Rack and Slay News

[h2]WE ARE LIVE! ːsteamhappyː[/h2]


The full-version of Rack and Slay is out now for $5.99 with a 10% launch discount!

The game is filled to the brim with fun content to explore:

• 111 game-changing items, with 50+ of them unlockable through playing any mode you like (and yes, in good Slice & Dice tradition there is an "unlock all" option).
  
• 20 difficulty levels to unlock in packs (no need to go 1-by-1 if you're that good).
  
• The full 10-level Crawl Mode for your good old ~30-minute roguelike runs.
  
• The shorter Delve Mode with half the levels, but double the item drafts.
  
• The one-level Raid Mode with random items for a quick burst of mayhem.
  
• Daily Mode featuring a unique set of game-changing run modifiers every day.
  
• Wild Mode for random (and sometimes extra crazy) sets of modifiers.
  
• A set of Challenge Runs featuring pre-defined gameplay variants that will often drastically change the way you play the game.
  
• A full Item Compendium to track your unlocks and collect badges for the highest difficulty you beat using each item.

I am so incredibly excited to finally bring this passion project to life and in a more awesome version than I could ever have imagined. Special shoutouts to Graeme of 2 Left Thumbs and artist extraordinaire Victor aka Estivador who took the project to the next level with their hard work and input.

[h3]Bundles[/h3]
If you're into bundles, you have a few bonus options to get the game!

The 2 Left Thumbs "We Like Roguelikes" bundle:
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/34319/We_Like_Roguelikes/

A bundle with none other than the modern classic Luck be a Landlord:
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/41926/Rack_and_Slay__Luck_be_a_Landlord/

My personal dev bundle featuring my previous game WikiArena:
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/41913/Ludos_Collection/

[h3]Creator Shoutout[/h3]
Also many thanks to the lovely creators who showcased the game leading up to launch. Here's a YouTube playlist featuring those I came across the last couple weeks.

Special shoutout to GothicLordUK who already featured the demo throughout multiple videos half a year ago and now returned for the full release! And German indie veteran wildfremd even is 18 episodes deep into a series already!

[h3]Next Steps[/h3]
The top priority post-launch will of course be fixing any bugs players manage to find and recording all the feedback for future polish and balancing updates.

Depending on how well things go, I would also love to add additional content in the future. I already have long lists of ideas for new items, enemies, power-ups, modifiers and level elements. So if you like the game and want more, please leave a review and tell your friends about it. For a tiny indie dev project like this, every little bit makes a huge difference! ❤️

The same is true for one or the other port by the way, but all in due time.

[h3]Links and Stuff[/h3]
If you'd like to learn more, get involved or follow, here's a few links for you:

• Join the Ludokultur Discord full of roguelike fans and indie devs who I would personally say are exceptionally cool and smart!
  
• Join the 2 Left Thumbs Discord! Graeme has a great eye for unique indies and features many roguelikes in his growing Steam catalog!
  
• Follow me on Twitter (yes, that's its name) for development news, game design tidbits and indie / roguelike recommendations, or check out my website featuring my games, writing and more!
  

Hope you enjoy the game! Looking forward to your feedback and suggestions!

All the best,
Fabian

[h2]GORGON SHIELD[/h2]
Your friendly neighbourhood Publisher here, Graeme!

Looking for my creative, genre-blending roguelikes? Check out the upcoming Gorgon Shield, from the creator of Swords and Sandals. It's a party-based RPG, arcade, roguelike. And I can guarantee you haven't played another quite like it!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2446920/Gorgon_Shield/

There is large demo for you to play around in. And please be sure to add it to your Wishlist!

Reminder: Rack and Slay will release on MAY 27, 2024 (1 week from today)! I wrote about everything the full version will entail in a previous post.

Today I'm excited to report the first release candidate for version 1.0 is now in testing. As usual, improvements to existing content are live on the demo version as well.

[h2]Patch notes (v1.0 RC)[/h2]

• Added the initial set of achievements (only active in the full version).
  
• Most explosion-buffing items now spawn a guaranteed bomb, so they’re more useful on their own.
  
