Boons & Burdens News

I’m excited to finally announce Gunlocked 2! Making the original roguelite shoot ‘em up was such a formative moment in my life that I knew if I was ever going to make a sequel it had to be special. For a while, however, I wasn’t sure how. So I’ve spent the past few years experimenting with various spins on the formula, learning what works, and what doesn’t. And after a few extra twists and turns in the journey, it’s finally here (almost).

Wishlist it today: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3492830/Gunlocked_2

The first game’s success was a welcome surprise that changed my life, but it was limited by its originally modest ambitions. When tens of thousands of players joined the fight against the Swarm, the game expanded beyond anything I previously planned. But it could only reach so far outside its original constraints. A sequel was the only way to make things bigger and better.

Gunlocked 2 is, planned from the start to be, a premium indie game that can stand toe-to-toe with the best action RPGs, shmups, and roguelites. It has everything you loved about the original, and many improvements to the formula based on years of feedback.


It's the biggest, and most ambitious FromLefcourt game yet.

And you can help make it even bigger, and even better. A Kickstarter campaign is now underway to fund a more expansive version of the sequel that will deliver extra content and challenges from day 1!

Support the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fromlefcourt/1010217824?ref=6b9sev&token=422002d2

Gunlocked 2 will launch into Early Access on Steam for PC in Q3 2025, proudly keeping the FromLefcourt tradition of heavy community involvement. Unlike more recent games, I expect a long development period full of huge content updates that will dwarf the original in scope and spectacle!

[h2]About Gunlocked 2[/h2]
Movement is your weapon. A sci-fi action roguelite and shmup combined, in Gunlocked 2 you'll pilot and upgrade a state-of-the-art warship against endless waves of deadly aliens. Deep customization, branching paths, truly novel weapons, and tons of unlockables offer endless replayability set against the infinity of outer space.

[h2]What's New in the Sequel?[/h2]

• Expanded Customization: 18 unique pilots, customizable warships with their own strengths and styles, and 100+ infinitely stackable upgrades offer new creative freedom.
  
• Branching Paths: Warp gates let you seamlessly jump to different zones that offer unique battles and rewards. Every run offers new choices!
  
• Refined Control: A new dodge ability gives players more control. And 360-degree analog movement brings Gunlocked out of the retro era and firmly into the present.
  
• Play How You Want: Play for 2 minutes or 20, Gunlocked 2 fits perfectly into whatever free time you have, then save and resume later. But death is still permanent!
  
• Modular Difficulty: Difficulty modifiers now come in multiple levels, and can make the game as hard or as easy as you'd like.
  
• Glorious Pixel Art: Huge, full color sprites with detailed animations make every bullet, bomb, and laser explode with style.
  

More details on the Steam Store Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3492830/Gunlocked_2

[h2]Connect with FromLefcourt[/h2]

• Bluesky: @fromlefcourt.bsky.social
• Mastodon: @[email protected]
• Discord: https://discord.gg/YbdSHs58m9
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fromlefcourt
• IndieDB: https://www.indiedb.com/members/fromlefcourt

This small patch is just to address some special combinations of upgrades that could soft lock the game in rare instances.

• Fixed an issue where a combination of cursed boons could prevent the Burden of Restraint from being completed
  
• Fixed an issue with Summoning Tree (necromancy) and certain Snow Guard and frost talents that could create a near endless loop of summons when bosses were supposed to spawn.
  

What if Tower Defense had auto-battler style drafting, and roguelike replayability? If you love tower defense games as much as I do, you're going to love Cosmic Raze!

Originally conceived as a spin-off from Gunlocked, Cosmic Raze has since become its own unique thing, but for fans of Gunlocked, there's a lot that you'll recognize as you upgrade your weapons, select unique augmentations, and unlock powerful synergy bonuses.

Utilize the powerful shifting mechanic to move your towers around the battlefield to overcome your early build limits.



