HorrorVale News

So it seems as though a lot of new people are discovering HorrorVale for the first time thanks to our recent Launch Trailer. It also seems as though a lot of returning people who discovered the game back in 2019 are finding out the game is releasing through it!

Not only are people wishlisting the game in droves, but they are also buying it, downloading it, and playing it.
Therefore, we felt it necessary to clarify some things about how the full game's release will actually work.

First off, the full game is releasing October 1st, 2024. The build available on Steam RIGHT NOW if you buy it and download it is actually a very old 2019 build. Not only is it very outdated, but the game ends once you complete Act 1. It is actually SO outdated, that saves from that version won't even be functional with the full version. As stated, the full version will release on October 1st. If you have the game in your library or recently bought it, this means that the full version will download automatically for you on that date.

Now you might be confused as to why you can buy the game and download it if it's not actually out yet...?
Well, if you want to read further on that, check out This post we made last year explaining it.

By the way, we should also note that we will not be doing a midnight release. You can expect the full game to drop around 8AM EST on October 1st. The reason for this is so regardless of what time zone you live in, the release date on Steam will be listed as October 1st. If we found out it said September 30th in some countries it would upset us. Is this a strange thing to be bothered by? Maybe.

"But", you might be asking... "How will I know I'm playing the right version!?"
Have no fear, it is actually rather simple. All you have to do is look at the title screen when you boot the game.



If your title screen looks like THIS crummy scratchy thing, with "Act 1" clearly visible, then you are playing the DEMO. As stated previously, saves from it will NOT work with the full game and it will end after Act 1.

However...



If your title screen looks like THIS beautiful display with the updated logo, you know you are playing the Full Version. So keep this in mind!

The recent attention and wishlists we've gotten have been wonderful, and we can't wait to invite all of you into HorrorVale on October 1st!

If you didn't see our announcement in May, HorrorVale is finally releasing on October 1st, 2024!



That's only 45 days away!

It'll be releasing here on Steam with full Achievement Support!

If you wanna discuss the game with your fellow fans, developers, or just chat check out our official Discord:

discord.gg/KZpYZcd8Fm

October of last year we announced we were running a "Wishlist Rally", encouraging people to Wishlist the game to reach various goals. Now that we're nearing the game's release, let's see how we're doing...



Right now we're sitting at 2,670 Wishlists, which means we've reached our first goal, the "Webs Prologue Comic".

This comic will feature the bounty hunter Webs McGregor as he faces off against the Creepy menace in a short but sweet prequel story that'll be releasing sometime prior to the game's release.



The next major goal on the meter is the "Mothman Story DLC".
As it would be officially known as "HorrorVale: Act M", This side story will feature Mothman and his crew of cryptids as they battle their way through Creepies and more.
Taking place concurrently to the main story in "HorrorVale", "Act M" will allow you to experience the story from a new perspective to learn more about it and of course more about Mothman and his motivations.



Development on "Act M" will only start after HorrorVale is released, so you don't have to worry about it conflicting with the development of the main game.

So, if you haven't already maybe considering throwing a Wishlist our way?
Not only is it completely free, but once the game releases it'll help us tremendously with store visibility.

Additionally, if you already have the game in your library and want to help, you CAN still Wishlist it by removing it from your library. Just note that this will mean you'll have to buy or re-buy the game should you do so, so please do not accidentally do this and then say mean words to us because it will make Alice cry.

If you haven't seen it already, the new Release Date for HorrorVale was announced recently so please go check out that announcement:

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1114650/announcements/detail/4161967536321222748

Greetings, creatures of the night.

As you can probably reasonably assume from the title and the accompanying image, the new Release Date for HorrorVale has been revealed!

HorrorVale, the complete and full experience will release on Steam, Itch, and Gamejolt on October 1st, 2024.

"Oh... So the delay ended up just being about a year after all"

And... Yeah. Kinda.

Last year as we got closer to our original release date of October 10th, the reality of just how much left we had to do really set in, and we had no choice but to announce the game's delay.

We promised that we would not reveal a new release date until we could be absolutely confident in a new one.

And now we are.

In previous Progress Reports we have thrown around "potential" windows of when it might release. Q1 2024, then Q2 2024, and ultimately this is the date we've decided on.

In truth, it is actually more time than we need to finish it.

At our current pace, it's almost without question that the game will be complete at the end of June or in early July.

"But...", we thought...

Does that mean it should release then?

Sure, all of the content would be done. You could jump in, 100% the game, and probably have a fun time...

But "Done" doesn't necessarily mean "Fully Tested", "Well balanced", or "Satisfying".

So we've decided the best course of action would be to give us a window of around 2-3 months after the game's completion so we can focus entirely on polish, testing, marketing, and putting together that "Webs Prequel Comic" we've talked about before.

With this in mind, October 1st is just the ideal time. Not just because of "Halloween", but also to give us that window.

As for the day, we thought it made the most sense to give folks the entire month to chip away at the game (Or just play through the entire thing in a few days if you're an insane person) before Halloween, because very few people are probably gonna wanna play this kind of game in November.

So yeah, there's very little else to say about it. This is the new Release Date, we are fully committed to it, and everyone on the team are feeling good and comfortable about it.

We know it's been a very long wait as we've worked on this game for the past few years. 5 Years if you hopped on the HorrorVale train in 2019 like many people did.

We can hardly wait to see what everyone thinks about it. Everyone who has worked on this and played it themselves is very, very excited for you all to experience it yourselves.

Please use this time to make your final preparations, make amends with people you have wronged, write your wills, and get ready to be welcomed into the Underworld October 1st, 2024!

Until then...

Fare thee well...

-Dustin Andrews

Lead Designer, Batworks Software

We're pushing for 5,000 Wishlists on Steam before HorrorVale launches!
With every wishlist threshold reached, we'll commit to making or putting together whatever the goal is!



NOTE: If you already have HorrorVale in your library from when Act 1 was free and want to wishlist or just support the game, you can remove it from your library to do so. Just keep in mind that by doing so you'll have to buy the game to replay Act 1 or play the Full Game when it launches!

Also, if you didn't catch the Announcement previously about WHY the game is pay to play now, go give that a look here:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1114650/announcements/detail/3713838445859060565