Dear itch.io community,

After a brief period of inactivity on social media and Patreon, we are excited to share a development update regarding Jumara. The project has progressed significantly, and today, we are pleased to offer a sneak peek of the Pathway system, which is now nearing completion. While there are still refinements and improvements to be made, the system largely reflects the original vision we set out to achieve.

Preview Gif

A Recap of Development Changes

As mentioned in previous posts, Jumara has undergone several changes throughout its development. Initially, the game included a 3D component with a top-down perspective, which remains part of the project but is currently deactivated for potential future use. The reasoning behind this decision has been discussed in a prior update, so today, we will focus on what’s new and noteworthy within the Pathway system.

Introducing the Pathway System

The Pathway system introduces a new layer of dynamic gameplay. At the start of each session, players are presented with three face-down cards. You can choose to reveal as many as you wish. These cards will then unveil one of the following options:

• Event
• Trap
• Wildcard
• Encounter
• Reward
• Token
• End

If three identical cards are revealed, the corresponding event will trigger automatically. Otherwise, players can choose which card to activate, adding a strategic element to the gameplay. For instance, you may prefer to initiate an encounter in one moment, while in others, visiting the shop for healing or upgrades may be more advantageous. At times, you might decide to take a chance and select a random event.

The goal is to keep the experience fresh and engaging without overcomplicating the mechanics, while offering meaningful strategic choices to the player.

What’s Next?

Although the Pathway system is almost ready, further work remains before an official update can be released. The current demo will remain outdated until the full release, and no new demo updates are planned in the interim.

In the coming weeks, we will also be focusing on reworking the Beastmaster system. We believe we have found a way to make it more compelling, but before we finalize this, we need to refine certain aspects of how encounters are initiated, as well as introduce a tiered difficulty system for these encounters.

This will likely be our main focus in the coming weeks, and we will keep you informed as we progress.

Thank you for your continued support and patience as we work toward bringing Jumara to life. We look forward to sharing more updates soon.

Best regards,
Norman
Lead Developer, Jumara