New Pair Up Mechanic

So, as the title implies, I wanted to make this post to talk about a new mechanic that's coming in the next update. I'm currently calling it "pair up," but I'm not fully satisfied with that name, so it'll probably be changing in the full release.

Essentially, this new mechanic will allow party members outside of the current 4 that are being used to still assist in combat. By assigning a pair at the start of a run, two characters can occupy the same spot in the party, allowing them to swap in and out with one another in battle, as well as offering them the ability to attack as a single unit.

Here, Aria is paired with Estelle, allowing the two to swap at any time using one of the new buttons at the bottom right of the combat UI. The other button next to it prepares a combo attack using Estelle's energy, causing her to attack and apply a Mark just before Aria lands her next offensive skill.

 Each character has a combo attack effect unique to them, meaning it's not always obvious who should be paired up with who. I'm hoping that this feature will add to the process of party building in the next update, since there will be more to think about than just who to remove from the main 4.

Paired allies also share a percentage of the received damage, so swapping back and forth doesn't actually give a ton of extra health. However, energy and cooldowns aren't shared at all, meaning that swapping will allow you to make use of both party members' most powerful abilities in a single combat.

And that's about it for the pair up mechanic! This feature is still pretty experimental and needs more balancing, but my hope is that it enhances strategic play once extra party members are unlocked. Let me know what you all think about it or if you have any questions!