Release notes

Embercast 0.3.29 brings ranked 2v2, cup invites and the Founders Cup ladder.

Ranked 2v2. Find a 2v2 match, alone or with a partner, and it now counts toward your own 2v2 MMR, separate from your 1v1 rating. The Top 100 has a 1v1 and a 2v2 board. Party lobbies and matches with bots stay unrated.

Invite friends to the Founders Cup. Profile has Share your cup invite, which copies your personal link and shows how many players named you. New players are asked once who invited them. If a player you invited wins a cash prize in the cup, you win the same amount.

The Founders Cup ladder. Registered duos can play Founders Cup matches from Play during cup nights (Thursday October 1 and 8, and Saturday October 10, 8–10 pm ET). The Top 100 has a Founders Cup board with every registered duo, ranked by the average of both players' cup ratings.

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Embercast 0.3.28 makes parties steadier and the Wardrobe faster.

Moving together. When the party heads from the Courtyard into a match and back, everyone goes straight to the new room instead of first trying the one that just closed.

No more waiting on the party. The game now keeps its party updates within the online service's limits, so the pauses of up to a minute some players saw after a match are gone.

A faster Wardrobe. Item cards in the shop and your collection draw once and are remembered, so paging through them is smooth and coming back to a page is instant.

Tall hats fit. Your equipped look in the Wardrobe shows the whole hat, crown and all.

Your settings stay yours. If your account and this computer ever disagree about settings, the game now suggests keeping this computer's, and if you pick your account's, Settings has a Restore previous settings option to bring this computer's back.

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Embercast 0.3.27 makes it quicker to play with your party.

One press to play together. When you lead a party, Play starts with 1v1 against your friend (in a party of two) and Team up against bots (your whole party on one team). Everyone moves to the Forest Court and the match starts as soon as the party is in. Party lobby is still there for picking teams, size and bots yourself.

Back together after a match. When the leader takes the party back to the Courtyard or into the next match, everyone follows, instead of waiting on the results screen.

Snappier parties. Following the leader no longer stalls for 15 to 20 seconds.

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Embercast 0.3.26 is about hanging out with friends.

The party hangout. In a party, the menus sit over the Courtyard with every party member's real wizard in it, in their current look, name over their head. Close the menu to run, jump and fly around together, with a loose ember to knock around. Outfit and skin changes show up on everyone's screen straight away.

Party matches. The leader starts a party match and everyone moves to the Forest Court to pick teams, team size and bots, then back to the Courtyard afterwards. Friends can join the hangout while it's going.

The friends tray. Press Y or F, or click Friends, and your friends slide in from the right: your party, requests, online and offline friends, and invites pinned at the top.

Tidier menus. Home is Play, Practice, Wardrobe, Profile and Settings. Collection, the item shop and Embercasting are tabs of one Wardrobe; career, match history and the Top 100 are under Profile.

Outfits in the Wardrobe. Sets like The Beekeeper are one card: try on every piece at once and equip the whole look with Equip outfit. One-piece costumes sit on the same shelf, robes have their own Robes shelf, and Unequip everything returns your wizard to the plain look.

Smaller fixes. Tall hats are never cut off at the top. Browsing the collection is smoother. Controller prompts show L1/R1 and L2/R2 for shelves and pages. Wizards no longer blink in unison.

Everyone needs 0.3.26 to play online together.

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Embercast 0.3.24 is about playing with friends.

Online status. Your friends list shows who's online and what they're doing: playing solo, in a party lobby, in a match or looking for a 2v2 match.

Friend requests. Adding someone by player name sends them a request; once they accept, you each see when the other is online. Friends added in earlier versions see your request the next time you're both playing.

Invites during play. An invite reaches you on the menus as a card, or as a notice in the corner during free play and training, and joining takes you to your friend's party lobby.

2v2 matchmaking with a friend. A party of two queues together for Find a 2v2 match and always plays on the same team, or search on your own and get paired with a teammate. You can practise while you wait; a found match brings you in from wherever you are. Matchmade 2v2 isn't rated yet.

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Embercast 0.3.23 crowns the Top 100.

The Hollow Sovereign. A new eight-piece outfit that belongs to exactly one player: whoever holds #1 in the ranked Top 100. Take the top spot and the whole set is yours within a minute. Lose it and it passes to the new #1. Every player who has ever held #1 keeps the Sovereign's crown for good.

The Chained Grimoire. The Sovereign's book keeps a list of every wizard who has ever held #1, in the order they were crowned. Read it from the Top 100.

The Top 100 shows the reigning Sovereign on a card, wearing their own look. Your name joins the board after your fifth rated match.

Wizards swing their arms in step while running.

Embercasting explains a cast that didn't go through once, then opens on a fresh incantation the next time you visit.

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Embercast 0.3.21 brings team play to the Forest Court.

