The Ballad of Bellum

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Latest news

• Patch Notes·3 Jun 2026Official

  Hotfix for some new issues (version 1.4.1)

  After updating to version 1.4.0 I found some new issues that's come after implementing the character creator and working on some new stuff around food consumption, buffs and debuffs. So here's the patch notes for demo version 1.4.1: Bug Fixes: Fixed an issue where unequipping gear that does not have any defined stats would throw an error and crash the game.Fixed an issue when starting a new game you would not start with the correct amount of inventory slots based on the backpack you start with.Fixed an issue where save files would override each other. For this last one, prior to version 1.4.0 and the addition of the character creator, when starting a new save file you'd simply hop right into the game, but now when you complete the character creation it goes back to the file selection, so that it won't just automatically start the newly created game file right away. This turned out to create lots of issues where elements from one save file would override another save.
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• Announcements·3 Jun 2026Official

  Character creator & improved performance (demo version 1.4.0)

  The demo for The Ballad of Bellum has now been updated to version 1.4.0, which includes the character creator interface, as well as some fixes to issues related to performance. Character creator UIThe Character creator lets you customize your character when starting a new game, and in the full game you're also able to further customize your character at certain locations. While creating your character you can:Choose your nameSelect hair typeChoose hair colorChoose eye colorChoose skin color In a later iteration you'll also be able to choose between eye types and head types, as well as choose what clothes to start with, and a special gift item. Increased performanceFrom this patch forward all demo builds will be compiled with the latest long time stable (LTS) build of GameMaker, which among lots of stuff comes with increased performance. In addition to this I've been able to identify and fix a major performance isse regarding dynamic lights, which I hope fixes the performance issues some have reported both in your Discord servers, here in the community hub, and through reviews. Because of this I'm especially interested in getting feedback from those who's been experiencing bad performance :steamhappy: Patch notes: Additions and changes: Added the character creator interface.GameMaker updated to latest LTS Runtime, which results in increased performance for the game. Bug fixes: Major improvements to the shader code for dynamic point lights, as well as reduced the amount of active light points allowed at the same time.Fixed a bug where it was not possible to do trades if you had the required items, but they were split into several stacks.Fixed an issue where you could unequip backpacks even if the reduced slot space were containing items. Known Issues: When the main menu transitions to another area while creating your character, the name you've written will reset to default.When changing resolution, the bokeh shader resolution does not scale correctly.
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• Announcements·9 May 2026Official

  Demo version 1.3 is here

  It's already been four months since the demo version 1.2.1 came out, so it's about time for another update. My goal is to update the demo every time I add something new that's relevant to the section of the game that the demo takes place in.Map interfaceWith this patch I've finally added the map interface. This interface will feature the world map, dungeon maps, and area maps (if I end up adding those), but currently it only features the dungeon maps, which can be seen in Owlder's basement (the tutorial), and in The Ancient tree (the first dungeon).The dungeon rooms and the treasures and secrets they hold will be revealed as you enter them, but acquiring the Dungeon map will reveal the entire dungeon, and acquiring the Dungeon Compass will reveal all the secrets in the dungeon.Additions and changes:Added more areas that the main menu will fly through.Added gamma control to the graphics settings menu page.Some visual improvements to the shoppe and inventory interfaces.Made some improvements to the bokeh blur shader, most notably that there's no dilation for unfocused areas.Depth Quality in the graphics settings page will now also adjust the amount of samples in the blur shader, instead of just the resolution of the depth texture.Changed so that items held in the player hand is not visible while crawling.Added map interface. The interface will feature all the game's maps, and can me opened with M by default.Added minor changes to the files list in the main menu to highlight where you were the last time you played.Added a keybind for opening the last used menu (Tab by default).Added a new backpack, Bokka Stack, which can be bought in Mr. Chant's shoppe.Backpacks will now increase inventory space. The default inventory without any backpack is now a small 2x2 grid.Certain items can now give you a burden debuff, which affects movement speed.Slightly increased attack speed from 1.5 to 1.75.The Soothing Crownpetal has been tagged as a quest item to prevent being soft locked...
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• Patch Notes·5 Jan 2026Official

  Demo version 1.2.1 - crash fix

  The demo has now been updated to version 1.2.1, which fixes a game crash, as reported by a few players, thank you!Bug fixes:Fixed a bug where defeating Mothrahn would crash the game due to the boss trying to drop an item that did not exist.
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• Patch Notes·26 Dec 2025Official

  Demo version 1.2 - Winter update

  I've been working on some stuff for the game that I'd also like to include in the demo, so here's the patch notes for that:Additions and changes:Added seasonal winter mode. Winter will be properly added to dedicated winder regions.Added shop interface. The shop interface can be used to purchase, sell and trade items, and in the demo it's possible to purchase, sell and trade items from Mr. Chant, and trade items with Mrs. Kanin.Inventory UI redesign to fit more slots. The inventory currently features the max amount of slots, but backpacks with decide the inventory size in the future.Added equipment slots for rings and necklaces.Certain items can now stack.Changed health indication item from Hearts to Life Petals.Improved icon sprites for certain items.Added smoother UI navigation by being able to hold to move instead of having to press every time while using gamepads.Added better inventory UI navigation: (lmb = left mouse button, rmb = right mouse button)Pressing rmb on an inventory slot that has a stackable item while the mouse slot is empty will split the stack in half, moving half of it to the mouse.Pressing rmb on an empty inventory slot while holding a stackable item with the mouse will move one item from the mouse stack to the inventory slot.Pressing rmb on an inventory slot that has a stackable item while also holding the same item with the mouse will move one item from the mouse stack to the inventory slot stack.Pressing lmb + shift while hovering over an inventory slot will automatically equip the item to the relevant equipment slot.Pressing lmb + shift while hovering over either an item or equipment slot will automatically unequip the item.Pressing rmb + shift while hovering over an inventory slot that has the same stackable item as the mouse will move the entire mouse stack over to the inventory slot stack, until either the mouse stack is empty or the inventory stack is full.Changed the default Inventory key to face button 4 (Y on Xbox for example).Slightl...
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