with you ♥
Play with your blobs
I worked on the stretch goal "Play with your blobs". There are several toys and mini games! Your blob has in addition to their daily food craving (which levels up their health) now also one toy craving. When fullfilled your blob levels up its energy! Below is some WIP footage:
And please drop me all your additional toy and mini game ideas in the comments♥ (i noted already some you mentioned before, but feel free to suggest again or new ones!)
Improved Blob Ability Usage
This has been one of my biggest worries so far and I haven't had the courage and willpower to tackle it.
Until now, to use a blob ability (like sprinkler for watering plants), you had to push the blob to the desired position. This was imprecise and tedious. I decided to REDO the WHOLE THING (yes I'm crazy). It was time consuming and hard, but it's done:
This way you can go with your blob to the exact position and use its ability also several times.
I am actually very proud of my decision to redo it and investing a lot of time for it. It feels so much better now! Below are the first videos (footage was recorded some days ago, so it's still very WIP. I polished it already more).
In the video the ability "Fertiliser" of poop blob is used. First you see the old "blob pushing" method, then the new "Blob controlling" method for direct comparison. You see that not only the control method changed but now the affected objects are also highlighted with an outline.
Also in the video below is some additional footage of me testing the ability "Explode" of the bomb blob. I enabled unlimited usage for this and destroyed a big part of the forest near your farm😏
Speaking of redoing stuff😂 I also decided to redo a huge part of the action bar code. As you know, in battle, each blob has a symbol moving on the action bar and being able to use a skill when the symbol reaches the end of the bar. Until now boss battles weren't well balanced and too easy. After defeating the minions it was 3 (your team) VS 1 (boss). So i rewrote also the whole thing so that bosses now have 3 symbols on the action bar. Took me a while but now the boss battles finally feel challenging and more special.
In the video below you can see the action bar in the lower right corner and the boss being represented with a different symbol (skull) than normal blobs.
Compost Bin - Create Fertiliser
Maybe you wondered what to do with all the poop after cleaning your blob barns? For that I added the compost bin. You can place blob poop in it and it creates fertiliser overnight. In the video below you see how it works and also the poop blob being your best buddy for fertilising. (I used the secret dev pause menu to skip a day for better demonstration and also the video was recorded some time ago when you couldn't control your blobs yet).
Some smaller things
Mixer - Create Cream
You can now use the mixer to create whipped cream out of eggs which can be sold, fed to your blobs and used for several cooking recipes like "Strawberry Cake" or "Strawberry Ice Cream". And yes, all makers can process more than one item at a time. You start with 1 but can unlock up to 10 items at a time by increasing your skills.
Wild Berries
Maybe not the biggest feature but i kinda like it♥ i added wild berries which grow under trees all around Clover Valley. They provide a nice and fast energy boost when foraging.
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September 2022 update!
over 3 years ago
– Wed, Sep 07, 2022 at 02:22:58 AM
Closed Backer Preview
Regarding the closed early access/closed beta, we've decided to rename this to be the "closed backer preview". While this might seem like a pedantic change, it's important because the name communicates to people what the relative availability of the game is. With a name like "early access", and the most prevalent use of the word being on Steam where games can release early before being finished, we thought it wasn't a good idea to keep the same name as it might cause some people to mistake it for being an actual early access release.
On that topic, the team has been hard at work polishing the game and testing for bugs ahead of the closed backer preview! It's been a great joy to see all elements of the game come together and the world of Ova Magica come alive. There is quite a lot to do already: the basic form of the character creator works, there's battles and quests, Npcs and their blobs, special festivals and events that you can visit and much more.
Now, there are two things: the first is with this amount of content, where is the right point to cut it off for the closed backer preview? As we've worked on it, the logical thing feels like that we want to add a bit more than originally planned in order to provide a better jumping off point, so it doesn't feel like it ends randomly. With that in mind, it'd also be really bad to crunch the time to try and get everything in all at once at short notice, so we've taken the decision to take just a little bit more time in getting the backer preview ready.