2v2 online. Find a 2v2 match puts you on a team of two against two others. Your team shares one goal and one score, and everyone keeps their own energy. A goal now gives the scoring team a few seconds on the field to celebrate before kickoff.

Parties. Add friends by player name under Play → Friends & party, then invite them with one press. They get the invite in their game and land in your party lobby. There you pick teams, choose 1v1, 2v2 or 3v3, and let bots fill any empty places, so two friends can take on two bots together. After each match the party stays together for the next one.

Team matches against bots. Local duel now offers 2v2 and 3v3 against bots. Your bot teammates take turns: whoever is nearest the ember goes for it while the others hold back to support you.

If a player leaves a team match, the game goes on with their side a player short. Team matches don't count toward Alpha MMR.

Everyone needs 0.3.21 to play online together.

Energy now waits a moment before it refills.

After you boost, sprint or tackle, it starts coming back about three quarters of a second later, so tapping boost can no longer keep you in the air forever. Wells and pads still refill you right away. Steals are fairer: every challenge press pays its energy cost, including a steal back in the same press, and a press you can't afford is refused instead of stealing for free on the next try. The steal hints in the game now describe the rules as they work. Your online match replays can come back from Embercast: open Match replays and choose Restore from Embercast while signed in. Replay videos and highlights export much faster, and there are new 720p options. Everyone needs this update to play online together.

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The Forest Court has been rebuilt.

The walls are one smooth curve now, and you can't get stuck on them anymore. You can also ride them: sprint into the curve to run up the wall, land on it from the air, and jump or slow down to come off. Goals now get a replay with a few camera angles and slow motion at the end; press Enter or A to skip, or turn replays off in Settings. After a match, Replay & save then Highlights lets you save any goal or save as a landscape or vertical clip with sound. Replays now show your opponent's embercast and each player's current name. Online match replays are now shared with Embercast to help improve the game; bot games, local games and clips aren't sent, and you can turn this off in Settings under "Share my replays with Embercast". Everyone needs this update to play online together.

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Watch live matches

Watch live matches: open Watch a match to see every duel being played right now, or enter a room code, then switch between the court view, either wizard's own view, the ember and a free camera. While the community is small, starting a quick match sends a challenge to everyone in the menus, who can accept it or watch. You choose how often you hear about challenges, or turn them off, and you can keep your own matches private. Wizards no longer sink into the walls of the Forest Court, the banners hang clear of the stone, and the lantern charm hangs at your hip instead of disappearing into your robe. Name tags can be resized, faded or hidden in Settings > Graphics, and a tag fades while it's in front of the ember. Quick match now waits and tries again when the servers are busy, and cancelling a search no longer leaves you stuck on an empty room screen. Replays now have sound, including in saved MP4 and MOV videos, and saving a video shows a clear progress bar. Everyone needs this update to play online together.

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There's a second field to play on.

The Forest Court is a huge enclosed bowl in the forest where the floor curves up into the walls like a skate bowl, with a big boost at each end of the halfway line. Pick it in Free play, choose Field in Local duel or when you create a room, and quick match now alternates between the two courts. A lost ember now always comes back to you, in the tutorial and in online free play too, and quick match no longer gets stuck after a match. Everyone needs this update to play online together.

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If a cast can't be finished, the casting room now tells you why in plain words and gives…

If a cast can't be finished, the casting room now tells you why in plain words and gives you a short code, like EC-204, to send us if you need help. Your Sparks still come back automatically.

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Choose your wizard's skin color in Collection under Skin.

Spin the wheel, pick one of eight named shades, or set hue, tint and depth exactly, and every shade stays in the shadow family so your eyes keep their glow. Your skin shows in online matches and replays. Collection also has a new Embercasts shelf with every embercast you've made, named by the words you cast it with. Gifted Sparks now pay for Embercasting, and a finished cast no longer pulls the Embercasting room away from the one you were looking at.

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Find a match pairs you with the next player who's looking for a game, no room code needed.

Every online match counts toward your Alpha MMR, and Play → Top 100 shows where you stand. Matches start with a 3, 2, 1 countdown, the winner gets a few seconds on the court to celebrate before the results, and leaving a match early counts as a forfeit. Everyone needs this update to play online together.

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The tutorial now matches your control scheme, with clearer button prompts, jump and flight lessons, and a proper finish.

Menus are more consistent and the HUD leaves more room to see your character. Flight trails restart immediately when you boost again. The arena floor is flat throughout.

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PvP now resets the court after each goal, returns both players and the Ember to their…

PvP now resets the court after each goal, returns both players and the Ember to their starting positions, and points the camera toward the center Ember. A large 3–2–1–GO countdown marks each kickoff, including local games against the bot. Players and the Ember stay still during the countdown. For online matches, both players need this update.

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New games now follow the published starting configuration, including Freestyle.

Publishing a configuration also makes it the default, while each configuration keeps its own tuning and ongoing matches keep their current settings. Background requests now stop when casting is idle and slow down after connection failures, reducing unnecessary API usage.

