I've just released the new build of the Battle Arena - a playable demo designed to test combat system of the game.

Here is a full round gameplay video:

What is new in this version?

• MacOS build added - I don't have any Apple product right now, so it's not tested. Please let me know if it works.
• Changed camera angle from 45 to 30 degree. Supposedly it looks more "artistically pleasing".
• Crossbowman don't have perfect accuracy anymore.
• New types of enemies:
  • Mage - fireball throwing enemy that can also protect himself with a magic shield.
  • Berserker - giant tank that require multiple hits to be defeated. Also can go into destructive rage.
  • Ghost - floating, immaterial spirit that will suck you mana.
• Traps on the arena:
  • Spike trap will hit you with sharp spikes coming out of the ground, if you step on it.
  • Arrow trap will shoot arrow at you, when you walk near it.
• Improved controls:
  • RMB button can be pressed once to attack and don't have to be holded anymore.
  • Holding SHIFT will allow you to walk instead of run.
  • Mouse wheel will allow you to zoom in and out, if you want to have a close-up.
• Changes in spells:
  • Fireball is loaded quicker and visual feedback about AoE is added.
  • Fireball will consume mana only on release.
  • Shield can now reflect projectiles in the desired direction.
  • Teleportation got new particle effect.
• Removed difficulty settings. All skeletons are now as stupid as they supposed to be.
• Improved mana regeneration - makes game just a little bit more dynamic.
• Lowered XP requirements to level up to make the demo progressing faster.
• Changed how spawning works to balance the game:
  • Enemies will spawn quicker, but their amount on the arena will be limited based on player's current level.
  • Beginning will not be as easy and boring as previously.
  • During Boss-Fight player won't be swamped by hordes of skeletons.
  • Harder enemies will appear only if player have reached required level.
• Many small fixes and changes to remove some bugs and balance the game better.

I'm pretty pleased with the combat system right now. I've been listening to your input, mixing it with my own vision, balancing things and testing it countless of times. It looks like it's bug free and it should be fun to play. 

Many of you were pointing out, that the most fun thing to do in this demo was to make enemies kill each other, so I wanted to focus my efforts on enhancing that experience, add variety to it and make it even cooler. I'm particularly pleased with new shield mechanic allowing the player to reflect projectiles in different direction than they came from. This creates situations, where it's good to have certain enemies on the map, because you can use their attack against other foes - for less mana that you own attacks.

It's also fun to enrage the berserker with a single hit and watch how it, in attempt to charge at you, runs over other skeletons and smack them with his spinning attack. It gave me a lot of joy when I've angried a berserker and it killed 4 other skeletons and then step on a trap, that I've lured him into. You must try this out! :) 

Have fun with this build and as always - I will be grateful for any feedback.