RailGods of Hysterra News

April 23 – The Dreamers Awaken

When the Great Old Ones returned, the world was shattered. Billions perished. The
survivors? Scattered, half-mad, clinging to remnants of reason. Time, space, and even memory were twisted under the will of ancient gods who reshaped Earth beyond recognition.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
The gods divided what remained among themselves and each began terraforming their territory to their liking.

[hr][/hr]
[h3]Yet not all was lost.[/h3]

Before the world fell, one man, H. P. Lovecraft, saw the signs of the impending doom. He gathered Dreamers from across the globe; visionaries, mystics, and outcasts, all united by a single purpose: to save humanity. Together, they hid themselves in mausoleums and crypts, suspended themselves in a supernatural sleep, and descended into the Dreamlands. There, beyond the reach of the Great Old Ones, they sought knowledge from ancient priests, brilliant polymaths, and forgotten professors, until finally, in the city of Sarkomand they forged a plan. The plan was the Eternal Railways and the instrument of that salvation?
[hr][/hr]
[h3]The RailGod.[/h3]

Born of Dreamland knowledge and bound in steel and shoggoth-plasm, the RailGod is no mere machine, it is a living god forged for one purpose: to carve a path of survival through a world consumed by madness.

And now, the time has come.

On April 23rd, the Dreamers shall awaken.
The RailGod will rise.

And salvation shall thunder across the rails of Hysterra.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3201910/RailGods_of_Hysterra

[h2]Heed the whispers of the RailGods — your fate awaits![/h2]

► Discord: https://discord.gg/railgodsofhysterra

► X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RailGodsGame

► Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RailGods

► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@railgodsofhysterra
► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/railgodsofhysterra.bsky.social

► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/railgodsofhysterra/

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalVortexEntertainment

Guns N' Foes: Choose Your Weapon, Embrace the Chaos

RailGods of Hysterra is not your average survival game. Instead of a cabin in the woods, your home is a living, tentacled train, a monstrous RailGod that you are symbiotically bound to.

You are a Dreamer, part mage, part scavenger, part god-touched survivor, and you'll be exploring Hysterra as you set forth on the Eternal Railways with your RailGod to gather resources, and expand your mobile base… all while managing your sanity in a world corrupted by the Great Old Ones.

Combat in RailGods of Hysterra is a fusion of early-industrial firearms and forbidden magic, granted to you by the RailGod itself, though there is a price to pay if you choose to accept its gifts - your humanity!

The latest trailer, Guns'N Foes, showcases many of the weapons and combat styles in the game, from handcrafted pistols, Victorian rifles, mystical blasts, and even your bare fists (if you're brave enough).

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[hr][/hr]

March 26 draws near... and with it, a revelation. Mark your calendars, and prepare yourself for that day, you won't want to miss what’s coming.

[hr][/hr]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3201910/RailGods_of_Hysterra

[h2]Heed the whispers of the RailGods — your fate awaits![/h2]

► Discord: https://discord.gg/railgodsofhysterra

► X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RailGodsGame

► Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RailGods

► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@railgodsofhysterra
► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/railgodsofhysterra.bsky.social

► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/railgodsofhysterra/

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalVortexEntertainment

Lovecraftian survival game RailGods of Hysterra shows off its weapon arsenal

We've seen a lot of survival games in the past couple of years. While some stick to Valheim and The Forest's tried and tested formula, we've seen Nightingale put a 'gaslamp' spin on the standard fare and, of course, Palworld's viral creature-collecting. RailGods of Hysterra, however, is changing things up yet again, placing your base on a roaming steam train that houses a Lovecraftian god. You'll make your way through the Dreamlands, power yourself up, and collect resources to expand out your home away from home. Oh, and you'll also be collecting sacrifices, but it's not as bad as it sounds, trust me.

Read the rest of the story...

