Die in the Dungeon: Origins News

Here it is, one last devblog before the end of the year!

As we gear up for the launch of Die in the Dungeon, we're excited to share some major updates and celebrate the incredible journey we've had so far. Let's dive into the details!


[h2]A Release Date is Set! 🗓️[/h2]

Yes, you read that right, Die in the Dungeon finally has a release date! While we’ll officially announce it next month, let’s just say you’ll only need less than 15 frog hands to count the days left! 🐸

The team is hard at work ensuring the best possible experience at launch, and we can't wait to share it with you soon.


[h2] Demo Update: Full Steam Ahead for Launch 🚀[/h2]



With the release date in the horizon, we're now fully engaged in release mode. What does that mean? Well, all content for Areas 1, 2 and 3 is officially finished, so we have been working on squashing bugs and polishing important stuff like localization, controller support and game balancing. The game has a significant amount of combinations between dice, relics, events, characters and more, so fixing problematic behaviors and making sure the difficulty feels good is our top priority.

That said, being close to release also means we had to make a tough call: we're pausing work on the final demo to fully prioritize the release. While we know this might be disappointing, it’s a decision we made to ensure the full game is as great as it can be.

The game has had many versions over the years, but we're still sad that we couldn't keep our promise of releasing one last demo before launch. We deeply appreciate your understanding and support, and rest assured, we’re pouring our hearts into making Die in the Dungeon a game worth waiting for.


[h2] Roll the Wish Dice: Win a Full Game Key! 🎲🎁[/h2]

To celebrate the upcoming launch (and compensate a bit for the missing demo), we're hosting a holiday raffle with a very special prize: Steam keys for the full game!

To participate:

1. Join our Discord server.
   
2. Head to the #roll-wish-dice channel and follow the instructions.

We'll start with 5 keys, and the number will be increased if enough people join the raffle!

As a bonus for the Steam community, one extra key will be raffled among all users who leave a comment with a Die in the Dungeon-related wish on this post!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2026820/Die_in_the_Dungeon/


[h2]Q&A Highlights: Your Burning Questions Answered! 🔥[/h2]

A few weeks ago, we opened a new channel to let players send us their questions directly. Here's a recap with some of them:

❓Question: If the games achieves enough success, would you want to make content updates for Die in the Dungeon?
Answer: For sure, we already have some ideas for content after release! (and we're trying our best not to spoil anything for now 🤐).

❓Q: How many characters are planned to be added in the future?
A: Aside from the 3 characters on release, we have at least one more character with a high chance of being added in the future. Other than that, we have some ideas but nothing set in stone yet.

❓Q: Are you planning for the game to have Steam Workshop compatibility?
A: We'd love to, but as many other things it'll depend of how the launch goes. Having mod support has been a goal of mine for a long time, so hopefully I can get the time to work on this in the future.

❓Q: How long will the full game be?
A: In terms of single run time, the release will be around 3 times longer than the demo (the demo has only 1 area, while the full game has 3 areas). In terms of total "completionist" time, the full game will probably range between 50 to 100+ hours depending on player skill.

❓Q: Are there any plans for roguelite mechanics after you die, even just cosmetic?
A: If you mean progression between runs, yeah. The release will have unlockables to increase the variety of the item pool and offer new ways of playing. These unlockables will include new dice, relics and characters.

(For the full Q&A and to ask your own questions, join the #ask-the-devs channel on Discord!)



[h2]Thank You for Your Support 💚[/h2]

And with that, that's everything for 2024! Thank you for your incredible patience and support. Stay tuned for more updates in January, including the official release date reveal.

Have a wonderful holiday season and happy new year!

And of course, may your dice rolls be ever in your favor!

— The ATICO Team

Hey guys!

It's time for a new devblog! It’s been a while, and a lot has happened since we published the demo back in June!


Today, we’ll cover:
- How your feedback from the demo has helped shape the game.
- What we’re currently working on.
- And, of course... our updated release timeline!

Please, don't forget to add Die in the Dungeon in the wishlist! More cool stuff is coming soon!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2026820/Die_in_the_Dungeon/

[h2]The Demo and Your Feedback[/h2]

This summer, we launched our demo during Steam Next Fest. The demo introduced new dice, enemies and relics, along with a key new feature—a map that lets you control your character’s path using dice.

We believed this feature would add a new strategic layer, but thanks to your feedback, we realized we’d missed the mark. Here’s what we learned:
- The map required too much focus and slowed down the gameplay.
- Map choices felt repetitive and lacked real impact.
- Overall, the pace from the Demo felt worse than Origins.

Your feedback helped us recognize that this mechanic needed a rethink. We went back to the drawing board, understanding that the previous map was too complex and detracted from what we believe makes Die in the Dungeon truly shine—the dice-based battles! The new map is now simpler, letting you to explore the dungeon more intuitively and focus on the core combat experience. Huge thanks to our Discord community and players on the Steam forums for your invaluable feedback along the way!

In addition, here are some other changes inspired by your feedback:
- Dice shapes are no longer limited to D4s, other shapes are now available like the good ol' D6 (and maybe some with even more faces!)
- Dice with face values of 0 aren't part of the starting deck anymore. Builds around 0s are still possible though, if you dare go for them.
- Difficulty in Area 1 has been adjusted to create a less punishing experience at the start. Difficulty will still ramp up considerably the deeper you delve into the dungeon, this is a hard game after all!

[h2]When’s the Release?[/h2]

Originally, the game was planned for a mid-fall release. However, with the changes to the game’s mechanics, we realized we needed more time to get things just right. As a result, we’ve made the tough decision to push the release to this Winter to ensure Die in the Dungeon meets our standards (and yours!).



