Hello Near-Mages!

Here is yet another update that addresses some critical issue and a few more issues that were kindly pointed out to us recently.

Thanks to those who reported them, and also to all of you for your continued support!

v1.1.4

Added

• Added Credits to the Start Menu

• Added a failsafe to make sure a Mitzkin is sent after [spoiler]the "Glykon" quest[/spoiler] is complete

Fixed

• Fixed being able to skip an entire plot critical quest during [spoiler]the "What's In A Name"[/spoiler] quest

• Fixed missing translation in the key legend in the Dialogue History UI

• Fixed an old bit of code that locks you in [spoiler]Domnica's Mansion[/spoiler] during the [spoiler]"What's In A Name" quest[/spoiler]

• Fixed glitch that happened when flying and interacting with an hotspot in the [spoiler]Institute Dorm[/spoiler]

• Fixed language temporary setting defaulting to English instead of using the current enabled language

Changed

• Changed a name in the Yearbook

Until next time!

[ 2025-06-23 12:11:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings, near-mages!

We are blown away by the positive reception Near-Mage has had on Steam. Were currently at a 92% Very Positive rating, with over 100 reviews. Thank you for all the love and support! But no launch is perfect for every player, and we always keep an eye on your feedback and do our best to listen to suggestions.

No Hand-Holding

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/40965031/140bae063cfbc570ea75f8cbab793770230c4313.png"][/img]

A lot of players have said there is a bit too much hand-holding in the game.

We heard you, so we added a choice to not show objectives on-screen. You can choose this right at the start of the game, once Illy exits her room at home:

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/40965031/ee22120fe34f8a7b38234f7dd31b2fe5b669e233.png"][/img]

You can also toggle it at any time during the game, in the Options menu, under Gameplay: [img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/40965031/2e20f2a9a062514ac79c2741acf8c720bdd972e0.png"][/img]

Whats cool about this is that it effectively works like an easy / hard mode switch, and it turns the quest log into a sort of hint system.

You can turn objectives off and find your way around just based on the information the characters give you, and if youre really stuck (or forgot what you have to do) you can quickly check the quest log.

Even if you beat the game once, since its designed to be replayed and try new stuff, its an interesting way to experience its world again in a more challenging way.

New: Keyboard Shortcuts List

These have always been in the game, but now they are neatly listed in a separate tab under Options.

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/40965031/aa82006120907000e7033a1b4a9b6aa6e6279cf2.png"][/img]

Weve also added a helpful on-screen reminder of how to bring up your spell wheel during the time you cast your first spell.

Steam Deck

The game is playable on Steam Deck!

Lots of people are playing Near-Mage on the Deck, and we're constantly fixing and tweaking stuff to make the experience smooth. Unfortunately we didn't have the time to apply for "Verified" before release, that's why it shows as "Unknown" on the page, but rest assured that it does work nicely.

Fixes & Known Issues

All achievements now working properly ("Kick in the Door" was the only one that didn't trigger).

With hundreds of NPCs that always cycle it was inevitable that some wouldnt work properly. Weve temporarily removed a few that caused more confusion (looking at you, Lurdan on Black Lake Shore) and will spend some time resizing hotspots and moving things around.

We wanted to push this update out as soon as possible (it took a while to make the above changes), so were aware of a few edge cases that we havent had time to address in this patch. One of them is certain characters refusing to interact if youre flying. Its being fixed and will be in the next patch; for now if it happens exiting and re-entering the screen without flying should fix it.

We're always checking the Steam Discussions forums, so if you have any thoughts or suggestions, we want to hear your thoughts!

This just in: Near-Mage got 5/5 stars on Adventuregamers.com: "Classic!"

We're so humbled to be held in high praise by one of the biggest adventure game sites! Read the review below:

https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/near-mage

Conclusion & Changelog

Thanks for playing and enjoying Near-Mage, and especially for your suggestions. Were always listening, and doing our best to improve the game based on your feedback. All our love and gratefulness for your support.

PS: If you loved Near-Mage, tell a friend who you think would love it too! We loved building the cozy, dark and colorful world of Rakus, Sighisoara and the TIM, and they always welcome new near-mages with open hands (and tentacles).

Liviu, Cami & Chris

Changelog below:

### 1.1.0

### Added

- Added contextual UI reminders about spellcasting

- Added feature to disable On-screen objectives

- Added "Controls" panel in the in-game Options menu, for easy controller reference

### Changed

- Updated translations

### Fixed

- Fixed UI scaling issue on Steam Deck

- Fixed some double whitespace occurrences in the dialogues

- Fixed garment cycling for some of the outfit pieces in the Wardrobe UI

- Fixed some instances in which Illy's stance would glitch while talking to an NPC while flying

- Fixed a softlocking progression during the "A Friend In Need" quest

- Fixed achievement not triggering when breaking in Daos' office during A Helping Hand

- Attempted to fix an issue that didn't trigger a Mitzkin notification at the end of the Glykon quest

- Fixed being able to talk about Furfur to Haralamb before actually meeting Furfur

- Attempted to fix a random occurring audio glitch that would crash the game upon arriving in Sighisoara the first time

- Fixed not being able to access the in-game map in Najil's Botanical Emporium and in the Mortar Coil

- Fixed being able to leave the Living Forest during the road to the end game

- Fixed a game-skipping bug that made it possible to visit the Hidden Camp before due time

### Removed

- Removed an Hotspot related to an NPC that was causing confusion and other issues in Rakus' Lake Shore

[ 2025-06-08 12:26:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Its finally here:

NEAR-MAGE IS OUT NOW!