Our new target for the release of the preview is before the end of Q4!
We understand that the delay is disappointing for many and we ourselves can't wait to finally see you play! However, it is already important to us for this preview that the game meets a certain standard, content and quality and it would simply not have been possible to achieve this without crunching. We are very sorry for the delay but promise to continue working hard for you and the game!
Some new in-game content
The whole team has been hard at work the last few weeks. Although we postponed the Closed Backer Preview, we still managed to get a lot done. Don't worry, you'll be able to experience what we've been working on soon enough! Here are some insights for you♥
A walk trough Clover Town
Here is a small video of walking trough Clover Town and interacting with some things.
We worked also hard on creating dialogs and stories for several residents of Clover Town!
New artbook art
In the artbook there will be a detailed picture for each of the 13 characters and their blobs! Our artist Ichigo*Ranch is diligently working on the pictures♥!
Below you can see Lazuli with her blob Belle at a tea party in her garden surrounded by her favorite flowers named "Frost Kiss".
Various improvements
Many things are still being tweaked. For example, we have improved the fishing indicator (for better accessibility) when a blob bites and reeling in will result in a battle:
Some other things
We also want to share with you this awesome 3D figure created by Lean! We have the 3d printing files and will make them in the future available for all for free. So if you would like to 3d and print your own it will be soon possible♥
Shoutout: Paper Animal RPG
Lastly a shoutout to another German dev making an awesome, cute and adorable game! Paper Animal RPG is running their own campaign now and it looks really cool!
Taking place in a papercrafted world, in Paper Animal RPG you and your band of animal adventurers have to go on a quest to find the missing king. As you cross the world, and explore different dungeons, you'll meet other critters on their own journeys, fight dastardly enemies like talking tomapples, shroomheads, and... some slightly scary things, and at the end of it, relax by the campfire together as you sort out dinner. The game is super cute and charming, so please check out their campaign!
June Dev Update
almost 4 years ago
– Fri, Jul 01, 2022 at 01:24:55 PM
Hello together! Claudia here♥!
I'll also start with the most important news right away:
Closed Early Access for Backers and Preorders planned for September 2022
The team is trying to keep the announced date(Q3) and if everything goes as planned, the Early Access will launch towards the end of September this year🥳 Keep in mind this is no settled date yet and smaller delays are possible but we will keep you updated every month.
Working on the Closed Early Access is also the reason why I'm going to keep this and the next updates shorter until launch (writing them takes a lot of time). The team wants to use all available time to work on the game and try holding the date💪. Some of you might have noticed that I'm already less active on social media than usual🙃.
But If you have any questions, you can ask them here in the comments or in our Discord!
Now I'll share a few screenshots with you, but I won't add a lot of text (which would have cost me several hours of work otherwise).
Saturation Settings
The game is very colorful and for some it can be a bit tiring for the eyes. Because of that i started working on color and saturation settings which you can change to your liking♥
Painted Eggs festival
I completed this actually for easter but kept it secret until this year's Wholesome Direct Showcase. You participate in an egg hunt mini game and can trade the eggs for various items and blueprints.
Town Square Boots
What about an ice cream?
"FREE DAILY SPIN!!! Making Clover Town a healthier place, one spin at a time!"
Kiwi Blob (designed for backer midnightfire29 for the reward "Blob Designer")
New Blob Skills
Applies one of 5 negative status effects to the enemy or all 5 when a 6 is rolled.
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Tons of different enemies, weapons and power-ups: your gaming experience will be fully customizable as you progress through the game, and each run will feel unique and fresh.
May Dev Update
almost 4 years ago
– Tue, May 31, 2022 at 04:46:50 AM
Hi there, everybody! Claudia here! It's been a whole month already.
First of all, I would like to invite you to join our Discord♥ (if you are not already a member). There I regularly post updates and answer questions:
New Locations
I'm still working on filling the world of Ova Magica with life. I share with you some new places you can visit.
Beekeepers
The beekeepers are side NPCs which know all about bees and bee blobs and sell bee related products and blueprints.
