Developed by onebitbeyond and published by Devolver Digital, The Swords of Ditto promised great things for itself when it released in April, but ultimately received mixed reviews from the gaming community at large. For an indie that had a million and one good ideas, charming art, and backing from Devolver Digital, it was surprising to see it hit the ground running and stumble. Since its release, however, developer onebitbeyond has staggered to its feet, thrown a fist into the air, and charged forward once again to see the title reach the finish line.
While the finish line might not yet be crossed, The Swords of Ditto has already experienced a number of substantial updates that have radically changed the accessibility of the title as a whole. Initially, the game utilized a countdown mechanic that forced an encounter with a boss you were almost never prepared for when it came. Since June, however, the time limit has been removed for most stories, and now comes into play only for stories that occur after Mormo has been beaten. Other significant updates include:
• Players now start at the grave when they fail a story
• Toy and Trial Dungeons no longer require the player to be a certain level
• After defeating Mormo, the player is now given a specific Quest to help them
• Enemies no longer scale along with completed dungeons
• Increased the pickup collection radius for the player
• Badges give you a starting Toy of Legend, a free Sticker and some special stats.
• Levelling up a Badge increases the power of these abilities
• Added save slots. Choose up to three slots to store your adventures on Ditto.
That’s not all, but you get the gist. Where The Swords of Ditto once frustrated players, it should now satisfy and reward. Even at launch the indie was thoroughly entertaining, so, in its current state, it wouldn’t be shocking to see a lift in its overall reviews due to its greater playability. And any developer willing to repair what was claimed to be broken post-launch is a worthy developer to us.
Game Pilgrim 