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Undead West: Devlog #6 - “Enter 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

Undead West: Devlog #5 - “Boons”

Hello!
Today we're talking about those helpful little buffs!

[h3]💀 Boons[/h3]

When you defeat a boss, you are rewarded with your choice of 3 run-temporary buffs that can affect different aspects of gameplay. There are boons that influence your dodge roll, boons that affect enemies directly, and boons that give a unique damage condition status to your bullets.
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These are presented to you randomly, so each run and successful boss defeat will offer you a random three, meaning your builds will be different from run to run based on the options provided. One run could see you picking up freezing bullets, where often you will see a cold blue bullet in your clip on the side of your screen which will mean that the next bullet fired will incase an enemy in ice on hit, fully disabling all their movement and attacks for a short period.



The best part is that boons that affect bullets with status effects stack! So you could have freezing bullets, and fire bullets and you can see these two showing up at the same time in the same clip, which would even allow you to both set an enemy on fire for burning damage over time and freeze them, causing whichever dastardly undead or bandit to take damage while immobilized until they perish.

Choose carefully, choose wisely, but most importantly: have fun! You can keep track of which boons you’ve picked up during a run on your HUD, just in case you lose focus in all the gunslinging frenzy and start wondering ‘Wait, when did my 2 round shotgun have 4 rounds to fire before reloading?’. We’ve got you covered.

With the power given to you of lead, grit, and sulphur, whether it’s firing bullets that track towards enemies, gun boots that shoot out whenever you roll, lightning that traces and arcs between your foes… nothing will stand in your way.

[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

Undead West: Devlog #4 - “Outfits”

Hello again!
We’re back with another devlog today to talk about unlockable outfits. These outfit’s grant the player a unique effect as well as being visually distinct from the usual fit. When unlocked, you can easily swap between outfits before a run to see which one you prefer.
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[h3]💀 The Outfits[/h3]
For a black and white game, these outfits are the one outlier to the noir rule. Each has a vibrant color that will make it even easier for the player to stand out against the environment, as well as each being of a different design to the default cowboy aesthetic.

Red Musketeer
This dashing rogue grants you an extra heart at the start of each stage. All for one and one for all!

Orange Bounty Hunter
The bounty hunter is an expert guns handler who can regain spent ammunition by swiftly reloading a bullet when he dodge rolls. Save time instead of making a full reload, that one bullet can make all the difference!

Yellow Bandit
The yellow bandit increases your speed significantly - excellent for running circles around your opponents.

Green Knight
The armored green knight adds a melee attack during your dodge roll. When you get cornered, fight back!

Blue Wizard
This fun little spellcaster can ‘blink’ teleport a further distance, replacing the dodge roll.

Pink Ranger
The ranger, a mysterious hooded figure, gains a pet bird companion who assists in combat by attacking enemies for you.


[h3]💀 The Seamstress[/h3]

The Seamstress, weaver of threads and creator of the outfits, is a beautiful lady who wears a blindfold across her eyes. She offers these wardrobe changes to you when you complete the corresponding challenge to each one.
The challenges for example could be to defeat a certain amount of enemies, or reach a specific stage and beat it’s boss.
Which is your favourite outfit? Let us know in the Undead West channel over in our discord, or over on Twitter where we post gameplay gifs and other updates.

[h3]💀 Upcoming Playtest[/h3]

Over the next weekend (September 5 - September 9) we will be playtesting Undead West, along with another upcoming retro title - Janosik 2, an action platformer with metroidvania elements, inspired by the myths of the famed Slovakian highlander, Janosik himself. Check it out on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1640400/Janosik_2/

If you'd like to participate in the playtest, join our Discord server, and check out the Playtest Club channel!

[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

Undead West: Devlog #3 - “Guns”

Hey Gunslingers!

In the last devlog we went over how whiskey infusions work in Undead West. Now let’s talk about one of the most important parts of a cowboy’s arsenal: the guns.
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[h3]💀 BUILDING YOUR PERFECT GUNSLINGER[/h3]



In Undead West, there are many mechanics that work hand-in-hand with increasing the power and damage of your chosen weapon.

Whiskeys such as the Bottomless Chamber temporarily remove the need to reload, allowing you to fire as much as you want for a short time. Boons dropped by defeating bosses can offer you critical bullets, where there’s a 10% chance that a bullet you fire will deal double damage.

