Undead West News

Hello Gunslingers,

We’re excited to share that Undead West Demo is out now!
Shoot your way through enemies, dodge through numerous traps, unlock new guns and whiskey boons as well as colorful outfits in a free demo for this western-themed roguelike bullet hell.

It all began when the cowboy you play has been killed in a revolver duel against the Man in Red. Death agrees to resurrect you so that you may carry out your quest for revenge. But there is a catch. Death requests that you pay back your revival debt in souls. Now you’re trapped in the endless cycle, seeking revenge.

The Undead West demo features:

• 2 stages
  
• 6 weapons to try
  
• 6 whiskeys to boost your abilities
  
• 2 outfits
  

Download Undead West Demo now:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2527880/Undead_West/



There’s also another adventure that was just released from our friend at Onix Games - Janosik 2: Prologue. This free prologue introduces players to the world of Janosik 2, featuring a standalone story set just before the events of the main game.

Join Janka on her adventure as she prepares for a date night with her boyfriend. But her evening takes an unexpected turn when the sinister Baron de Blonde, servant of the wicked Countess Bathory, disrupts her plans.

Get free Janosik 2: Prologue now:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2945900/Janosik_2_Prologue/

Howdy!

As you play Undead West, you’ll move through a vertical series of rooms, kind of like exploring a dungeon. Every Stage consits of several smaller 'rooms'. Each room you enter will either throw a bunch of enemies at you that you need to take out before the door to the next room opens, or you’ll find yourself in a 'trap' room that you’ll have to carefully navigate to make it through. So let's see what's waiting for you during your journey.

[h3]💀 Stages[/h3]
Undead West begins in the deep Catacombs, a crypt full of rats, bats, and slimes intent on making you their next meal. Move through the bones and cobbled stone hallways of ancient architecture, dodge spike traps and face the monsters that lie at the end of the passageways to encounter your first test.


If you survive, the next step is up and out to the Graveyard. This misty burial ground littered with tombs and gravestones is home to not just more undead, but ghosts as well! Skeleton rats, skulls, and ghosts of gunslingers long since past stand in your way.
Strange necromantic magic resonates in those old bones…


Next step: the Mines. After the Graveyard you must pass through the underground Mines to continue further, facing both the natural inhabitants of spiders, grubs, and an odd kind of… rock lobster, as well as those digging to make their fortune who are not happy to meet an intruder. If you can get past the creepy crawlies, dodge the rock falls and face the unfathomable Beast of the Depths….


It’s back out into the open air! Where the dust on the wind blows freely and so does the hail of lead heading your way. Bandits with shotguns, rifles, chainguns and very sharp knives want your money, so keep shooting and rolling! Don’t roll into a cactus though, or into some snakes and scorpions.


You made it onto the Train! Next stop: revenge. But those bandits have caught up with you, and now you have to make your way to the front of the moving train by any means necessary. Horse-riding rifle-wielding longshots will ride up beside you to take you on, wagons of pistol-wielding ruffians aim to bring you down so keep moving forward!


Here it is, the last stop. Here at the end of the road, the last challenge of your journey. In this Town, the Sherrifs and lawmen defend the Man in Red and refuse to let you through. The Bartenders pull out their shotguns and say: “You’re not welcome here! You’ve had your last drink!”. Beat the gamblers, run through the high risk high stakes halls and don’t slip up or it’s back to the beginning.



[h3]💀 Demo[/h3]
The Steam Next Fest is just around the corner, and we’re excited to announce that Undead West will be part of it! Even better, you won’t have to wait until the event to dive in. Starting October 1st, you’ll be able to download the demo and get a sneak peek at what we’ve been cooking up. Don’t miss it!

[h3]💀 Double Feature[/h3]


At the same time as the Undead West demo release, Janosik 2: Prologue will also be coming to Steam. Don’t miss out on this precision platformer about a Robin Hood-typee highlander and his friends taking on an evil countess!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2945900/Janosik_2_Prologue/

[h3]💀 UNTIL NEXT TIME![/h3]

That's all for today. Thanks for reading, and see you next time.

