Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow Update 1.05 Adds Casual Mode, Difficulty Changes

Arc System Works and Unite Plus have announced that their tactical counter-timeline RPG, Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow, has been updated to version 1.05. 

This patch makes a number of substantial improvements, including the new Casual Mode, disabling immediate Dread access, and more:

You can view the quoted patch notes below:

Improvements & Adjustments Added “Casual Mode” for beginners and players unfamiliar with the game

• In Casual Mode, leaving skill slots empty will automatically attempt counterattacks whenever possible.
• When your partner takes a defense-focused action and is targeted by a White Attacks, they will prioritize dodging over countering.
• Attack power is reduced, but defense is increased.
• Can be toggled at any time from the Main Menu.
• This is an assist feature intended to help you get used to the controls; we recommend turning it OFF once you feel comfortable with the gameplay.

Disabled the highest difficulty, “Dread,” when starting a new game

• To prevent players from selecting it before understanding the mechanics and getting overwhelmed, it can no longer be chosen at the start of a playthrough.
• Once the game has started, anyone can switch to Dread at any time via the Options menu.

Improved overall clarity and accessibility

• Reduced the number of early-game encounters where large groups of enemies spawn at once.
• Reduced the frequency of White Attacks based on the selected difficulty.
• Adjusted visual ring indicators for enemy attacks to make them easier to read.

Improved indicators for high-danger and optional early-game areas

• These areas are now marked with special purple icons to clearly indicate that they do not directly impact main story progression.
• A confirmation prompt warning of danger will now appear if there is a significant level difference.

Adjusted Slow-Motion mechanics

• Added an option to display an arrow indicating which player an enemy is targeting while slow motion is active.
• The default slow-motion speed has been increased to 50% when “No Skill” on the timeline and during “Focus”.
• The Sub-Palette remains at the previous 10%. Both settings can be adjusted at any time in Options.
• Because these settings are tied to system save data, existing players will currently have both set to 10%. Please adjust them to your preferred speed in the Options menu.

Further adjusted and eased counter timing for early-game attack skills

• Improved performance during charged states while preserving each skill’s distinct characteristics.

Added shortcut options for switching targets

• You can now choose from two shortcut methods to switch targets:
• Hold the Arcanum button + Left / Right
• Hold Switch Character button + Left / Right
• These shortcuts can be enabled or configured in Options at any time.

Added gameplay guides to the Main Menu

• Added as an in-game strategy reference to assist you on your journey through the game.

Bug Fixes

• Mitigated an issue where time could not be stopped while executing an Arcanum attack.
• Fixed a bug where the timeline could become misaligned when using certain skills.
• Fixed an issue where the ring indicators for certain enemy attacks were misaligned.
• Fixed a bug where buffering/queueing a skill during a cancelable window under specific conditions caused the skill to incorrectly enter a recharge state.
• Fixed confusing elements for the Chapter 2 boss’s cocoon and the Chapter 4 boss’s coffin, adjusting behavior and updating descriptions.

The story follows dual protagonists Souma Hoshigami and Rena Hizuki. Souma is an ordinary delivery worker whose life changes after an Aberration attack leaves him in a “Half-turned” state, fusing human and monster.

He is taken into custody as “lost property” by Rena, an investigator with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Public Safety Mutation Response Division. Together, they investigate a series of supernatural incidents as they search for the truth behind the city’s collapse.

Combat revolves around the counter-timeline system, which displays enemy actions on a dynamic timeline before they occur. Players can queue abilities to interrupt incoming attacks, exploit openings, and build skill chains. Players can also slow time or pause it entirely, allowing them to analyze enemy patterns, monitor cooldowns, and plan their next move.

Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow is available on PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Check out our review.