- 1.1 | Final Update - 1 May 2026
Hello Everyone!First of all, we just released a new trailer, this time focusing on the gameplay of Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed! Go take a look right here:Unfortunately, this is the last patch for our game. However, we’ve also thought of a little surprise along with this update… Discover it by reading on!1.1 Patch NotesEnemiesEnemies no longer damage the player in Souls-like mode when parriedThe basher in the Chamber waits for the player to be in the corridor before attackingThe Lovers can no longer escape from the combat arenaThe environment traps and the vine basher no longer damage the player if they’re outside of their zoneCombatSome collision adjustments for the heavy attackSome changes to the parry: it is now more precise and it is no longer possible to infinitely parry an enemyDodging after attacking has been improved to be more reactiveTiming adjustments for when Arxis is hi…
- Patch 1.0.2 | Fixes - 23 April 2026
Hey guys! Another small patch to fix some issues we were having:UIThe necessary mana to use the ultimate command will now be shown in the HUDAdd a description requirement on how to obtain the tarot cards in the upgrades menu You can now hide the controls with H on the keyboard, or the left D-pad on the controllerCinematicsThe movement of the cameras is slowed down in the upgrade cutscenesGeneralPerformance improvementChanged placement of the enemies in the last arena space in the SolariumBug FixesFixed the bug where the music would stop when opening the option menuAdded sounds on the UI buttonsFixed the location of some sounds
- Patch 1.0.1 | Fixes - 20 April 2026
Hey Magical People!Some urgent bug fixes are now live! We read your reviews and made some adjustments to make your gameplay experience better.1.0.1 Patch NotesPerformanceLighting rework for performance improvementOverall performance improvements, now you can lower the quality settings without removing the lighting!GameplayFixed a bug were you would still take damage from the vine traps on the ground even if you dashed in timeVine Basher attacks are now slower then they used toFlower Bashers won’t dodge while time is slowed downGround Attack will always inflict damage to enemies, even if those enemies are at the level parameter’s limitThe camera will now automatically put itself back at its main position when the controller hasn’t been used in a whileThe first enemy in the Chamber is now closer to the exit and no longer jumpscares the people that are admiring the environement without pay…
- Spire of Chaos is Out Now!! - 10 April 2026
Hello Magical People! After months of hard work, the time has finally come for you to play Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed!We are incredibly proud to show you our project, the result of 8 months of production by a team of 25 graduating students of the Bachelors in Video Game Creation of UQAT Montréal. Nous sommes extrêmement fiers de vous présenter notre projet résultant de 8 mois de production créé par une équipe de 25 étudiants finissants du Baccalauréat en Création de Jeux Vidéo à l’UQAT Montréal. Fight strange enemies and a mighty boss in this chaotic Souls-Lite where you play as a Magical Girl with devastating powers inspired by Tarot.Wait no longer and come try this game for free that will blow you away with its environments and its unique aesthetics inspired by fantasy and Art Nouveau.A Few Months Ago…Not so long ago, the team behind Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed was just mad…
- Encounter Design | Devlog #10 - 8 April 2026
If you followed the development of our game Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed so far, you’ll be aware that our project is a souls-lite, inspired by Magical Girls and Tarot. These themes directly influence the combat style in our game, the main focus of this blog post.Before we even started our game’s combat and encounter design, we had determined some central elements that were going to influence combat in our game. Because of the Tarot theme, we thought of enemies that would represent the Arcana, more precisely the minor arcana of the Cups as well as the major arcana, the Lovers, as the main antagonist. Moreover, we wanted melee combat that would have less animations if possible to better manage our team’s resources.Why Souls?Our decision process regarding the game’s genre was not finalized during brainstorming, it was a choice that came after a few weeks of production. We originally en…
- User Interface | Devlog #9 - 3 April 2026
In this week’s blog post, we want to highlight the user interface (UI) creation process in our project Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed. We feel that the amount of work and the quality of the design and visuals for each gauge, button or menu of our game is well worth the mention. Moreover, you’ll be able to see different stages of production for the interfaces, from their most basic concepts to our most recent results.Main MenuOne aspect of which we’re very proud is the main menu. Its design evolved a lot during production and along discussions between our design and art teams that were working on UI which allowed to come up with a visually interesting idea; a main menu that changes depending on which button is highlighted. This simple but unique design allows our game to stand out, even though it came with some challenges. For several weeks we had camera movement between the different…
- VFX, Tech Art and Tools | Devlog #8 - 26 March 2026
Our ambitious student project Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed allowed us to explore aspects of game development we never had the chance to experience until now. When creating a game with a team of 25 people over the course of seven months, creating tools can greatly aid the game’s production. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the tools we’ve created for our project as well as more information about the various visual effects (VFX) which enhance Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed.ToolsSome technical details of our project have to be highlighted to be able to understand the work of our team members who created our project’s tools. Some of them were created directly in Unreal Engine 5 and specifically for this project in order to aid production. Our data management is done through Notion, so a link had to be made between our game engine and our databases. We also had to be careful to…
- Rigging, Animation and CCC | Devlog #7 - 24 March 2026