We know many of you were eagerly waiting for the original date, and we’re grateful for your patience. Ultimately, we don’t want to deliver a game that feels unpolished, which is why we’re willing to go the extra mile to make Die in the Dungeon as enjoyable as possible on release. This extra time is also allowing us to introduce a few new features, such as the Codex section you can see above!

[h2]Our Next Steps[/h2]

Currently, we know the demo on Steam doesn’t reflect the latest game improvements. To avoid any confusion, we’ll be taking the current demo down the day this devlog goes live—but not for long! We’ll upload an updated version of the demo very soon, to let you try the game and make an informed decision before release. As always, don’t hesitate to voice your opinion when it drops!



Now, you might be wondering: so what's left before release? Honestly, not much! 99% of the content has already been implemented, including several new dice types, properties, enemies and bosses for Area 2 and 3. On this last stretch, all that's left is fixing the remaining bugs, polishing the game, and balancing all the elements. Thankfully, our team of testers is currently helping us with all that, so things are progressing at a steady pace in preparation for launch!

That's all for today! Stay tuned for the updated demo, and thank you again for your patience. We can't wait for you to experience what we've been working on.

Stay safe, and may your dice rolls be ever in your favor!

— The ATICO Team

P.S: Speaking of testers, we're currently looking for new applicants in preparation for release. Join our Discord server and head to #announcements to learn more: https://discord.gg/die-in-the-dungeon-829107672912494613

[h2]DIE IN THE DUNGEON DEMO IS HERE[/h2]

Thank you once again for your support!
You can find our new demo with tons of new content here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2026820/Die_in_the_Dungeon/

Don't forget to add Die in the Dungeon to your wishlists!

Join our Twitter and Discord if you want to be the first to know about the future news!

May your dice rolls be good.
The ATICO team

[h2]We're excited to announce the early launch of the Steam Next Fest demo![/h2]

We would like to thank the players of the prologue for their invaluable feedback and we are thrilled for you to try out the new demo.
We are ready to present you a map system, new sets of dice, bosses and a lots of new genius combinations. And you can try them right now!

The demo is already available on the main Die in the Dungeon page.



New Dice
This version of the game significantly expands the range of dice: in addition to d6, players will have access to d4.
d4 will help your character develop quickly.
d6 will increase your potential.
Find the balance between gaining power quickly and maximizing your potential!



And by the way, of course, there are new types of dice! Try to find them in the demo, and you can see some of them above.

New System: Map and Act I
This is the main innovation of this demo - a map that allows you to choose the next event or room. Different tiles will give you the opportunity to redistribute dice face values, rest, trade, or get into a story that will make you stronger!



Controller Support (Available at Steam Next Fest)
In a few days, we will show you the implementation of controller support. We will add it on ...wait, who are these guys?



We hope you enjoy the demo as much as we enjoyed making it. And as always, if you know someone who might enjoy the game, be sure to share it with them! Thank you!

You get get demo on the main Die in the Dungeon page.

Will be waiting you at Steam Next fest!

May your dice rolls be good.
ATICO team

[h2]Hello, long time no see![/h2]
We've missed you!

We've got quite a bit of news in the meantime!
And at the same time, we'll show you what we've been working on lately and what we're preparing for the final release.

Let's start with saying thank you for your support during the release of Origins!
We’re happy to see that many of you are still playing it (more than 2000 reviews with 95% positive, crazy!). We've received tons of useful feedback, which we've immediately started processing.

But Origins is just a part of our journey. And you'll see its new chapter very soon!

But let's go step by step...



[h2]New Systems[/h2]
So, if you remember the previous versions of our game and the prologues, they were quite linear. Our cute frogs fought battle after battle, they had no time to rest, and their attempts to pass through the dungeon was a bit too similar between them.

Something that we wanted to add for a long time was a mechanic that shakes up the familiar rules of Die in the Dungeon - the travel map. Now you can choose your direction of movement and the events that await you throughout the dungeon.

(visuals are WIP)

At the same time, we wanted to find a different approach on the usual way maps work in other roguelikes.
A signature element of our design is dice and the ability to control randomness. We were inspired by traditional tabletop games and made dice the instrument used for moving along the map.

Thus, dice rolls determine your fate not only during battles but also during movement through the game world.

We are still exploring this game mechanic and working on how its design functions. You'll be able to try out this mechanic very soon!

[h2]Steam Next Fest![/h2]

And our next stop is 10th June at Steam Next Fest! In just 3 weeks you are going to see our new build!

With the introduction of this new system, we would like to get feedback from you before our release.
In addition to the map system, we have some others surprises for this version, but we don't want to reveal all our cards roll all the dice just yet. Let's just say: from a gameplay perspective, the game has become much more diverse, so we want to make sure we're moving in the right direction.

Here is a BIG tease of some of the new dice you will see in the demo:



And yes, you will be able to check out our new map system too!

Also, as many of you know, Steam Next Fest is also a great opportunity to show the game to new players, so here we count on your support.

[h2]Future plans.[/h2]
Steam Next Fest is the final stop before the push towards the Early Access release. We don't want to make promises too early, but we plan to release the game this year and sooner than you might think. We know it's a bit vague, but think of it as a pleasant surprise if everything works out as expected!

And as always: add Die in the Dungeon to your wishlists if you haven't already!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2026820/Die_in_the_Dungeon/

We promise to keep you updated! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Discord!



See you soon!

May your dice rolls be good.
ATICO team