Hey all!

It's been a while since the last update to The Apothecary's Apprentice but I have been coming back to work on this every now and again. This update brings a complete overhaul of almost every visual asset in the game! Comparison images at the bottom of the devlog. The complete changelog is as follows:

Changes

• Reworked level select UI
  • Now a vertical list that can show much more information
• Added Plush Toy collectables
  • One per level of the main game
  • Four total
  • These will appear on the main menu once collected
  • This is something to reward exploration as they're placed off the main path, usually in a hidden or hard to reach location.
• Visuals
  • New sky gradients
    
  • Updated grass tileset
  • Updated stone tileset
  • Updated wood tileset
  • Updated ruins tileset
  • Added more variation in the dirt tileset
  • Added bushes
  • Added animated grass
  • New and updated parallax background sprites
  • Updated Capri shop interior and exterior sprites
  • Added stalagmites and stalactites to the third level
    
  • Added bones underground
  • Updated tree texture
  • Updated dialogue box UI
  • Updated main menu UI
  • Updated character dialogue portrait images
  • And more!
• Added a new character to the first level
• You can now click on Kidd on the main menu. He doesn't like that.
• Updated how game save data is stored
  • This does sadly mean that any existing progress will not be recognised by version 1.3. Sorry about that.
    
  • This new format should allow for greater backwards compatibility in the future.
  • If you want to view your progress from earlier versions, you can continue to use v1.2.1 to load your old save data.
• Probably some other stuff I'm forgetting.
• Bug fixes and small QOL improvements.

v1.2.1/v1.3 Comparisons

This is a massive image dump showing the changes to the game at different locations. Feel free to skim this section if you plan on playing the game.

Future plans

I've started development on a new level. It takes place at the beach and features swimming as a new mechanic. Kidd's swapping out his long-sleeve for a t-shirt and boardshorts! This level will take place after the main game. No ETA for completion but here's a sneak preview.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy these changes!