Freestyle now has a charged ground tackle: hold Square to charge, release to lunge, or release early to fake it.

Turn normally while charging; a tap of Square also resets the camera behind you. Visible wind-up and sound cues make tackles easier to read, and contact knocks opponents down and drops the ember. Jump or use Brake to cancel a charge, and dodge committed tackles with positioning. Sparring bot orbiting and throws are improved. Your saved Freestyle and Impulse configurations and controller bindings are preserved.

Both players need this version for online matches.

Freestyle flight, boosting and casting now share one Energy bar, with clearer flight tuning.

Wizards block each other physically; boost into an opponent on the ground or in the air to bump them. Freestyle bump settings replace the push button, while Impulse keeps its own controls and tuning.

Fixed an issue that could prevent the item shop from loading when you returned to it after leaving.

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Training now teaches Impulse, boosting and Ember Cam through physical goals, with clearer…

Training now teaches Impulse, boosting and Ember Cam through physical goals, with clearer instructions beside the action, a wider camera view, and time to acknowledge each success before continuing.

Advanced training triples the travel distance and uses smaller landings. Combine upward pushes, anchored pulls, air jumps and boosts across the longer gaps.

Instructions follow your keyboard or controller bindings. Impulse trials now support combinations with separate practice records.

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A simpler main menu groups activities under Play, account settings under Settings, and replays under Your career.

Menu spacing stays even and automatically adjusts when gifts or updates appear. Free play sits directly alongside online and local duels and remains available to everyone. Players use the updated controls automatically, without a control-scheme selector.

Your chosen control scheme now returns after sign-in and restart, including Impulse.

Browse and equip owned items in Collection, and shop individual products with clear item-type filters. Includes gift history, saved item-fit refinements, and the latest game improvements.

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Embercasting is now available.

Create a personal hat with purchased Sparks, return to reveal it when ready, and choose whether to receive a ready email.

Superseded: Unity build setup retained the prior version number.

Corrected packages follow in v0.3.3-r2.

The shop now downloads newly published hats without a game update.

Purchased hats stay available after they leave the shop, and other players can see them in online matches.

The shop shows the time until its next rotation and refreshes when that time arrives. If a rotation is delayed, it tells you that the update is pending. Withdrawn offers disappear from the shop.

Available for Mac and Windows, with a signed Windows installer. The Mac build is signed and Apple-notarized.

A brighter Embercast kingdom, with refreshed home, shop, replay and postgame menus.

The item shop now has larger collection hero artwork, distinct rarity colors, and a full-width browsing shelf. Click an item to try it on in the fitting room. Character and item previews keep their correct proportions.

Replay controls use the shared cream-and-teal style. Postgame brings the main actions into a familiar vertical menu, with match details, progression and replay still close at hand.

Available for Mac and Windows.

The sparring bot now takes slower shots when its swing cannot reach the preferred throw…

The sparring bot now takes slower shots when its swing cannot reach the preferred throw speed, instead of circling indefinitely. It still waits for the ember to point toward the opponent’s goal.

Energy balance: physical deflection is free even when exhausted. Sprinting costs 1.5 Energy per second, and resting without casting or sprinting restores 1.5 Energy per second.

Available for Mac and Windows. The Mac build is signed and Apple-notarized.

Windows packaging revision: the game is now signed and timestamped by Malagon Legacy, LLC. Gameplay and the Mac download are unchanged.

The current Embercast alpha for Mac and Windows.

A better sparring partner

More time playing the point, less time waiting for something to happen.

• The sparring bot takes its shots instead of getting stuck swinging the ember in circles.
• Running out of Energy leaves you a way to defend. Deflections are free, and taking a breather gets you moving again sooner.
• Mac downloads are signed and notarized for an easier first launch.

Bring another wizard

The practice court becomes a place to settle a score.

• Create a private online room and share a code to play a friend on Mac or Windows.
• Duels have a match clock, sudden-death overtime and a quick way to run it back.
• Movement and ember control feel more immediate online, with clearer feedback when a connection drops.

Something to practice for

A little direction for the first few throws, and a reason to keep trying.

• A hands-on tutorial introduces catching, throwing and getting around with the ember.
• Casting trials and climbing challenges give you room to work on aim, distance and aerial control.
• Quick retries and replays make it easier to see what happened, reset and have another go.

Getting off the ground

The ember starts to feel like something you can move with.

• Stop the ember in midair, jump from it and link your movement into another attempt.
• Ember Cam, the camera that follows the ball, gives you a better view of your swing and the space around you.
• More control over camera sensitivity and throw height helps you find a setup that feels natural.

First spark

One wizard, one ember and a courtyard to figure them out in.

• Catch the ember, build a swing and let momentum carry the throw.
• Experiment freely with pulling, stopping and releasing, with no score to worry about.
• Keyboard, mouse and controller support let you start playing with what you have.