Mad King Redemption News

[p]We’re happy to announce that our game will be published by Pixel Doors🚪[/p][p][/p][p]We chose Pixel Doors for their dynamic and creative-driven approach, and for the way they actively embrace projects that don’t fit into standard publishing formulas.[/p][p][/p][p]Their ethical publishing model reflects a genuine sharing of both risks and results: this creates a relationship based on trust and transparency, where developers and publishers work as equals and face both challenges and success together.[/p][p][/p][p]From the start, the collaboration felt open, honest, and focused on building something sustainable rather than chasing short-term metrics.[/p][p][/p][p]Their support allows us to focus on what matters most: making Mad King Redemption the best game it can be. They are taking the heavy lifting off our shoulders regarding communication and promotion, giving us the breathing room to focus on development.[/p][p][/p][p]We’re looking forward to working together and sharing more soon.[/p][p][/p][p]To learn more about Pixel Doors and chat with us about the update: [/p][p]JOIN DISCORD (or scan QR code below ⬇️)[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

Hey Heroes!

We want to take a moment to say thank you to each and every one of you who have played Mad King Redemption in the last few weeks.
But an even bigger thank you goes to those of you who took the time to leave honest, thoughtful, and realistic feedback, with the genuine intention of helping us improve the game together.

Your feedback has been incredibly valuable to us. We’re only a team of three, and keeping up with everything (development, bugs, balance, content, communication…) can be challenging at times.
We’re always around and paying close attention, even if some fixes or improvements take time. As a small team, we prefer to focus our efforts on doing things properly rather than rushing changes that don’t feel right.

That said… this demo update is huge.

We’ve worked on many of the issues you pointed out. Some things were intentionally left out for now — not because they aren’t important (quite the opposite), but because we want to give them the time they deserve and do them properly, just like we did with the other systems.

[h2]What’s in the DEMO (new / reworked)[/h2]

• Complete Boss Rework – The boss has been fully reimagined, along with the entire system behind it. We won’t spoil anything else…
  
• New Enemy AI – Brand new AI for both ranged and melee enemies.
  
• Enemy Spawn System (Rework) – Enemies no longer spawn in large hordes. We’ve moved to a system closer to classic arcade beat ’em ups, where the number of enemies on screen and the overall pacing are carefully controlled.
  
• Hero Attack System – Heavily reworked attack system, from hit colliders to overall hit feel, with lots of new details and polish.
  
• Random Rooms Progression System – Each run pulls rooms from a random pool while keeping progression under control.
  The Mad King always wins — don’t forget it!
• Music System – Brand-new system for handling music transitions and in-game logic.
  
• Hero Camera – Dynamic Composer – A new adaptive camera controller that dynamically adjusts framing, damping, lookahead, and blending.
  
• New Camera Switch System – Fully rebuilt transitions between fixed and virtual cameras for a smoother, more cinematic flow.
  
• Settings Menu – A solid first step: audio controls, video settings info, and a full overview of controls for both controller and keyboard. More options will come in future updates.
  
• Mouse Selection System – You can now use your mouse in the menus.
  
• New Languages – Spanish, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Norwegian.
  
• Performance Optimizations – Significantly improved performance, especially on Steam Deck.
  
• New Destructible Object System – A redesigned destruction system with more immersive, directional impacts.
  
• New Player Select Screen – A brand-new character selection screen.
  

There are also other important topics you’ve raised that we’re actively working on day and night — especially Dash mechanics, Co-op, mounts, and grab mechanics.
These decisions have a cascading effect on the entire game design, so we prefer to take the time needed to make them feel right.

Please keep sending us your feedback — let us know what has improved and what feels less fun. Even short messages help a lot, especially when they’re specific.

When submitting bug reports, please include as much detail as possible (class, equipment, actions taken).
If you can, share clips or recordings too — unlisted YouTube videos are perfect.

Thank you again for all the support and love.
See you on Discord: https://discord.gg/4ZFCNwby
And in game 👑⚔️

— The Mad King Redemption Team

[p]First off, thank you. Next Fest swept us off our feet: we made it into the official event trailer, read your comments, watched your runs, and spent late nights sanding rough edges. We’re three people, with zero budget for dev or marketing, but a level of stubborn love this event only amplified.
[/p][h2]The numbers that tell us where to push next[/h2][p]16,000+ wishlists ~45–50% conversion into demo downloads
7,000+ players jumped in
Steam user reviews are “Very Positive.”

