Underboard News

[p]We wanted to announce the release date for Underboard with something special, and doing it alongside the last demo update felt like a great fit for us.[/p][p][/p][h3]Release Date[/h3][p]It's been 2 years since we released our initial playtest here on Steam, and the release of our demo was almost a year ago, so it feels like the end of an era for us to finally release Underboard on February 6th 2026![/p][p][/p][p]The full version of the game will include more playable zones, with new and unique environments, monsters, map bosses and pinnacle bosses to defeat. You have to win a run to unlock the next zone, and each zone will be harder to beat, but you will also unlock new player characters, items and spells as you beat each one. There will also be more masteries for you to unlock in your runs and build crazy teams![/p][p][/p][h3]Last Demo Update[/h3][p]We mentioned in our previous update about combat FX that bosses and player spells were missing, and we wanted to bring those out before release as well. So now all map bosses and the pinnacle boss now have improved combat FX as well.[/p][p][/p][p]We also improved the combat FX for all active player spells, here's a "before and after" showcase![/p][p]Plague:[/p][p][/p][p]Ice Fort:[/p][p][/p][p]Lightning Fang:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We also want to improve the FX for all the reservation spells to a similar standard, but those will come with the full game release.[/p][p][/p][p]That's all from us, thanks for all the feedback and support you've given us throughout our updates, and happy end of the year![/p]

[p]We're getting closer to the full game release of Underboard, and we have improved a lot of the look and feel of the game across our updates, but combat FX are a major aspect that has remained mostly the same from all the way back to our earliest playable version. We decided it was time to bring our combat FX quality to a higher standard that better fits all the other improvements we've made along the way.[/p][p][/p][h3]Improved Combat FX[/h3][p]All player characters and enemies now have improved combat FX, our focus was to make them look cooler in general, but also to increase how noticeable they are, especially for skills since identifying enemies with deadly skills is a big part of the game's learning curve.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We wanted to nail down the new style first and we feel it came along great for this update, but we still have to bring bosses and player spells up to the same level, so those improvements will come in shortly. You can also expect all the other content in the full game release to have the same level of quality.[/p][p][/p][h3]Pinnacle Boss Balance Changes[/h3][p]We released our first pinnacle boss a little while ago and we've been looking at how difficult it was to beat. The intention for pinnacle bosses is that they should be the last and hardest challenge of a run, but the third map boss was usually harder, so we decided to do a balance pass.[/p][p][/p][p]The pinnacle boss encounter is now slightly harder at phase 1, and now each phase is balanced to be harder than the previous one.[/p][p][/p][h3]The Undertaker just appeared in the Underboard![/h3][p]Die for the Lich is a great game that also shares our Newgrounds roots, and we're now thrilled to have a couple of their characters be in Underboard.[/p][p][/p][p]Since we wanted to add a playable character, we decided to make a new "rare" character, similar to how Pico and Cordelia works. We initially thought of the Undertaker obviously, but Dante was also a good fit.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Here's how you'll be able to get them in your team:[/p]

• [p]You can now find the Undertaker among other characters in any bonfire.[/p]
• [p]He is treated as a "rare" character, meaning that you'll see him less often than other characters, but you can expect him to be a bit stronger from the get go.[/p]
• [p]To get Dante you'll have to level up the Undertaker to level 3.[/p]
• [p]Since they are a unique character, they have their own skills themed around dice from Die for the Lich.[/p]

[p]We hope you'll like making teams with them, and congrats to Die for the Lich for their recent Early Access release![/p][p][/p][p]Make sure to check it out in case you don't know about it:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]As a little extra bonus, Pico is now playable here on Steam too![/p]

[p]Today is (technically) the 5th anniversary of Dead Estate, including 4 years on Steam, and we're happy to celebrate it with a special guest character that just appeared in the Underboard![/p][p][/p][p]Being another game that started on Newgrounds, and especially now that we also share the same publisher, Dead Estate's success is a great inspiration for us, so we wanted to use this opportunity for something special.[/p][p][/p][p]Initially we thought of adding Cordelia (because of 2 BIG reasons) as a skin for an existing character, but we managed to also add Jules in time for the anniversary, so instead of character skins, we decided to make them a unique character.[/p][p][/p][p]Here's how you'll be able to get them in your team:[/p]

• [p]You can now find Jules among other characters in any bonfire.[/p]
• [p]She is treated as a "rare" character, meaning that you'll see her less often than other characters, but you can expect her to be a bit stronger from the get go.[/p]
• [p]To get Cordelia, you'll have to level up Jules to level 3.[/p]
• [p]Since they are a unique character instead of just skins, they have their own skills themed around guns from Dead Estate.[/p]

[p]We hope you'll like making teams with them, and congrats to Dead Estate for reaching this awesome milestone![/p][p][/p][p]Make sure to check it out in case you don't know about it:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][h2]Art Contest Results[/h2][p]To close this out with news from Newgrounds, you can check the Underboard art contest winners here. We recently hosted it together with our publisher and we received awesome submissions, thanks to everyone who participated![/p][p][/p]