Embracing the RailGod's Gifts

"You could stay human. You could keep your fragile sanity intact. Or… you could take the gift offered by the RailGod. But to gain power, something must be given in return, that something is your Madness.
For those who serve the RailGod, Madness need not be a burden, it can be a currency. The question is, how much are you willing to spend?"

Before you can wield Madness, you must understand it.

In our previous article, Of Madness and RailGods, we explored the origins of this mechanic. We spoke of how Madness evolved from a punishment into a choice, even becoming something akin to a currency that can be traded for power, and how it manifests not just as a mechanic, but as a psychological experience. If you haven’t yet read that article, we recommend starting there to grasp the full weight of what Madness truly means.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
For this article, we will be diving into Madness again, but this time it will be more of an explanation of how it works. We'll be covering how Madness becomes fuel for transformation: how it is gained, how it is spent, and how it unlocks the forbidden God-Keeper Skills. We’ll also explore the mysterious Magic Wheel, the strange mechanism by which power is granted - or denied.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]How to Gain & Control Madness[/h2]

Perhaps the most important thing to know about Madness as a mechanic in RailGods of Hysterra is that it is not random, it is the result of a series of choices. The goal is simple, every interaction should come with a cost.

[hr][/hr]
[h3]What Increases Madness?[/h3]
Madness can be gained through various actions, some intentional, some unavoidable.

Remaining away from the RailGod for too long
Exploring corrupted lands where reality is unstable
Witnessing eldritch horrors that should not exist
Reading ancient texts filled with knowledge mortals were never meant to understand
Interacting with artefacts infused with the energy of the Great Old Ones

As you trigger any/each of these points, Madness will build and it will gradually alter the way that you perceive the world.

[hr][/hr]
[h3]The Effects of Madness[/h3]
Displaying the effects of Madness to the player is not as easy as it sounds. After all, as we described in the previous article we wanted to move away from simply relying on visual tricks, and instead, have the mechanic be something that has a direct impact on the player's experience by distorting what they see, and make survive a challenge.

Eyeballs appear in the inventory.
This is to give the player the impression that, as they go "mad", they lose memories of what they have. That herbal tea you once had in your inventory? Well, now you no longer know what it is. Don't worry, once you relieve yourself of the madness, you will recognise it again.
The world is bathed in red mist.
To show the player's vision is impaired, a red fog closes in on the player.
The Mini-map becomes useless.
This works hand in hand with the previous two points. It is another layer that makes players feel like they are forgetting what they once knew / they begin to question what is real and what is not.

These are the features that we have right now, however, we are constantly looking to build on this. So for the future, know that we are likely to add more ways that Madness can impact you, especially if it ultimately results in the player feeling disoriented, lost, and vulnerable.

[hr][/hr]
[h3]Managing Madness[/h3]
As we've mentioned a few times, we've always wanted to include some form of "choice" when it comes to Madness. Not by means of whether it affects you or not, but by means of what you can do with it.

The first step in doing this is to have a way that players can manage the Madness. This means that there has to be a way for players to purge themselves of its creeping grasp.

Ways to cleanse Madness include:

Returning to the RailGod
The act of offering Madness to the RailGod will reset the Dreamer’s mind, for a time. However, in doing so the player will walk down a path that sees their humanity slowly be eroded.
Drinking Herbal Teas
Certain concoctions help suppress Madness, though their effects are temporary. This method will dissipate the Madness, removing it from the player's body entirely. By taking this method, the player will retain their humanity, but they won't get anything in return from the RailGod.
Avoiding eldritch corruption
There are places no sane Dreamer should walk. Some step into the darkness and never return. Whether or not this is always possible is a different point entirely.

Ultimately, for those who wish to hold on to their humanity, managing Madness is a constant battle.

For those who don’t, there is another path.

[hr][/hr]
[h3]God-Keeper Skills – The Gifts of Madness[/h3]
"To wield power beyond mortal understanding, one must first accept the cost. The weak fear Madness. The strong wield it."

The God-Keeper Skills are gifts granted by the RailGod, but only to those willing to surrender their Madness in exchange.

