- Devblog #31. Skill Forms in Combat. - 18 September 2026
Hello everyone.In the previous devblog, I talked about the rework of the Skill Properties system. Each Property installed on a gene unlocks two Forms for the corresponding skill. These Forms can significantly change the mechanics of the skill and turn it into different variations. The main idea behind Forms reveals itself during combat: the player does not choose a specific Form at the moment of using a skill. Instead, the skill automatically switches between its available Forms throughout the battle. Choosing the Current FormWhen a battle starts, every skill with an installed Property receives one of its two available Forms. That Form becomes the current version of the skill. The skill itself also changes in the interface. Its icon, name, and description are updated, while the tooltip shows the actual parameters and effects of the current Form. Before using the skill, the player can al…
- Devblog #30. Skill Forms. - 11 September 2026
Hello everyone.In one of my previous devblogs, I talked about Skill Properties. These are modifications that can be installed on genes and developed during a run using Gene Substrate. In older versions of the game, they worked in a fairly straightforward way: a property could modify a specific part of a skill, not only its numbers but also some aspects of its behavior. However, the skill itself still remained fundamentally the same.In version 0.51, which is currently available on Steam, I expanded and reworked this system. The next step in its development became the Skill Forms system. Now, a property does not simply add a bonus to a skill. It unlocks independent forms for that skill, each of which can significantly change how it works.From Modifier to FormThe main difference between a numerical modifier or bonus and a Form - is that a Form changes the skill as a whole. It can change no…
- Devblog #29. Why IRSEN Has No XP, Gold or Equipment. - 4 September 2026
Hello everyone.Today I’d like to talk a bit about character progression in my game. In many RPGs and roguelites, progression is built around several different systems. The most common approach is simple: the player earns experience, and experience gives levels. The player finds weapons and armor and becomes stronger that way. The player earns gold, which can then be spent on experience, armor or weapons, skills, or talents.In IRSEN, I decided to move away from this standard structure. So I’m trying to build progression without relying on those traditional pillars.That doesn’t mean there is no progression in the game. Quite the opposite: adjusting and constantly rebuilding the character is what I’m trying to make one of the core mechanics. I’ve simply moved most of that growth into one central system - genes.Experience and LevelsThe first thing I decided to remove was the traditional exp…
- Devblog #28. Direct Gene Management. - 28 August 2026
Hello everyone.In previous devblogs, I talked in detail about the Genetic Lab system, which allows the player to develop and rebuild the genes they find. The Lab provided access to various operations involving individual genes and gene pairs: stabilization, consumption, destabilization, gene fusion to synthesize new genes, removing properties and extracting gene substrate, and adding skill properties.The mechanics themselves work, but over time I noticed that performing these actions requires the player to constantly switch between the Gene Map, Inventory, and Genetic Lab windows.So I decided to simplify and restructure the system a little. I think this is something I will have to do more than once during the development of my game.How the early system workedOriginally, working with the Lab required a separate interface. Let’s look at gene stabilization as an example. The sequence of ac…
- Devblog #26. From Graph to Dungeon. - 14 August 2026
Hello everyone. In one of my previous devblogs, where I talked about the new demo version, I mentioned that I had reworked the dungeon map generation. Now I want to take a closer look at this particular change: how a new sector is created, from a few connected nodes to an actual playable map. Procedural map generation seems like a very simple task until you actually sit down, start generating maps, and get a few terrible results. You can simply create a rectangle and fill it with rooms and walls, place enemies, passages, and chests. In principle, that is already the simplest kind of procedural level. Technically, the map will always be new and random.The problems start a little later. When you realize that you have almost no control over how such a map is created, and that a random map is not necessarily a good map.That is exactly what I ran into when I wrote the first version of the ma…
- Devblog #25. A Small Movement Bug. - 7 August 2026
Hello everyone.This week, I released a new version of the demo on Steam, containing mechanics and fixes accumulated over several months. I have already started working on the next gameplay system, which will most likely take more than one week to complete. Every few days, I try to take a break from it and switch to a small feature improvement or bug fix from my TODO list.A few days ago, I ran into a small bug related to the character’s movement across the map. Normally, nobody pays any attention to movement when everything works correctly. It seems very simple: press a button, and the character moves to the next tile. The animation and sounds play as well. But it was during this movement between tiles that the bug appeared, even though it had never shown itself during normal gameplay before.I designed the IRSEN map as a grid. Logically, the character, or rather its in-world model, is al…
- Devblog #24. New Demo Version v0.48 - 31 July 2026
Hello everyone.On August 1, I plan to release a new demo version of IRSEN on Steam. Two months have passed since the previous major update, and during that time hundreds of changes have accumulated across the game. I have collected the most important of them in this devlog. I would like to go through the updates to the mechanics, visual systems, and overall run structure. Starting next week, I will move on to the next stage of development, while version 0.48 will become available for testing.The biggest change is the new dungeon structure. I rewrote the map generator and replaced the randomly created square-shaped dungeons with a system that builds each floor as a connected graph of rooms. Movement through the floor is no longer completely random: there is now a starting room, a final room, a main route connecting them, and branches leading away from that route.Alongside this update, I…