[p]We decided some months ago to participate in this October 2025 Next Fest, and we wanted to prepare a special monthly update for the event, so this ended up being among our most packed updates yet.[/p][p][/p][p]We managed to include the very first pinnacle boss, new player character designs, a heavy UI rework, and a few more improvements. All of this better represents how the final game will look and feel. We even added new music for the first time in a monthly update, shoutout to our partner Mudeth for that![/p][p][/p][h3]Pinnacle Boss[/h3][p]Previously runs consisted of 3 maps, each with increasing difficulty and a boss at the end, but we wanted something after all of that to serve as the real end of your runs. We also have narrative elements that we want to mix with the gameplay, and there will be multiple zones in the final game, each with unique locations, enemies and narratives.[/p][p][/p][p]We added the first pinnacle boss to the game, this continues the narrative of the Shadow Woods, but also serves as the real final challenge at the end of your runs there. Now you'll be able to completely clear the 3rd map in a run (which includes getting a third Potential from its boss), before continuing to a small 4th map where you'll face the pinnacle boss of the zone.[/p][p][/p][p]Each pinnacle boss is meant to have a static power level, meaning they don't gain random items or have a random team of minions with them. That doesn't mean their fights always go the same way though, our goal is that they are a single big scary enemy that can challenge your whole team with their own tricks, which includes multiple phases.[/p][p][/p][p]Beating pinnacle bosses is how you'll unlock the next playable zones in the final game, and each one will also have its unique pinnacle boss to challenge![/p][p][/p][p]Part of our goal with releasing this content in our demo is to gather feedback about the power level these bosses should have. Our intention is that they become the hardest challenge in a run, but we also want to have multiple teams be able to beat them if built and played properly. So any feedback here is appreciated.[/p][p][/p][h3]New Characters[/h3][p]For a long time we used to have characters color swap to distinguish themselves from other characters using the same design. We decided to work on making every character design unique instead.[/p][p][/p][p]We updated the player character designs so that everyone has their own unique look instead of a simple recolor. This stands in line with a previous monthly update where we made all enemy designs be unique instead of also using color swaps. This approach of having unique designs is what we're going forwards with for the full game release.[/p][p][/p][h3]Other Changes[/h3]

• [p]Reworked most of the UI inside runs to better communicate its information and look more flavorful.[/p]
• [p]Added new music layers for when you're out of combat and fighting against bosses.[/p]
• [p]The grid highlights were reworked to be more visible, especially on locations where the floor was of their same color.[/p]
• [p]Added a spell targeting arrow to show better communicate which spell your using and how you're aiming it. This is similar to the character target arrows when you hover them while in combat.[/p]
• [p]Added a spell drag snap to prevent you from dragging spells outside the spell bar. An area highlight also appears when dragging spell to display the limits,[/p]
• [p]Characters with more than 1000 Maximum Health now calculate their health bar display differently to show less blocks, allowing you to better see their health bars.[/p]
• [p]The energy bar of characters now flashes in white when they take energy burn.[/p]
• [p]Added new unique corpses for every character and enemy. We also improved their blood splatters to be more dynamic.[/p][p][/p]

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed bosses not starting with the same skill again after a lost round.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]More Next Fest Demos[/h3][p]Check out these other roguelikes from 2 Left Thumbs![/p][p]They’re also part of this Steam Next Fest and both have awesome demos. If you enjoyed Underboard, don’t miss these amazing games. they're launching soon too![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[h3]Headless and 2 Left Thumbs are coordinating with Newgrounds to host a public art contest![/h3][p]After the initial release of Underboard: Omen back in April 2023, this indie roguelike autobattler has received regular updates alongside the wonderful feedback coming from the Newgrounds community. This led to eventual playtesting on Steam, and a secondary Underboard Demo both here and over on Newgrounds, 2 years after the original![/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]After years of support, Underboard is now set to have a full Steam release in Q4 2025![/p][p][/p][p]THE CONTEST (link to official Newgrounds post where the contest is being hosted)[/p]

• [p]Create an Underboard themed piece of artwork (any style/medium is fine)[/p]
• [p]Submit your work to the Newgrounds Art Portal with the tag underboard by the end of Sunday October 12th, 2025[/p]
• [p](Optional) Tweet your artwork out with #underboard for a chance to be retweeted by the game devs
  [/p]

[p]Other rules:[/p]

• [p]Multiple entries are allowed, but you'll only be able to win once[/p]
• [p]No NSFW art[/p]
• [p]No AI made/assisted entries[/p]
• [p]Submissions after the deadline will NOT be counted[/p]
• [p]Cash prizes will be paid through PayPal (no exceptions)[/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]PRIZES:[/p][p]Myself and the game's creators, Headless (@chazmuco and @Braveado), will handle the final judging.[/p]

• [p]5th Place: Steam key for Underboard[/p]
• [p]4th Place: $50 USD + Steam key[/p]
• [p]3rd Place: $100 USD + Steam key[/p]
• [p]2nd Place: $100 USD + Steam key + 1 Year Subscription to Newgrounds[/p]
• [p]1st Place: $150 USD + Steam key + 1 year NG Sub[/p]

[p][/p][p]Useful info:[/p]

• [p]You can play (and review!) the standalone demo on Steam for inspiration on designs + themes[/p]
• [p]We will announce the winners through the BBS, as well as on Twitter and Bluesky[/p]
• [p]Copies of the game will be distributed to the winners as Steam keys upon release.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Links:[/p][p]Official Contest thread on Newgrounds[/p][p]Wishlist Underboard on Steam[/p][p]Follow Headless on Twitter[/p][p]Join the Headless Discord[/p][p][/p][p][/p]