Unlike traditional RPG abilities, these are not passive perks, they are transformative. The more a Dreamer embraces the RailGod’s power, the less human they become, but in doing so, they become more powerful than they could possibly imagine.

[hr][/hr]
[h3]How Are God-Keeper Skills Obtained?[/h3]
God-Keeper Skills are not freely given, they must be earned by offering Madness to the RailGod. It is through this mechanism that we turn Madness into something far more than just a debuff.

However, one must know that acquiring power always comes at a cost, each ability pushes the Dreamer further from what they once were.

The Most Sought-After God-Keeper Skills

The most powerful abilities allow Dreamers to transcend their limits, but none come without consequence.

Teleportation
The most praised ability. Allows Dreamers to instantly return to their RailGod but at what cost?
Gathering Tentacles
Enhances resource collection, but replaces the Dreamer’s arm with something… other.
Unveiling the Map
Clears the fog of war, but does the Dreamer truly see the land as it is… or how the RailGod wants them to see it?

Dreamers may find themselves wondering: Did they make the choice, or was the choice made for them?

[hr][/hr]
[h2]The Magic Wheel[/h2]
The Magic Wheel is the interface for the powers that the RailGod has granted you.

[h3]How It Works[/h3]

When the player gets a power from the RailGod, they need a way to access/use that power.
This is handled by the "magic wheel", think of it as a power selector.

[hr][/hr]
"The strongest warriors of Hysterra are not those who resist Madness, but those who wield it."

Madness is not an obstacle it is a tool, a currency, and a path to transformation.
Dreamers must decide:

Do you control the Madness, or does it control you?
Do you embrace the gifts of the RailGod, knowing you will never be the same?
Do you spin the Magic Wheel, knowing you may never return to what you once were?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3201910/RailGods_of_Hysterra

[h2]Heed the whispers of the RailGods — your fate awaits![/h2]

► Discord: https://discord.gg/railgodsofhysterra

► X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RailGodsGame

► Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RailGods

► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@railgodsofhysterra
► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/railgodsofhysterra.bsky.social

► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/railgodsofhysterra/

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalVortexEntertainment

Of Madness and RailGods

"It begins as a whisper. A shadow at the edge of your vision. A distortion of time, of place, of reality itself. The Wastelands do not kill with teeth and claws alone—they unravel you. But where one mind breaks, another may bend. And bending? That is where the power lies."

Survival in RailGods of Hysterra is not just about defending yourself against the monsters of Hysterra, managing the madness of the unforgiving world plays a huge role.

In a world where the Great Old Ones have already won, where civilization has crumbled into isolated fortresses that cling to existence in a desperate struggle to survive, the greatest threat is often not what lurks outside, but what stirs within.

The culprit? Madness. An ever-present corruption that twists reality and tests the will of those who dare to travel the Eternal Railways.

But, in a world where the Great Old Ones reign supreme, Madness is not just a punishment, there are those who have learnt to use and control it. Madness is a choice, a resource, a currency, however, it is one that players must navigate and manage carefully.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]The Origins of Madness – Inspiration and Design[/h2]
When designing RailGods of Hysterra, our team drew inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft (stating the obvious, right?). However, for those of you who have not read his works, you may be surprised to know that they rarely feature monsters that kill outright. Instead, they tell stories of scholars, explorers, and dreamers who stare too deeply into the abyss and in doing so are forever changed.

That was the inspiration for Madness in our game. It was never meant to be just another debuff, we wanted it to be something that players could interact with, by manipulating and harnessing it.

“In Lovecraft’s stories, those who seek knowledge often find only despair. But in RailGods, we wanted to offer something more, power. Madness is a curse, but it is also a tool.”

From the beginning, we knew that Madness couldn’t just be a timer ticking down to failure. Instead, we asked:

What if players could choose to push deeper into Madness?
What if Madness wasn’t just a punishment?
What if losing your mind didn’t mean losing the game, instead it opened a door.