• The on-defeat explosion of Boomy enemies now scales in radius if the enemy size increases (via healing or power pick-ups).
  
• The Demolisher item (obstacles explode on touch) now shows a little bomb indicator as a reminder in your collision prediction while it’s active.
  
• Lots of wording improvements all around.
  
• Countless minor tweaks and fixes.

Shoutout to the awesome Discord folks who suggested many of these improvements! ❤️

Also big thanks to everyone who has been checking out the demo for the first time during Endless Replayability Fest last week. As usual, please consider wishlisting the game so we can really get this ball rolling next week!

Reminder: Rack and Slay will release on MAY 27, 2024 (that is exactly 3 weeks from today)! I wrote about everything the full version will entail in a previous post. Today marks the last content update before release. The rest will all be polish, tweaks and finalizing the achievement system for launch.

The highlight of this patch are new boss enemy variants:


[h2]Patch notes (v0.99)[/h2]

• Doubled the number of boss enemy variants. Enjoy! (Yes, they're also in the demo.)
  
• Added subtle shaders to many more objects, including most collectibles.
  
• Added low-health warning overlay to the edges of the screen when at 1 health.
  
• Decoupled some visual-only animations from fast-forwarding, so they always play at the same speed (e.g. opening treasure chests).
  
• Tweaked the wording of several menus and info screens.
  
• Various minor fixes.
  

By the way, if you'd like to help out a tiny indie endeavor and haven't wishlisted the game yet, know that every single click helps a lot! Thank you!

Mostly optimizations and fixes in this one, but in case you missed it we just announced the official release date for the full version: Rack and Slay will release on MAY 27, 2024!

Also we have a brand-new cover and main menu art that represents the game much better!


[h2]Patch notes (v0.91)[/h2]

• Updated main menu background art and client icon.
  
• Added “surrender” option to the pause menu. This will instantly end your run as if you had died, and (in the full version) grant you the XP for all cleared levels up until this point.
  
• Bounce speed of bouncy obstacles will slow down after 500 bounces in the same turn to prevent getting stuck in infinite bounces between obstacles.
  
• Reworked UI selector logic to make it more performant and robust.
  
• Heavily optimized player and enemy ball animation controller.
  
• Lots of minor fixes.

Remember to mark your calendars: May 27, 2024!

[h3]Mark your calendars![/h3]
I'm thrilled today to reveal that Rack and Slay will release May 27th! I'll be working on the game basically every day until then to add even more polish on all fronts, plus the last bits of additional content for maximum variety on release day! So looking forward to when you will finally be able to get your hands on the full version! ːsteamhappyː

In other no less exciting news, here's a brand-new key artwork for the game (you can also find it and many more assets in the press kit). Same as all the new in-game art and animations, it was created by Estivador, so this should make for a much more coherent overall style to the game's online presence and also gives a better impression of how the game actually plays when you look at it. I personally absolutely love it!


But speaking of full version, here's what to expect in terms of content and game modes:

• 111 game-changing items, with 50+ of them being unlockable through playing any mode you like (and yes, in good Slice & Dice tradition there will be an "unlock all" option).
  
• 20 difficulty levels to unlock in packs (no need to go 1-by-1 if you're that good).
  
• The full 10-level Crawl Mode for your good old ~30-minute roguelike runs.
  
• The shorter Delve Mode with half the levels, but double the item drafts.
  
• The one-level Raid Mode with random items for a quick burst of mayhem.
  
• Daily Mode featuring a unique set of game-changing run modifiers every day.
  
• Wild Mode for random (and sometimes extra crazy) sets of modifiers.
  
• A set of Challenge Runs featuring pre-defined gameplay variants that will often drastically change the way you play the game.
  
• A full Item Compendium to track your unlocks and collect badges for the highest difficulty you beat using each item.
  
• (For the nerds like myself who love reading patch notes:) Full in-game patch notes.

So, a final reminder to (if you haven't yet) please wishlist the game. For a tiny project like this every single click is a huge deal. Plus you'll also be reminded right when May 27th hits to grab your launch-discounted copy! See you then! ❤️