And between rounds, choose from dozens of passive augments, and then draft and upgrade towers to unlock powerful synergies that compliment them!



The controls are simple and intuitive, and the gameplay is perfect for playing on any device, from Desktop, to Laptop, and especially Steam Deck.

Buy it now for just $2.24!?!: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3129720/Cosmic_Raze/

Why only $2.24? Cosmic Raze is part of my new "Byte Size Initiative." You can read more about that below, but the gist is that I'm making small, but deep games, for super affordable prices. If you don't want to read anymore about it, here's some more "pew, pew"



[h3]Byte Size Initiative[/h3]
Cosmic Raze is the first game in what I'm calling my "Byte Size Initiative." Over the years, I have made dozens of prototypes for a huge variety of genres, from tower defense, to deckbuilders, to pinball, and more. But when individual games take 1-2 years to develop, it limits how many of these could ever be completed by a solo developer, and as a creative I hate thinking I'll never get to finish many of these ideas!

So now I want to make the best ones into small, but deep, and replayable experiences, for super affordable prices. With the benefit of years of experience, and months already put into developing many of these prototypes, I'll be able to release 4-5 of these games a year, and possibly more!

[h3]FromLefcourt on Patreon[/h3]
If you like the cut of my jib, and want to support this initiative, you can subscribe to my new Patreon for just $2 a month, and as long as you're subscribed, you'll get every new Byte Size game I release, along with some other perks.

Or take a wait and see approach like the discerning connoisseur you are.

[h3]Announcing my next game, and a new initiative![/h3]
Cosmic Raze is a tower defense game with auto-battler drafting, and a dash of roguelike elements for endless replayability. Take control of advanced weapon systems, build powerful synergies, and then blast away as aliens attempt to conquer Earth.



Originally conceived as a spin-off from Gunlocked, Cosmic Raze has since become its own unique thing, but for fans of Gunlocked, there's a lot that you'll recognize as you upgrade your weapons, select unique augmentations, and unlock powerful synergy bonuses.



The controls are simple and intuitive, and the gameplay is perfect for playing on any device, from Desktop, to Laptop, and especially Steam Deck.

Wishlist it here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3129720/Cosmic_Raze/

[h3]Byte Size Initiative[/h3]
Cosmic Raze is the first game in what I'm calling my "Byte Size Initiative." Over the years, I have made dozens of prototypes for a huge variety of genres, from tower defense, to deckbuilders, to pinball, and more. But when individual games take 1-2 years to develop, it limits how many of these could ever be completed by a solo developer, and as a creative I hate thinking I'll never get to finish many of these ideas!

So now I want to make the best ones into small, but deep, and replayable experiences, for super affordable prices. With the benefit of years of experience, and months already put into developing many of these prototypes, I'll be able to release 4-5 of these games a year, and possibly more!

[h3]FromLefcourt on Patreon[/h3]
If you like the cut of my jib, and want to support this initiative, you can subscribe to my new Patreon for just $2 a month, and as long as you're subscribed, you'll get every new Byte Size game I release, along with some other perks.

If you'd rather take a wait and see approach, then good news! You won't have to wait long for Cosmic Raze, because it's coming out very soon, and for the low price of $2.99! (regional pricing applies)

Just a small update based on recent feedback.

New Feature

• You can now hold the auto-aim targeting button to temporarily disable/enable auto-aim during battle. This will not change your saved settings. Tapping will still swap between nearest target and highest threat.
  

Bug Fixes

• The Geomancer's Pebble Pelter staff will now correctly show up in the weapon rack on the main menu when unlocked.
  
• Wild Mark boon will no longer trigger 100% of the time, but the correct 10%. Whoops!
  
• The Ring of Lore continues to want to offer previously purchased curses. New protections have been added to prevent edge cases where this might take place...but did I find every edge case?

Hope you're all enjoying the game. The recent spate of positive reviews has been gratifying after all the hard work that went into this. Thanks for your support!