Stem Shift Devlog - itch.iohttps://tessellum.itch.io/stemshiftA match-three where you slide whole rows, not single tiles. Chain the bloom to stop the wilthttps://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1633335/the-testing-was-a-success-the-subject-diedThe testing was a success, the subject diedhttps://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1633335/the-testing-was-a-success-the-subject-diedTue, 18 Aug 2026 21:39:49 GMTdevlogFour runs, one per level, on the Steam Deck and both meta-screens switched off so the numbers stay clean. I was ready for the first real playtest session on the new dormant-tile build, on top of a fre...

]]>https://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1630047/its-not-spring-but-the-buds-are-openingIt's not spring, but the buds are openinghttps://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1630047/its-not-spring-but-the-buds-are-openingSat, 15 Aug 2026 20:31:17 GMTdevlogSomewhere in the middle of all the order-testing, a genuinely uncomfortable idea showed up: what if a wilt you could actually undo deserved a second chance? For anyone keeping score, that's the exact...

]]>https://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1626786/orders-but-for-real-this-timeOrders, but for real this timehttps://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1626786/orders-but-for-real-this-timeThu, 13 Aug 2026 08:47:51 GMTdevlogFor while now I've been working on converting the order book from a flat list of single flower types into something with more texture: proper orders, where each order can ask for more than one flower...

]]>https://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1624965/the-re-skinThe re-skinhttps://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1624965/the-re-skinTue, 11 Aug 2026 21:28:39 GMTdevlog

Time to address the lab coats. Everything up to this point has happened under a microbiology theme you were lab staff, the board was a sample slide, the tiles were microbes, and the whole goal was seq...

]]>https://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1624928/the-mouse-was-lying-to-meThe mouse was lying to mehttps://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1624928/the-mouse-was-lying-to-meTue, 11 Aug 2026 20:53:04 GMTdevlogI flagged it myself at the time, which I'm choosing to feel slightly smug about: that 70% knee from last post was measured on mouse input, with an explicit note attached that it needed re-verifying on...

]]>https://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1623709/new-name-new-look-welcome-to-the-flower-shopNew name, new look: welcome to the flower shophttps://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1623709/new-name-new-look-welcome-to-the-flower-shopMon, 10 Aug 2026 19:51:02 GMTdevlogSlidematch has become Stem Shift. Out: the lab For a while the pretense here was that you're a lab worker sequencing a pathogen and the board was a microscope slide, you were clearing "strains." It wo...

]]>https://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1617956/curing-the-thing-that-wouldnt-stay-curedCuring the Thing That Wouldn't Stay Curedhttps://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1617956/curing-the-thing-that-wouldnt-stay-curedWed, 05 Aug 2026 14:24:00 GMTdevlogLast time, I had a board. A good board! Slide rows and columns, clear connected groups of three or more, gravity resolves the mess, cascades chain into each other in ways you can actually plan for. No...

]]>https://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1605873/a-match-3-but-without-the-swappingA Match-3. But without the swapping.https://tessellum.itch.io/stemshift/devlog/1605873/a-match-3-but-without-the-swappingMon, 27 Jul 2026 09:09:22 GMTdevlogThe beginnings Every match-three pitch sounds the same for the first four words: "so it's like Candy Crush, but—" Mine's no different. So it's like Candy Crush, but you don't swap tiles. You slide e...

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