This is how the Madness System was born.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]The Evolution of Madness – From Concept to Final Design[/h2]

Unlike many other survival horror mechanics where over time, sanity simply vanishes, we treat Madness as something much more reactive, even dynamic.

Players gain Madness when they leave the safety of fortified cities and venture into the Wastelands of Hysterra. The longer they stay, the more reality begins to warp and shift.
At first, the system was fairly simple, Madness built up over time and as it built up, it created hallucinations and some other minor effects. But during our early playtesting, we realized a few points:

If Madness was only a punishment, players would simply avoid it.
If Madness was too chaotic, players would get frustrated rather than immersed.
If there was no reward for taking the risk, there was no reason to engage with the system.

If you've played our latest demo, you'll know that the Madness in the game is very different to what we just described. That's because as we realised those points, we redesigned the system.

Instead of being a simple debuff, we converted Madness a trade-off system of sorts, yes it can (and will) negatively impact you, however, it can be used. This changed madness into a choice.

The First Choice

Players can manage their sanity drinking herbal teas is a great way to do so, but this simply makes the madness vanish. The player does not “use” it.

The Second Choice:

Players can intentionally let the madness grow, and in doing so, they can use it to power, knowledge, and abilities that no sane mind could comprehend.

This is where how the philosophy of Madness changed, from a simple horror mechanic to a player-driven experience.

“The best horror doesn’t just make you feel afraid—it makes you complicit. It tempts you. It whispers: ‘What if?’”

Ultimately, it comes down to this, madness is both a pathway to power and the price one must pay to get that power, it is a choice:

Do I return to the RailGod and cleanse my mind?
Or do I push further into the abyss and see what power awaits?

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Manifesting Madness – Audio, Visuals, and Player Experience[/h2]

Core to all of this is how the player experiences the madness when they play the game. It is not simply a UI element/a number on the screen, we've made it in a way where players can see, hear, and feel (through their character of course).

The way that we achieve this is through:

[h3]Visual Distortions: Seeing What Shouldn’t Be There[/h3]

As Madness builds, the environment warps around the player's viewport.
Shadows stretch where they shouldn’t.
The world seems too bright, too dark, or simply…wrong.

[h3]Audio Manipulation: The Whispers That Never Stop[/h3]

As Madness increases, sounds shift.
You might hear footsteps that aren’t there.
Voices whisper things that you simply cannot understand...yet.

[h3]UI Disruptions: When Even the Inventory Lies[/h3]

At high Madness levels, your inventory becomes unreliable.
Items are replaced with watching eyes.
Some resources appear and disappear.

The goal was to make madness not just a difficulty mechanic, but a more psychological experience. We wanted players to question the world we've built with questions such as:

Can you trust what you see?
Can you trust what you hear?
Can you even trust yourself?

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Survival vs. Surrender – The Player’s Choice[/h2]
We mentioned this earlier on, but madness is not a game-ending feature. Unlike many other horror games, where when one loses their sanity, it ultimately results in the player losing the game, RailGods uses it to give players a way to choose their path.

Resisting madness means staying close to safety, and refusing the whispers of the void. Do this and players can retain your humanity.

Or, the player can choose to embrace the madness. Instead of controlling it, players can offer it to the RailGod in exchange for forbidden strength.

This is the balance we wanted, this is why we say that madness is a currency, not just punishment. Ultimately, it is used to pay for power.

“The strongest warriors of Hysterra are not those who resist Madness, but those who wield it.”

[h2]The Future of Madness in RailGods[/h2]
While the current Madness System is already deep, we are expanding it further.

More Visual & Audio Distortions – Increasing hallucinations and reality shifts based on Madness levels.
New Madness-Based Abilities – Unlocking even more eldritch skills for those who truly abandon their humanity.
Madness-Based Events – Encounters and alternate storylines based on your level of corruption.

Madness is ever-evolving, much like those who embrace it. So the question remains…
Will you resist the Madness? Or will you become something more?