-koschei, lead developer and artist

[hr][/hr]
[h3]Wishlist now![/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2527880/Undead_West/

[h3]Connect with us on our official channels:[/h3]



Follow Undead West on Twitter Follow Developer on Twitter Follow Retrovibe on Twitter Visit Retrovibe Publisher Page

Hello again!

With the playtest ongoing and players are trying their skills in the Undead West, it's time to talk about some of the creatures you might encounter on your journey.

[h3]💀 Adversaries[/h3]
You will come across a variety of different bosses that you will need to defeat in order to progress throughout the game. This will require learning their attack patterns and movesets which will take you many attempts as you die, return, try again, and die again until you are victorious.

When you defeat a boss, you are rewarded with your choice of 3 boons. These are run-temporary buffs that can affect different aspects of gameplay such as bullets that freeze enemies on hit, set them on fire, or spread posion damage. You also receive a random resource like more health, or more whiskey.


In the Catacombs you will meet some unnaturally large residents of unsavory nature. A Rat that has outgrown his kin and declared himself Lord of the underground. A gelatinous substance that merged into one large (and slightly hostile) blobby Cube that bounces and slimes around.


The Graveyard, home to the most nefarious undead you’ll ever meet. The Gravekeeper is a long dead legend of a gunslinger brought back to life in undeath, revolver in hand and supernatural powers in his fist. The Lich, with summoning magic beyond worlds swings his fiery staff and harrows you with spinning runes and fireballs.


In the Mines, the rocks tremble and fall from the ceiling with every movement of this leviathan tunnelling worm. It’s massive body bursts out of the ground, great maw with rows and rows of teeth gnashing. Fire builds and spews from the mouth of the fearsome Beast of the Depths, a terrifying creature like something from a nightmare.


And on the other side of the caverns, the Bandit King of the Outskirts denies you passage to the railway beyond. His shotgun gleams in the sun, outlaws far and wide stand at his every beck and call. He is no pushover either, for when wounded he will retreat to his chaingun wagon, rattling a hail of bullets at you.

[h3]💀 Ongoing Playtest[/h3]


In case you missed it, we’re running an open Steam Playtest for Undead West and Janosik 2. Both games feature pixel art character-driven stories with Janosik 2 focusing on fairy tale platforming action, and Undead West opting for wild west combat roguelite. The games are available to test out until September 23rd.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1640400/Janosik_2/

[h3]💀 UNTIL NEXT TIME![/h3]

That's all for today. Thanks for reading, and see you next time.

-koschei, lead developer and artist

[hr][/hr]
[h3]Wishlist now![/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2527880/Undead_West/

[h3]Connect with us on our official channels:[/h3]



Follow Undead West on Twitter Follow Developer on Twitter Follow Retrovibe on Twitter Visit Retrovibe Publisher Page

Hey everyone!

The first-ever Undead West Steam Playtest is now live! It is the first time you can play our game, and we strongly encourage you to try it out, and let us know your thoughts. We're eager to see, hear and read as much feedback as possible as it will help us make Undead West the best game it can be.

At the same time, we're running another playtest for Janosik 2, an upcoming action-platformer with metroidvania elements. Both are pixel art character driven stories, with Undead West opting for wild west combat roguelite and Janosik 2 putting emphasis on fairy tale platforming action.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1640400/Janosik_2/

In the Undead West Steam Playtest, you'll have access to the first and fourth stages of the game - explore the West, clear the screens, die, repeat, and let us know what you think!