- Devblog #23. The Demo and Limitations. - 24 July 2026
Hello everyone.Today I want to take a closer look at the game’s demo and think about what should remain available there and what should be reserved for the full version. The current IRSEN demo already presents the game’s main systems: genes form chains, chains unlock skills, mutations force the player to change their build, and enemies act as a coordinated group. If I remove too much, the demo will stop showing what the game is really about. If I include everything, a new player will probably struggle to understand all the systems at once. This is especially important because the game is still in development and its systems continue to change. Some mechanics are added, while others are removed.Because of this, when preparing each new version, the main question is not only which systems to add, but also where to draw the boundaries.What should the demo show?My idea is that the demo shoul…
- Devblog #22. Character Origins. - 17 July 2026
Hello everyone.Today I would like to talk about the character origin system that will be added in the next version, 0.48. In IRSEN, the character does not have a class or any fixed development tree. The character’s current attributes depend on the genes being used and the gene chains assembled on the Gene Map. However, for every new run, I added a basic role. It serves as the starting point from which the character begins to develop.What Is an Origin.A character’s origin primarily determines their starting gene chains. I have currently created six origin sets:Regenerator - combat recoveryBastion - defense through psionic shieldsToxicant - poison effectsRavager - physical damageHemophage - bleeding and healing through damage dealtNeuropath - psionic abilitiesEach origin has several gene chains already assembled on the Gene Map at the beginning of the run. Each character also starts with…
- Devblog #21. Processing Station. - 10 July 2026
Hello everyone.Today I want to talk about an intermediate layer of the game that exists between dungeon floor runs. This is the Processing Station. Usually in RPG games, the player has some kind of basic hub where they feel at home. It can be a town, for example, where the player trains the character, trades, or takes quests.In the current version of IRSEN, I added the station to create something similar to such a hub for the player. Of course, this is not a town and not a safe base in the classic sense. The station should not create the feeling of complete rest. The player is still inside a dangerous dungeon, and corruption continues to affect the run. But I wanted to add a place where the way the game plays changes for a short time. After exploring a sector and fighting battles, the player enters a calmer space where they can evaluate the character’s condition, look at the build, use…
- Devblog #20. Gene Extraction. - 3 July 2026
Hello everyone.Today I want to talk about the gene extraction process in the current version of the game. The first version of loot in the game worked like regular RPG loot. After killing a group of enemies, each defeated enemy had a chance to drop a random gene. But I decided that this loot system was too simple and too boring for a game where there is no other loot except the bodies of defeated enemies.Since the game has no gold, experience points, or equipment, the gene loot window has to be more interesting. It is not just about collecting a random reward, but about making an important decision after every battle.Usually in RPGs, part of the loot can be ignored: sold, dismantled, or thrown away. In IRSEN, it does not work that way, because the enemy’s body is almost the only source of progression. So it was important to me that the player does not simply press “take all,” but evalua…
- Devblog #19. Visual Update: Genes, Mutations, and Interface. - 26 June 2026
Hello everyone.In today’s devblog, I would like to step away from describing the internal systems of the game for a moment and talk about the visual update I am preparing for the next demo version on Steam.The first versions of the game were built as a vertical slice of all systems. The main goal was to get the core gameplay working: movement, combat, dungeon generation, the gene and mutation systems, and the full game loop. Now that the core is in place, I have started working more on the game’s visual presentation.In the previous update, I already worked on the look of the map: I removed prototype mountains and walls without proper textures, added river generation, created floor variations, and adjusted enemy placement.In the next update, I plan to start bringing windows, mutations, and the Gene Map toward a unified visual style.Genes.In previous versions, genes were designed more lik…
- Devblog #18. Implants in Combat. - 18 June 2026
Hello everyone.In previous devblogs, I talked a lot about genes, chains, skill properties, and the Gene Lab. But the character build in IRSEN is not made only from genes. There is another layer of combat support - implants. Genes form the foundation of the character build: attributes, chains, and skills. Implants work differently. They are not passive stat bonuses, but separate tactical modules that trigger automatically during combat.In many RPGs, party or player support is often handled by allies: someone heals, someone protects, someone reacts to threats. In IRSEN, the player has no party support. Because of that, I moved some of these functions into implants. They give the character additional tools to survive combat against an organized enemy squad.How Implants Work.The player has three implant slots. Each implant occupies one slot, so the player can bring up to three implants into…
- Devblog #17. Gene Lab: Customizing Skill Properties. - 12 June 2026