Bonus signal: the demo trailer reached over 90,000 views across GameTrailers and IGN — a standout number compared to many other Next Fest trailers.

Taken together, it all says one thing: curiosity turned into action — and once the demo starts, people have fun. That’s our green light to double down on the heart of the game.
[/p][h2]What we learned playing alongside you[/h2][p]Watching streams and clips was eye-opening. We saw surprise exactly where we hoped — and stumbles we’re already smoothing out. Next Fest creates a natural spike of attention; after that, the curve settles. Our job now is to keep the engine running: small, regular updates; honest devlogs; public playtests when they help; and clearer storytelling about what makes Mad King Redemption… Mad King Redemption.
[/p][h2]A candid closing note on publishers & the market[/h2][p]The market is noisy. With these demo results on the table (wishlists, 7k+ players, Very Positive, 90k+ trailer views), the question isn’t “find anyone” — it’s finding someone who keeps the fire burning with us.

If we meet a publisher, we’d love real reach, time back on the things that slow a tiny team (QA, localization, certifications), and respect for the vision — fuel to go farther.

If that match doesn’t happen, no stress: we’ll go self-publishing or hybrid. We already have what matters — a community that talks to us and keeps us honest — and we’ll build a sustainable engine on top of that.
[/p][h2]What’s next[/h2][p]We’re putting together a near-term, realistic roadmap, prioritizing clarity, core polish, and a steady cadence of updates. In the meantime, every bit of feedback (bugs, QoL, balance, onboarding) is gold. And if you're up for it, let’s turn this thread into a small AMA.

Thanks for making this Next Fest unforgettable.
Onward. 💜

— Team Mad King Redemption


[/p]

[h3]First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who played our demo and shared their thoughts.

We’re a very small team, and seeing your love and excitement for the game means the world to us. It truly motivates us to keep improving and building a better experience both for you and us.

We’ve listened carefully to your feedback and worked hard to make the overall experience smoother, more balanced, and more fun to play.


[/h3][p]• Movement is now smoother and more natural in depth, quick moves, and direction changes[/p][p]• The hero steps slightly forward during attacks to make combat flow better[/p][p]• Enemies shake when hit for clearer impact feedback[/p][p]• The hero shakes when taking damage to improve combat readability[/p][p]• Throw animations are now synced: both ranged enemies and the hero release projectiles in time with the animation[/p][p]• Colliders removed from defeated enemies while they fade out to avoid blocking
[/p][p]• Footstep sounds fully reworked for better feel and variation[/p][p]• Music system reloaded and updated with new tracks • Enemies now screams while dying
[/p][p]• Fixed various textures and materials across several areas[/p][p]• VFX improvements, including player dash VFX.
[/p][p]• Keyboard controls reviewed and improved[/p][p]• Mad King prompt now correctly suggests to press A button to continue[/p][p]• Fixed wrong item descriptions for Bindara and Writefang
[/p][p]• Fixed a death trigger in Side Effect when jumping toward the waterfall[/p][p]• Fixed an issue in The Lift where jumping could cause an unexpected death[/p][p]• Fixed a collider in Brotherhood that allowed players to leave the map[/p][p]• Enemies no longer clip into objects[/p][p]• Fixed a skeleton sinking into the floor in the boss room[/p][p]• Fixed Pepper Oil issues in the lobby and when given by the King[/p][p]• Improved performance in the Brotherhood area
[/p][p]• How does the new movement feel in combat and exploration?[/p][p]• Any weird collisions, out-of-bounds spots, or death triggers still around?[/p][p]• Any remaining issues with power-ups or items?
[/p][p]• Settings menu with Audio, Controls, and Graphics options[/p][p]• Additional languages[/p][p]• New combat features[/p][p]• New power-ups and passive abilities
[/p][p][/p]

[p]We can’t believe this moment is finally here ... our game demo is officially out! [/p][p]We’ve poured so much passion and energy into this project, and now we’re beyond excited to share it with you. We’d love for you to give it a try, share your thoughts, and join us in celebrating this huge milestone.[/p][p]This is just the beginning, and having you with us on this journey means the world.

[/p]