Our Steam Playtest is open, and everyone can join, here's how:

1. Go to the Unded West Steam Page
2. Scroll down until you see this section (it's below the "Planned release date" box)
   
3. Press the "Request Access" Button
   You will be automatically granted access to the Undead West Playtest
4. Go to your Steam Library
   
5. Find the "Undead West Playtest" app and Install it
   
6. Launch the game, and enjoy the playtest!
   

[h3]The Undead West Steam Playtest will be available until September 23rd.[/h3]

We've prepared a couple of places where you can leave your feedback:

1. Undead West Playtest Survey
2. Undead West Playtest Feedback Steam Forum Thread
3. Our Discord Server

See you in the West!

Hello Gunslingers!

Last week, we conducted closed playtests of Undead West on our Discord, and we received fantastic feedback from our players. However, we’re eager to hear even more thoughts on the game to help us improve it and make it as enjoyable as possible.

[h3]💀 Playtest[/h3]

Today, we’re excited to announce that the Undead West open playtest will be launching on Steam on Monday, September 16th, and everyone is invited to join for free! It will become available on Undead West Steam page, all you'll have to do is just click "Request Access" button to automatically add a Playtest application to your library.

In the open playtest, players will gain access to the tutorial and two stages - Stage 1 and Stage 4 - each with its own unique levels, enemies, and epic bosses. Every participant will also have the chance to test six different weapons and six types of whiskey that enhance some of the abilities of the main character. We’ve already shared some insights on how these guns and whiskeys work in Undead West.



But before you dive in, it might be wise to get familiar with the main character and what led him to embark on this endless journey.

[h3]💀 Story[/h3]

Welcome to Undead West, a bullethell roguelite with some of the crispiest noir pixelart and banger western tunes you’ve ever heard. First let’s start with an introduction to the story, and the main protagonist of the game.

You play as a gunslinger, who often picks up bounties to track down and bring in outlaws - dead or alive. A large reward has been placed on the head of one such outlaw known only as ‘The Man in Red’, a figure who has been going on a destructive rampage across the nearby region. Sounds all well and good, a killer who must be brought down and who better than the exceptionally skilled gunslinger that is yourself?

In the process of tracking down The Man in Red, the Gunslinger takes out various groups of bandits until he discovers the location of his target. Six-shooter revolver in hand, and a bottle of whiskey in his saddlebag the Gunslinger sets off to confront the Man in Red. In the desert canyons what he finds is not just a man, but something with pure evil behind those eyes.



You reach for your gun but the Man in Red moves with supernatural speed and you slump to your knees, blood pouring out of the bullet wound in your chest. Fire flickers in Red’s eyes, a devilish grin creeps into the corners of his mouth before that red cape turns and walks off into the dust.

The world fades to darkness and in this empty void there is nothing. A pinprick of white light tunnels your vision. It expands and your eyes focus on the shadowed skull of a stygian-robed figure grasping a scythe.

Death.



Death explains to you that the Red outlaw was no mere mortal, but a shell, a husk now possessed by a Nightmare that escaped it’s imprisonment in the Underworld. You have been given a second chance, and as such have been revived to act as Death’s vassal on the mortal plane, to return from the grave, hunt down the Nightmare and destroy it.

It will not be an easy task, for the Nightmare has the power to raise corpse and bone as undead under it’s command, and these undead will try to stop you at every turn.

Thus the journey begins.



[h3]💀 Another playtest[/h3]

Next week, we’ll not only be playtesting Undead West, but also Janosik 2, another upcoming title from Retrovibe. It’s an action-platformer with metroidvania elements, inspired by the myths of the famed Slovak highlander, Janosik himself. Check it out on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1640400/Janosik_2/

[h3]💀 UNTIL NEXT TIME![/h3]

That's all for today. Thanks for reading, and see you next time.

-koschei, lead developer and artist

[hr][/hr]
[h3]Wishlist now![/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2527880/Undead_West/

[h3]Connect with us on our official channels:[/h3]



Follow Undead West on Twitter Follow Developer on Twitter Follow Retrovibe on Twitter Visit Retrovibe Publisher Page