Hello everyone,
It's now been two months since the Kickstarter campaign ended, and let's say it straight away: those two months flew by at an astonishing pace. Between reviewing the playtest, continuing the 3D work and taking all the steps needed to raise funding, we felt it was high time for a clear, honest and complete update on where things stand.
This devblog is a little longer than usual, but we wanted to take the time to explain everything properly. On the agenda: the winter playtest figures, a Kickstarter recap, a look at our 3D progress and a survey where we really need your opinion.
Looking back at the winter playtest
The playtest ran from January 10 to February 8, 2026, alongside the Kickstarter campaign. It was the first time we'd kept the servers running for so long, and it was also our last playtest on the 2.5D version. We wanted it to feel like a real celebration, and honestly, it did.
We recorded 1 049 unique players on the very first day, far more than we had anticipated. That success led to high player density: because of the design, this massive concentration in the same areas sometimes made entering combat difficult during the opening hours. Beyond the launch peak, it was the retention and playtime figures that stood out:
For a month-long playtest on a prototype, these figures are honestly very encouraging. The average playtime shows players engaged with the gameplay loop. And 34 % Day 7 retention on a game still under construction is exactly the kind of signal we're happy to see.
A closer look at Kharos
As a reminder, Kharos was the event server we opened for just one week at the end of the playtest, with slightly tougher objectives. It was clearly the playground of our most committed players, and the numbers speak for themselves.
Of the 640 characters created on Kharos, the role breakdown was:
That's a very healthy distribution, ultimately close to what we'd hoped for in the design. The classic MMO imbalance (80 % DPS for 10% Tank) didn't occur, which lends considerable support to our choices for making support roles appealing.
As for achievements, the Ice Dungeon boss was defeated 2 455 times on Kharos (note that a victory by a group of 8 counts as 8 in this total). And for fans of achievements or rare loot (we're thinking of you, potion hunters!), here are a few records to set in stone:
- Highest level reached: 104, by Mollyon (respect).
- Highest attack bonus from potions: +28
- Highest HP bonus: +505
- Highest arcane bonus: +24
- Highest spirit bonus: +22
- Highest AP bonus: +5
- Highest MP bonus: +2
Seeing players push the potion system this far shows an interest in optimization and resilience we hadn't fully anticipated. It's a valuable signal that helps us tune future tiers: the aim is to adjust the overall balance while preserving what makes this system rewarding. We will, of course, keep and improve it so the effort of our most persistent players continues to be rewarded.
We also collected an impressive amount of backend data: average combat time, most-played classes by area, dungeon completion rates, map hotspots and, of course, the full list of bugs you patiently reported on Discord. A huge thank-you to everyone who took the time to document it all.
On balance, we've noted that the difficulty jump between Area 1 and Area 2 (the caves) was far too abrupt during the first few days. This experience, which was too punishing for some, showed us exactly where progression broke down.
We're also aware of the lack of onboarding at the start of the adventure. The absence of clear direction, leaving players to set their own goals without real guidance, wasn't the ideal experience we wanted to offer. Don't worry: all of this goes into the adjustment list for the 3D version.
Kickstarter recap
Now let's talk about the campaign. As a reminder, the goal was 25 000 €, and from the start we presented it as proof of market demand, rather than a budget to finance the entire game.
You'll notice a gap between the first two figures, and we'd rather explain openly what happened. As you know, Kickstarter works through pledges: payments are only charged at the end of the campaign. Unfortunately, we had an unpleasant surprise when it closed. Contributions from 7 backers, totaling 20 095 €, didn't go through (expired cards, bank limits or simply backers who changed their minds).
We won't hide it: that stung at the time. It's a substantial gap, especially when the team is starting to count on those amounts for what comes next.
Despite the financial setbacks, the essential result remains: Kickstarter fulfilled its role as proof of market demand. You've confirmed that a real audience exists for Hana. That strong signal now allows us to secure the next steps and turn this prototype into a real studio.
This success is now opening new doors for us. The next step is to prepare a larger funding round so we can finance the 3D version's development with confidence and under the best possible conditions.
A large part of these past two months has gone into that “invisible” effort: preparing applications and budget forecasts for our dream version. It's not the most glamorous part, but it's what allows everything else to become reality.
Where does the 3D version stand?
This is probably the topic you care most about, and that's entirely understandable. During the Kickstarter, we shared the very first 3D drafts. Today, we're happy to present a much more developed iteration of that work. It's all still Work in Progress (WIP), but this version already lays the foundations of the vision we've championed from the start.
An open, organic and living world
Our absolute priority in this overhaul is to move away from the “cubic” aesthetic. We want a world that breathes: uneven terrain, vegetation spilling onto paths, smooth transitions between biomes and, above all, a real sense of exploration, where nature seems to reclaim its place organically.
In practical terms, we're building an organic, immersive open world, where exploration isn't a box to tick between two dungeons, but an activity in its own right. In particular, we're thinking of:
- Unmarked points of interest: ruins, caves and camps you discover by leaving the paths rather than following a quest marker.
- Contextual resources and loot tied to the biome (high-altitude plants, swamp ores, nocturnal creatures…), giving each area its own exploration economy.
- A day/night cycle that genuinely changes monster behavior and visible events, rewarding players who return at different times.
- Occasional environmental events (dense fog, auroras, creature migrations…) that give the world its own rhythm, independent of players.
To help you really see the difference from the 2.5D version, we're sharing two in-engine recordings of Area 1 at two different times of day. Before you play them, we want to emphasize one point: what you're about to see is 100 % Work in Progress. Textures aren't final, lighting is still being tuned, and vegetation density will be extensively reworked. The character and animations are deliberately absent here so you can focus entirely on the atmosphere and structure of the scenery. These videos are simply intended to give you an idea of the direction we're taking for the universe.
The idea behind these two recordings is to show that Hana is no longer a succession of static, AI-generated backdrops: every asset in these videos was made by us. We're taking full control of our universe again.
Survey: help us choose the business model
Now that we have a little more visibility, there's a question we can no longer put off: how will Hana finance itself over the long term? In other words: what business model should the game use after release?
It's a technical, ethical and strategic question, and we really want your opinion before deciding. We already have our internal preferences, but we'd rather make this decision with the community than impose it.
Allow about 5 minutes to complete it. All responses are anonymous.
What comes next?
That's where things stand: a validated Kickstarter, a winter playtest that delivered on its promises with truly motivating retention figures, a team continuing to take shape and a 3D world emerging area by area. It's not the spectacular pace of a AAA, but it's a sustainable pace, and that's what matters for a project built to last.
Thank you, sincerely, for your support during the Kickstarter and your patience during this transition. What we're building today, we're building with you, and that's what makes the project so motivating to work on.
See you soon, and don't forget the survey!
See you soon,
Lord Eden