Finally completed the implementation of the “lock and key” level layouts and the dynamic traps including elements of anticipation, spatiality, and more.

The existing implementation divides stages into zones connected by gates, with keys, levers, and timed buttons placed in earlier areas to encourage backtracking and exploration. Boss arenas remain behind crimson doors, while optional locked vaults offer additional treasure.

Traps were refined as interconnected systems rather than isolated damage triggers. Pressure plates, rigged chests, pedestals, and levers can activate hazards whose effects spread across rooms, from drifting gas and dart volleys to expanding cave-ins and spreading oil fires. Players receive environmental clues and several turns of escalating warnings before danger takes effect, creating opportunities to escape or intervene. More complex mechanisms include remote disarm sequences, chained traps, and lasting consequences such as poison, burning, weakened weapons, rubble, and alarms that attract enemies. These status effects persist between stages, adding weight to decisions made during exploration.

Overall I think these are great additions that add a lot of variety to gameplay. A lot of testing will be needed to tweak how they feel.

Balancing is actually the biggest pending thing now; it seems to be a bit too easy on the gold

Additional polish focused on visual feedback and interface clarity. Two levels of blood effects were introduced, distinguishing characters tinted red from characters whose backgrounds are also colored. Magical crystals now restore more MP, relic descriptions communicate their combat properties directly, and enemy-death messages were reordered to appear after damage resolution. Courtyard stages were redesigned as shorter, vertically centered 80-by-15 play areas, creating a more open visual composition.

Finally, new display options were added to explore different presentations of the ASCII world: the existing font, a DOS-style 8×8 font, and the existing font arranged within a character grid. These options continue the project’s exploration of how traditional roguelike presentation can be adapted to a modern, cross-platform experience. The 8×8 mode still needs some tweaks on spacing and will be stretched to cover all the screen’s height (with more messages, for now)