Hello everyone.In today’s devblog, I will finish describing how the Gene Lab works. In previous devblogs, I already covered gene development in the lab: fusion for increasing allele tiers, as well as operations involving a single gene — consumption, stabilization, and destabilization.The final group of operations is not related to the gene itself as a source of attributes, but to skill properties. I have already explained before that properties on genes can transform skills: change their type, add additional effects, strengthen certain aspects of an ability, or adapt it to a specific build. The Gene Lab is where the player can manage these properties.Gene SubstrateGene Substrate is a resource obtained by deactivating a property on a gene. In essence, an unnecessary property is recycled into a universal material that can later be used to customize other properties.When the player extract…
- Devblog #16. Bio Scanner and Field Dosimeter. - 5 June 2026
Hello everyone.This week, a new public version of Irsen was released on Steam. The demo is now available to download and try. In the previous devblog, I tried to describe the main updates included in the new version.I briefly mentioned the global interface systems.Today, I would like to take a closer look at two new additions.Bio Scanner.I have already received feedback from players saying that building gene chains can be difficult to understand. While rearranging chains, the player can accidentally break a chain and lose access to a skill in combat. Sometimes this only becomes noticeable after entering a battle. Although I added the ability to retreat on Easy difficulty, and such a fight does not mean instant death, it still feels unpleasant to lose health because of forgetfulness or inattention.I gathered several possible mistakes into one system.This system is the Bio Scanner. Its ic…
- Devblog #15. What Is Changing in Public Version 0.451 - 29 May 2026
Hello everyone.Quite some time has passed since the release of the Irsen 0.43 demo. Over the past weeks, I gathered the new work I had done and prepared the next public version: 0.451.In today’s devblog, I want to go through the changes included in this version. Loot and Gene Extraction.Genes no longer drop randomly from enemies. Starting with version 0.451, the player extracts genes directly from the bodies of defeated opponents. For each enemy in battle, the player receives two gene extraction attempts. After combat, you can select any defeated enemy and check which gene archetypes can be extracted from its body, and with what probability.Then, by pressing the gene extraction button, the player spends one attempt. If the extraction succeeds, the resulting gene will have the desired archetype with the listed probability. This allows the player to intentionally try to obtain genes of sp…
- Devblog #14. Gene Lab: Gene Finalization. - 22 May 2026
Hello everyone.I continue covering operations involving single genes in the Gene Lab. In the previous devblog, I talked about absorption - a way to turn an extra gene into a permanent bonus. Today I will cover another operation: gene finalization.Finalization.If absorption is used for genes that are no longer needed on the map, finalization is the opposite: it is applied to genes that the player wants to keep as part of the build.The lab allows the player to perform one final operation on a gene. This is called “finalizing a gene.” After a gene has been finalized, it can no longer be processed further. Of course, the player can still remove it from the Gene Map and move it back into the inventory. However, it can no longer be fully disposed of: finalized genes are not available for absorption.Genes that undergo finalization turn into more specialized versions of themselves. In a sense,…
- Devblog #13. Gene Lab: Gene Consumption. - 15 May 2026
Hello everyone.I continue covering gene operations in the Gene Lab. In one of the previous devblogs, I already explained the basic procedures involving genes. Now I want to look at operations involving a single gene.During a run, there comes a point when a gene is clearly no longer going to be used for fusion and allele development. In other words, this gene may no longer be needed by the player because the Gene Map slots are already occupied by other genes.Inventory.The inventory is designed in such a way that a gene cannot simply be deleted from it. I decided not to let the player throw away or destroy genes, because a gene is not just a piece of equipment like greaves or boots.Instead, a gene can be fused with another gene in the lab and go through allele improvement. However, if a gene is no longer useful to the player in any form, gene consumption becomes the way to turn an extra g…
- Devblog #12. Melee Attack Visual Effect. - 8 May 2026
Hello everyone. In this devblog, I decided to step away from explaining large gameplay systems for a moment and instead show a small visual improvement I recently added to the game.I was working on a melee combat effect. For psionic attacks in Irsen, I already have projectiles, beams, and separate hit effects at the moment of impact. Physical melee attacks, however, looked noticeably weaker visually: there was a unit animation and a hit effect on the target, but almost no visible trail for the attack itself. Because of that, these attacks could feel a bit empty. This had bothered me for a while, especially compared to the psionic abilities.I decided to add a bright 3D arc that appears in front of the unit during a melee attack.I set several requirements for the effect:it should be a 3D effect, not a 2D image;the arc should have a bright edge;the effect should not simply appear all at on…
- IRSEN is now on Steam - 5 May 2026
Hello!IRSEN now has a public Steam page. You can add the game to your wishlist and follow future development updates here on Steam.IRSEN is a turn-based roguelite where your character fights alone against coordinated enemy squads. The game focuses on tactical combat, gene-based character building, skill chains, mutations, and adapting your build during each run.Before opening the Steam page, I had already published a series of devblogs about the main systems of the game. These posts are not just progress reports, each one explains a specific part of IRSEN: combat, genes, skill chains, enemy roles, corruption, mutations, properties, and the Gene Lab.From now on, new devblogs will also be published here on Steam.Previous devblogsDevblog #1. The Player as a Boss.https://datchannin.itch.io/irsen/devlog/1399275/devblog-1-the-player-as-a-bossDevblog #2. Genes and Chains.https://datchannin.itc…