Check out the launch trailer: [previewyoutube=P_mp6fAMlAo;full][/previewyoutube] And embark on a Magickal adventure through fabled Transylvania! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1685870/NearMage/

[ 2025-05-27 22:03:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings, near-mages, we are ONE DAY away from release! To celebrate, here are the two final character spotlight videos. Visarion, Keeper of Forbidden Knowledge: [previewyoutube=nubgVE2NmWg;full][/previewyoutube] And, finally, YOU! ...Well, not you-you, but who you play in the game: Illy Vraja. [previewyoutube=p8I5khB607Q;full][/previewyoutube] Thanks for joining us on this wild ride that was creating Near-Mage. Tomorrow you'll be able to walk around Sighisoara, Rakus, and the hallowed grounds of the Transylvanian Institute for Magick yourselves. Thanks for reading and watching, see you tomorrow afternoon for the launch!

[ 2025-05-26 13:18:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings, near-mages! With release 3 days away, we continue to spotlight some of Near-Mage's main players better via short, 1 minute-ish character video spotlights. Today, it's time to find out a bit more about Professor Strigoi, Master of Blood Magick in the Transylvanian Institute for Magick... [previewyoutube=-maWNyyAV5w;full][/previewyoutube] And Codrin, a tiny ogre with a very big network... [previewyoutube=6UQsi-uXeIg;full][/previewyoutube] Thanks for checking them out - we're so excited to release Near-Mage this coming Tuesday! If you're just as excited, tell a friend! Every bit of sharing helps https://store.steampowered.com/app/1685870/NearMage/ Can't wait for you guys to study Magick in Transylvania! - Li from Stuck In Attic

[ 2025-05-24 10:25:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings, near-mages! With release 5 days away, we wanted to take this time to help you get to know some of Near-Mage's main players better, via short, 1 minute-ish character video spotlights. There are 6 in total, and today we're sharing the first two of them. Meet Domnica, Illy's Great-Aunt and mentor: [previewyoutube=tKwDWTS4jYw;full][/previewyoutube] ...and Tudor, loyal friend and unwavering sidekick! [previewyoutube=1-FKMMqM-O4;full][/previewyoutube] Hope you enjoy this sneak peek into these two people who are very close to Illy's heart. We'll be back with two more profiles in a couple of days. Thanks for watching!

[ 2025-05-22 08:47:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings, Near-Mages! We come bearing great news: we have a release date: Near-Mage will launch on May 27th! Check out the date reveal trailer below: [previewyoutube=pTa2nvkO0-g;full][/previewyoutube] Dont forget to wishlist Near-Mage and follow here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1685870/NearMage/ Stay tuned for more updates. Your journey to the dark and colorful heart of Transylvania begins on May 27th! Thank you all for your patience and support

[ 2025-05-15 15:19:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings, Near-Mages! We thought we would give you an update on how spells in Near-Mage will work and what they look like.

The Core Concept

Freedom to choose your own Magickal build is at the core of Near-Mage's spell system. Here's how it works: There are six types of Magick in Near-Mage: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Blood, and Soul. Each of these are taught by specific professors during their respective classes. This is Professor Strigoi, who specializes in Blood Magick, pretty stoked that you've taken his class and answered all the test questions correctly on your first go:
When a class is available, you'll be able to make your choice via the class selector totem:

From Near-Spells to Real Spells

Every time you take one of these classes, you learn what is called a near-spell. Think of near-spells as ingredients: you need at least three of them in order to craft a spell, but once you have four, five etc the number of spells you can craft and then cast grows exponentially! Spells can be used during quests to alter the course of events, solve problems, or just to see what cool stuff happens when you cast them What's neat about this system is that it gives you freedom to choose which spells to craft first - this means that most players won't have the exact same spells crafted when tackling quests, which makes for great replayability! Also, you can either take classes blindly, choosing not to know what spells that will yield, or go get a spell book from the library, strategizing and planning your Magickal build.
Once you've taken your first three classes, you can craft your first spell. In the example below, the player's first three classes were Water, Wind, and Fire, and so now they can craft Whirlwind Rewind - a spell that turns back time on a subject.
Keep in mind, though, that you're just a novice - a near-mage! The results of your spell casting can be, uuuuh... Unpredictable, as you can see below, where Illy has cast the aforementioned Whirlwind Rewind on poor unsuspecting Abraham Crux
Don't worry, though - we'll be generous with save slots, and the game will auto-save often, if you feel like a do-over. However, we encourage you to play the game experimentally and not regret your choices, if your intent was good. We really care about the idea that it's Ok to not know exactly what you're doing, and the game will not penalize you for when your spell casting goes wrong, or at least weird

Freedom to Not Cast Spells

You've been taking classes and crafting spells, but you never know what kind of issue you run into in the colorful, bustling world of Rakus. Maybe you don't see any use for the spells you have available during one particular quest, or maybe you're afraid using them would hurt more than help. That's valid! And that's why each and every quest can be completed by eschewing Magick and doing a bit of investigatory work. How you solve problems is up to you! In fact, there is only one quest during the entirety of the game where you are forced to use Magick - the very first one, that acts as an intro to the system and a tutorial. Should you choose so, you can beat the whole game by forgoing Magick and instead using your wits, memory and empathy.

Development Status

We're thrilled to let you know that, voices and translation aside, the entirety of the assets of the game are complete - that's animation, backgrounds, music, sfx, the works! - and it's also completely written! Our programmer Chris is hard at work implementing the game - we're about 2/3 there - and we're testing our butts off. We're putting in long hours to make sure Near-Mage releases later this year, in as polished and awesome a state the three of us can achieve. Thanks again for your interest in Near-Mage. Your support is truly appreciated! If you know someone who would enjoy our game, tell them about it! Wishlisting and following the game helps immensely. Thanks in advance! All the best, and look for a new update soon Liviu, Cami, Chris, and a bunch of cats

[ 2024-06-05 12:39:10 CET ] [ Original post ]