A characters movements are important to communicate the game-feel of a game. Numerous steps of development aim to allow the player the best experience possible. Throughout this blog, you’ll be able to notice the hard work of the people who ensure that Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed as the best possible game-feel experience during the fights and control of the main character. Also, you’ll discover a few informations about other character, such as the ennemis and the final boss.RiggingThe many changes the characters went through had a big impact on their rigs. The main antagonist(s), the Lovers, had numerous modifications that caused complete changes in their skeleton, the previous work being unable to be transfered over.This enemy wasn’t the only one to go through several iterations of rigging along the production of Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed. To ease the constant iterative work…
- Narrative Design | Devlog #6 - 12 March 2026
Our student project, Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed, is a game rich in narrative for its length. Our game is inspired by Magical Girl anime, whose worlds are filled with compelling narrative elements. In fact, one of our main inspirations is the anime Sailor Moon, where the characters possess magical abilities linked to a greater theme (the planets). In the case of our game, the source of the characters’ powers in Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed are the Tarot arcana.The main character, Arxis, is an incarnation of The Tower, the tarot card that represents chaos and destruction. The environment she finds herself in is a representation of her identity: a magical and chaotic spire. These elements were the foundations of the game for several weeks; the rest of the narrative was developed a bit later in the project process, once the gameplay mechanics were decided.The challengesCreating st…
- Environment Art | Devlog #5 - 6 March 2026
A game’s visual identity is, for many, an essential factor in their appreciation of it. That is why, in this blog post, we would like to present our work related to the environments of Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed. As you read, you will learn more about our inspirations, our concepts, as well as the challenges we faced and the solutions we found.InspirationsAs the project evolved, there were several transitions between different artistic movements depending on our vision for the game. At first, the art direction was inspired by Gothic and Surrealist movements. However, we realized that we already had a wide variety of aesthetics, particularly with the tarot cards and the Magical Girl anime influences, which made the artistic direction feel overcrowded.We therefore decided to replace the Gothic and Surrealist inspirations with Art Nouveau, as it encompassed both the fantastical and e…
- Level Design | Devlog #4 - 26 February 2026
Hello Magical People,In this week’s blog, we are going to talk about an essential element for a good 3D figthing game: level design. In a genre like souls-lite, many mechanics must be learned by the player, and this can be very challenging for a casual player. In a small university game like Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed, learning must be clear and memorable as the player progresses, and the player must be able to test these mechanics directly after encountering them. Many factors come into play in level design, not to mention the additional constraints from other production departments. It is a pleasure to share with you in details this week the objectives of our different levels, their evolution throughout production, and their respective challenges.The LevelsOur game takes place in a tower, a literal representation of the Tower card from the Tarot deck, from which our protagonist…
- Management, Marketing and UX | Devlog #3 - 19 February 2026
A strong team is the foundation of a strong product—or in our case, a strong video game. We are fortunate to attend a university that prepares us for the realities of the job market and for the importance of communication, with all its ups and downs. Conflict resolution and respectful dialogue are therefore put into practice throughout our projects, allowing us to grow not only as future industry professionals, but also as human beings.In this weekly blog, we aim to give you insight into how a team composed entirely of newly qualified students manages its internal operations. You will also have the opportunity to learn how our final project, Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed, came to life, as well as how we maintain a healthy work environment with 25 students working on their first major project. Finally, we will discuss the efforts accomplished in terms of the game’s marketing and user…
- Characters and Concepts | Devlog #2 - 12 February 2026
Hello Magical People!In this week’s devlog article, we’ll explore the very heart of Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed: the characters! We are extremely lucky to have in our team character artists brimming with talent that managed to bring to life our artistic leads’ and concept artists’ dreams. It is our pleasure today to go into more detail about our inspirations for these characters, the problems encountered during their design as well as how we managed to overcome these difficulties.Character InspirationsSpire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed uses varied aesthetics to define its artistic direction. We are inspired by Art Nouveau, japanese Magical Girl anime as well as Tarot cards. We have been advised to only select one of these inspirations several times during development in order to simplify the game’s production. It was a worry that we shared during the initial designs, and that came fr…
- Coming Soon | Devlog #1 - 4 February 2026
Hello Magical People!Welcome to the first Devlog of the game project Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed!Who are we?We are Hidden Gems, a team of 25 students from UQAT's Montréal campus composed entirely of students in their last year of university. We are currently working on our final project, Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed. This project will be the fruit of 5 months of hard work that we are still actively developing.What is Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed?Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed is a 3D souls-lite action game where you play as Arxis, a magical girl linked to the card of the Tower, a source of chaotic power and one of the most feared arcana of the Tarot. The game will be totally FREE TO PLAY!Where are we in the production?Right now, we are adjusting the game with the feedback of our latest playtests while also adding more elements to the game. We are making changes here and t…
