SULFUR News

[h2]We are happy to announce that SULFUR Early Access is now available.[/h2]

[h2]What is SULFUR?[/h2]
For those who haven’t already spent hundreds of hours diving into the SULFUR demo, let us catch you up on what SULFUR is all about.

SULFUR is a modern-yet-retro looter shooter about food, music, and good vibes. It is allegedly an “extraction shooter” (whatever that means), where you play as a priest on a bloody revenge quest, hoovering up every bit of loot dropped by the poor enemies who stand in your way.



SULFUR combines loopy roguelite gameplay with a classic late-90s FPS campaign format. Like in any good roguelite, dying means losing everything, but in SULFUR, story progression and levels unlocked are still kept even if you mess up a run.

You either die and lose all of your precious loot, or you manage to extract and make it back home to your church, The Original Sin. Here you can stash your ill-gotten gains, catch up on the latest happenings and trade with your congregation before gearing up for your next run.



[h2]New Early Access Content[/h2]
SULFUR launches with six areas to explore, each with its own look, enemies and item drops. Hundreds of items that were not available in the demo are there for you to find, including new guns, enchantments, equipment, and most importantly: new tasty foods and ways to cook them!

We have already shared an Early Access Roadmap, but here is a little refresher on our plans:

[h2]The Early Access Roadmap[/h2]
Right from the start, our primary focus is on playtesting, listening to feedback, and addressing any bugs or issues that might have slipped past our own testing.
After this initial phase, we’ll dive into creating new biomes along with their respective content, building up to the ultimate boss fight, and last but not least comes Endless Mode - a feature unlocked by conquering the main game.

Endless Mode takes you into a wildly unpredictable experience, where no two runs are the same, and you face random enemies in much more randomized environments.



[h2]The Future of SULFUR - Stretch Goals[/h2]

If we sell over 200k SULFURs, we will have the means to finally tackle the most requested feature since forever: Multiplayer.

Our vision for Multiplayer is a classic “drop in, drop out” experience, letting you seamlessly join a friend’s game and head out on runs together. It’ll feel just like single-player, with shared progression and item drops, so you and your buddy can build your arsenals and tackle the challenges of SULFUR side-by-side.



[h2]Join Us On Discord[/h2]
For those who want an even closer look into SULFUR’s development, look no further than our Discord server, where we regularly talk about what’s going on in our minds and with the game.

-The SULFUR team

Link to Patch Notes

As we approach the release of SULFUR, we’ve put in some extra work to make sure it feels right on the Steam Deck. Valve’s handheld has quickly become a go-to for indie games, and we wanted to make sure our game plays great on the go without losing any of the challenge. Here’s a look at the things we have done to tailor SULFUR for the Steam Deck.

Showcasing SULFUR on Steamdeck at PAX West 2024

🎛️ Control Remapping & Analogue Gamefeel
We made some changes to the controls to fit the Steam Deck’s layout, ensuring button prompts are clear and representative. We also included non-linear analogue stick input for better control and allowed for full button remapping. Whether docked or handheld, the controls are easy to tweak so they feel right for you.

🏃 Making Platforming More Forgiving
To keep platforming smooth in handheld mode, we added a bit of extra coyote time. This small change gives players a grace period after running off a ledge to still make a jump, making gameplay feel more forgiving without losing the challenge.

🖥️ UI Adjustments for Handheld Play
When we updated the UI for the Steam Deck, we had taken inspiration from games like Diablo, Escape from Tarkov, and thankfully Resident Evil 4. Our goal was to make sure everything was easy to navigate and read on a smaller screen, while still staying true how SULFUR is played on PC. We also decided against using the touch screen for UI interactions because, honestly, clean screens matter. Everything is built around smooth button navigation instead.

📺 Performance Tweaks for Smooth Play
Steam Deck’s 1280x800 resolution gave us some work to do, but we’ve adjusted SULFUR to look good and run smoothly on the device. One big improvement we made was switching out all sprites for SVGs (vector art), which are far less taxing on the system. This change not only helps the game run smoother but also significantly improves battery life.

🎯 Using Gyro Aiming for Precision
For those who like more precision, we added a custom controller with gyro functionality for aiming down sights (ADS). You can tilt the Steam Deck to fine-tune your aim, which adds a nice layer of control when you’re in the middle of a fight.

🔧 Conclusion: Steam Deck Is a Great Platform for FPS too
We’re really excited about what the Steam Deck brings to both players and developers. For us, adapting SULFUR wasn’t just about making the game work—it was about making it feel right. The Steam Deck offers indie devs a unique way to connect with players who otherwise might stick to console, and as we keep improving the game and adding content through early access, the Deck remains a perfect platform for pushing boundaries for indie-FPS on gamepad. And hopefully we're giving players new ways to engage with the challenge and depth that SULFUR offers!

✅ Note - Left to fix:

• Stashing ammo & money with controller: This feature is currently being added to the game’s control functionality to allow for smooth inventory management with a gamepad, making it easier for players to stash items while using a controller or Steam Deck.
  
  
• UI cooking bug: There is a known issue where items are accidentally added to the cauldron during cooking. This bug is being resolved as quickly as possible to prevent unintended item placement while players are managing their cooking inventory.
  
  
• Shooting while running: Shooting while running should be possible, but it will interrupt the run. The planned solution is to automatically un-toggle the run when aiming, allowing players to shoot without fully stopping their movement.

[h3]We are excited to announce that SULFUR will officially be entering Early Access on October 28th! We cannot wait for you to dive deeper into the game and experience everything we’ve been working on. The Early Access version will bring even more intense action, new areas, enemies, and challenges to conquer. [/h3]

[h2]DEMO Updated for Steam Next Fest [/h2]
[h3]As we approach the Early Access release of SULFUR, our focus has shifted primarily to content beyond what’s available in the demo. However, we've also made significant improvements to the overall game, and these enhancements have been incorporated into the demo as well.

[h2]Patch Notes: 0.8.0 DEMO[/h2]

• Loot Rebalancing
  
• Level Generation Optimization
  
• Graphical Optimization
  
• Enemy Balancing
  
• Better Hit Detection
  
• Audio Improvements
  
• Controller Remapping
  
• Expanded Graphics Options
  
• A plethora of smaller fixes and additions
  

Graphics Optimization
Switching most 2D assets from the .png format to .svg has significantly boosted SULFUR's performance on most systems.

Rebalanced loot
Loot has been rebalanced across the board, affecting both enemy drops and chests. Some chests, such as Wooden/Low Tier chests, have been completely revamped and now have a chance to drop any item in the game (limited to demo items in the demo version).

Improved system for level gen
Additionally, we’ve rewritten the level generation system, resulting in drastically reduced loading times. It will be even better during early access.

Improved hit detection
Changes to how bullets function have improved hit detection, particularly when your gun fires multiple projectiles.

Controller Remapping
We’ve also expanded the options menu to support controller remapping for both keyboard & mouse and game controllers.
[/h3]

[h3]We’re excited to announce that SULFUR will be featured TODAY at 12 PM PT / 9 PM CET on the Kinda Funny Stream! 🎉

Join Roger and Mike as they dive into the SULFUR, playing the latest demo update live and—drumroll please—revealing the official release date! If you’ve been curious about the game or want to get the inside scoop on when SULFUR will launch, this is the stream you won’t want to miss.

Set your reminders and tune in on Kinda Funny’s Twitch Channel to be part of the madness. Get hyped for more SULFUR! ⚔️💥[/h3]