Hello to all of you who have been cheering Last Memories. This is Kumon from enish.

Thank you for your patience. After our recent post on X about the delay of this article, we received several questions regarding the release date. We apologize for any concerns this may have caused.

To clarify, as mentioned in the post, the delay was because our development team was thoroughly analyzing and incorporating the feedback we received during the "Early Test Play" into the release version.

We have a lot to share with you this time, so let's get right into the main topic.

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Report Summary

Thank you to everyone who participated in the "Early Test Play." We believe you were able to see the current quality and issues in their entirety. However, this also means that reporting on the total number of tickets, which includes some noise, isn't very meaningful.

For this week and next, we'll provide updates in a more casual and flexible format. Today, we have three main topics to share based on the results of the Early Test Play:

• Additions and improvements
• Performance tuning
• Bug and issue resolution status

It's quite a lengthy report, but we've included videos and images, so please take a look when you have the time.

Additions and Improvements

Following the Early Test Play and the extensive feedback we received, we are making a variety of improvements. Here are some of the major updates:

Dash

This is our solution to the debate on whether an evasion action is necessary.

While the game is balanced to function without an evasion action, many new players have expressed a desire for it. Experienced players understand the existing balance, but we recognize the demand for an evasion action from newer players. Therefore, we've decided to introduce a "Dash" system.

The Dash system is similar to those found in other games: it allows players to run faster for a short period, and then requires a cooldown period once stamina is depleted.

Since it's difficult to convey the full experience through text alone, we've prepared a video to demonstrate it.

The dash lasts for 1.5 seconds, with an additional 0.5 seconds extension available through the Holy Charisma ability. While it provides a satisfying way to escape from significant attacks, it is slower than evasion and movement attack skills. This is the balance we've achieved. We plan to try it out in GvG without any initial restrictions.

In terms of gameplay, the increased action makes the game feel more exhilarating, but it also means that player skill will have a more noticeable impact. By the way, NPC characters will not use the dash ability.

Removal of Enemy Corpse Collision

"Collision (collider)" refers to 3D objects used for collision detection, which determine if characters collide with other characters, walls, or obstacles, preventing them from passing through.

One issue that was affecting the overall enjoyment of battles was the collision detection left behind by defeated monsters. This made it seem like you could move through the area, but the collision would still block your path.

We've now removed these collisions so you can move freely as soon as a monster is defeated.

Jukebox (Tentative)

As mentioned in last week's report, this feature lets you change the BGM in your base and in build mode. In build mode, you can only change the BGM when replaying cleared stages. Give it a try when you're going back to previous stages to create Master DOLLs or collect Unknown Samples.

We've tested it, and it's a lot of fun. The Jukebox (tentative) even includes karaoke versions of the songs. So, feel free to sing along to your favorite DOLL tracks while you play!

If we have some extra development time, we plan to add more features like shuffle play and lyrics display to make it even better.

Time-Up Defeat Notification

One of the conditions for losing a battle is running out of time. In the Early Test Play version, the time-up notification simply displayed "LOSE," which may have left some players wondering why they lost.

To clearly indicate that the defeat was due to running out of time, we have added a specific defeat animation for time-ups.

Skill Evolution Conditions

We've made improvements based on the significant number of questions and reports we received about skill evolution.

In build mode, after leveling up a skill to 5, you can further evolve the skill by meeting specific conditions. Previously, I referred to this as "awakening," but the correct term is "evolution."

There are two types of evolution: "Evolution+" and "Evolution++," depending on the conditions met during evolution. The conditions for evolution vary and include:

• The DOLL's rarity being above a certain level.
• Specific DOLLs in the party or support slots having a certain rarity (common for unique skills).
• Certain passive skills reaching a specific level during the battle (common for shared skills).
• Specific equipment being of a certain rarity or higher (common for Evolution++).

Explaining these conditions within the limited space of a battle interface is challenging, so we've included all this information in the detailed DOLL info section. We aim to make this clearer in the battle interface as well, but this update might come post-release.

Since most conditions need to be known before starting a battle, we've prioritized making this information easily accessible outside of battles first.

↑We've also quietly updated the "Bulk Awakening" button.

Performance Tuning

The most frequent feedback we received was about performance issues, such as "the game runs slowly," "it lags," and "it gets progressively slower." While our game features rich 3D graphics, which sets a limit on the minimum specs of supported devices, we are dedicated to making the game as smooth and enjoyable as possible for as many players as we can.

Here are some of the major measures we implemented during the Early Test Play period to address these concerns.

Addressing Memory Leaks

This issue occurs when used memory isn't properly released, causing the game to slow down the longer you play.

Releasing Floor Cache

To make stage transitions smoother, we were temporarily storing (caching) information within battle stages. While this improved movement, it required a lot of memory, which led to increased load and crashes on devices with less memory. By removing the floor cache, there's a brief increase in processing load immediately after floor transitions, but overall memory usage is reduced, resulting in a smoother experience.

Simplifying Collision

Previously, collision detection was designed to closely match the shape of monsters for accuracy, but this significantly increased processing load. By simplifying these collision shapes without affecting gameplay, we reduced the processing load from collisions to about one-tenth of what it was.

Hiding HP Bars for Minor Monsters

We debated this change for a while, but hiding the HP bars of minor monsters does help reduce processing load. Based on our testing, the absence of HP bars doesn't significantly impact gameplay. We plan to proceed with removing HP bars for minor monsters, though we might reconsider based on further performance testing.

Optimizing Backgrounds and Object Placement

Processing load isn't just generated by player characters and monsters but also by background objects and stage elements. We've examined and adjusted the background models and gimmicks of each stage, checking for unnecessary vertex counts and optimizing structures and placements to reduce the overall processing load.

Bug and Issue Resolution Status

Lastly, let's discuss the progress on addressing bugs and issues.

There have been various bugs identified since the start of the Early Test Play, including those discovered at the beginning, those found along the way, and those reported by players. Most of these have already been resolved, but a few lower-priority items are still pending.

Known Issues During Early Test Play

Issues Fixed During Early Test Play

Issues Discovered and Reported During Early Test Play

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That's all for this week's report.

Thanks to your feedback, we've been able to fix bugs and fine-tune various aspects of the game. We want to express our gratitude to everyone who participated in the Early Test Play and provided feedback.

I feel confident that we have made significant progress, and we will continue to polish the game as much as possible (without causing delays) to deliver Last Memories with confidence on August 15th.

For those attending the meetup today and tomorrow, you will have the opportunity to see a more refined version of Last Memories, beyond the Early Test Play version. (If you know anyone attending the meetup, be sure to ask them for their impressions afterward.)

With only a few days left, if you have any additional feedback or suggestions, please share them with us using the form below. We review all feedback and take it into consideration.

"De:lithe Last Memories" Feedback Form

Thank you for your continued cheering for Last Memories.

Executive Producer
Yoshiyuki Kumon