Mine
The inside isn't fully finished yet, so i can't share it yet. But here is the entrance and also a new fishing/lake area. In the mine you can gather coal and some common ores. But to get the rarest and most valuable ores you still need to visit the dangerous blob worlds.
New Feature: Fast Travel
In Ova Magica, time runs in days and seasons like in a typical farm sim. So every hour in the game is valuable. The Steamboard is your best friend for moving faster. The new fast travel feature now allows you to additionally skip long distances.
All potraits done
Our artist Ichigo*ranch has finally finished all the character portraits! There are currently 131 high quality hand-drawn portraits in the game! And most of them are completely different in pose and expression (not only facial changes). Also each romanceable character has a unique swimwear and wedding outfit. I'm showing some of Citrine here because she hasn't gotten that much attention yet♥.
New Battle Skills
There are many blobs and even more skills in Ova Magica. Here is a selection of some new ones that were added in May.
(I am still experimenting and working on the battle balancing. So do not wonder when some numbers appear odd, like too low or high. All skill videos represent a test situation for development.)
Hacking
Lowers all stats of one enemy.
Wood Shield
Raises the defense of your whole party.
Balloons
A fun skill, hurting all enemies.
Royal Sword
A strong attack affecting one enemy
(ignore the low damage number in the video :-P it isn't balanced yet, it shall be strong)
Other stuff
I can't share everything we work on in the updates because it's either still very WIP, not so relevant or i am just too busy to record so many videos and write a lot of text. But here are some other things which happened in May:
Created around 7 new side NPCs for the town
The writers worked A LOT on side NPCs and character dialogs the last weeks
Until now battle skills had a fixed strength/attack number. This was replaced by a strength/attack grade (A-F) which you can improve solely with breeding. You can see the change in some of the battle skill videos above but it's still WIP. I want to share the full system in next update.
Improved the UI for entering your birthday in the character creation
Made progress on Lapis and Lazulis home interior
Worked further on improving the blob breeding algorithm
Fixed some bugs (as always :-P)
Worked on some in-game quests
Thank you for reading so far! I wish you all a wonderful June♥!
~Claudia
PS
Below i share some awesome Kickstarter campaigns of some dev friends of mine. Please consider supporting them♥!
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April Dev Update
almost 4 years ago
– Sun, May 01, 2022 at 11:50:20 PM
Hello together!
As always, here comes our regular monthly Dev Update♥!
New Feature: Mailbox
In some cutscenes and events, you will receive items even though the inventory is full. These are now sent to your mailbox.
It would be a pity to use the mailbox only for this purpose. What do you think about occasional letters and gifts from friendly NPCs?
New Feature: All side NPCs can level up after battle
The NPCs in Clover Town all have their own blobs and you can challenge them to a battle. However, not all of them are equally strong. Defeating the frost prince and current Clover Cup champion Lapis is almost impossible. Some Npcs, on the other hand, don't take their blob training too seriously and are easy opponents.
What is special in Ova Magica:
If an NPC loses a fight against you, they will level up and I will be stronger next time. So there is always a challenge waiting.
New Festival: The Night of Roses
The famous performer duo Alto and Altair visit Clover Town and need a third for their show! The theme of the night is all about roses and music. You can also buy special items and blueprints.
In a mini game you and your blobs have to prove your skills by pressing buttons to a rhythm. Depending on your performance, the crowd reacts differently.
Put on a great show and you'll be showered with roses and impress the townsfolk of Clover Town!
But the response of the audience is not always positive...
Thanks for reading ♥! Before I say bye I would like to introduce below a game of dev-friends of mine that currently has its Kickstarter campaign live!
~Claudia
You are a first-year student of the magic arts, arriving at the Academy of Greifenstein. Set in a world and time like ours, you are excited to live and learn together with your fellow students and professors at the impressive magical castle.
“Spells & Secrets” is a 3D action-adventure game with puzzle mechanics and procedural elements that offers a magical sandbox for you to explore. Get ready to discover a wide range of unique spells, powerful artifacts and useful potions.