Which gun will work best with the possible benefits offered during the game? That’s up to you to choose.

[h3]💀 THE GUNS[/h3]



There’s a variety of guns available for you to equip, each fitting the western-themed setting and filling a role for different styles of gameplay. Here are just a few to name:

Revolver
The trusty revolver, a classic staple to the gunslinger’s loadout.

Backup Piece
A revolver with a small clip but quick to fire and quick to reload.

Sawed Off
Close-range devastation. For those looking to get right into the thick of things, it’s not about accuracy - it’s a ‘one-two punch’.

Lever Action
Fast firing rifle designed for accuracy, having an 8-bullet magazine you can easily whittle your foes down from range.

Shotgun
Another up close and personal option with a larger clip than the Sawed Off.

Rifle
High stopping power and accuracy. Keep your distance and deal out strong damage per bullet.

[h3]💀 THE GUNSMITH[/h3]



Guns are purchased from the Gunsmith, a blacksmith who crafts your weapons at his forge. You don’t know what he looks like under his helmet, but he makes some high quality weapons.

[h3]💀 UNTIL NEXT TIME![/h3]

At the moment, that’s all we wanted to share about what kind of weapons you can find to fit your playstyle - and there’s more being added down the line! 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

Undead West: Devlog #2 - “Whiskey Infusions”

Gunslingers!

Welcome to the second devlog for Undead West!



We just got back from showcasing the demo at SXSW in Sydney, and it was an amazing experience: we got to watch people give Undead West a whirl, chatted to them to glean feedback about how we can improve the gameplay experience, and even try out some other awesome indiedev’s games - and there were a lot of cool ones!

As to our devlog, today we would like to share with you some more info about one of the main features of Undead West - the whiskey infusions, what they are and how they work.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the topic!
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[h3]💀 WHISKEY INFUSIONS[/h3]



Now we’re going to get into one of the core mechanics of Undead West’s gameplay, and again this is about getting to the whiskey part.

When I started prototyping Undead West as a gunslinging wild west bullet hell, I wanted something else, something interesting that adds to the fast-paced flow of combat and can give the player an edge over the various enemies you’ll encounter. And what’s a better staple to a western than a bottle of whiskey?

At first the concept was that enemies had a chance to drop a bottle of whiskey when killed, and picking this item drop up would grant the player a temporary movement bonus as well as a small damage buff to guns.

Initially, I thought it might be a fun little idea to make the screen sway slightly when picking up whiskey, a tradeoff for the boost you’re getting - and something that I was bringing over from a previous game. But very quickly this concept turned into not just a single item drop, but a full array of whiskey bottles that you can unlock and equip, to use during a tough situation in a fight and then replenish at different points in a run.
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[h3]💀 PICK YOUR POISON[/h3]



There are planned to be 15 unlockable whiskey infusions in the game, each with a unique effect so when that cowboy takes a swig, you get a short kick of power.

The 6 whiskeys currently in the game are:

Grit & Powder:
The good ole’ faithful, +20% movement speed & +10% reload speed.

Induced Vigor:

Restore 2 Hearts - up to your current maximum number of hearts.

Boiling Brimstone:
Create a rotating shield of fire that deals heavy damage to enemies on contact.

Speed Demon:
Gain 25% movement speed - and run like the wind.

Bottomless Chamber
No need to reload, just keep on firing till that whiskey boost runs out.

Heart of Iron:
Full invulnerability, until the whiskey runs out.

Some of the more powerful whiskeys will cost more to unlock but give greater benefits. Worth saving up for, so get out there and get shooting.
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[h3]💀 THE BARTENDER[/h3]



When you need to add more kick to your arsenal, head over to the Bartender to purchase your whiskey. This large fellow runs the bar in the hub, and has a nice collection of concoctions for you to check out. (Just don’t ask how clean that rag he wipes down the glasses with is).
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[h3]💀 UNTIL NEXT TIME![/h3]

There’s always some unique little thing you can do in a roguelite other than to shoot, and we’ve got whiskey. It’ll save your life in a pinch, or help you survive just that little bit longer to beat the boss and reach the next stage.

All in all we here at Deathless Games and Retrovibe had a great time at SXSW Sydney, and hope to go again next year! Join the discord or follow us on twitter to get consistent updates on development progress, or just to chat.

Stock up gunslingers, and we’ll see you in the next devlog.

-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