Tombwater News

Wild West Metroidvania reveals giant map worthy of Red Dead Redemption 2

The Western soulslike Tombwater's Lovecraftian aspects were enough to intrigue me when it was first announced earlier this year, but now the developers have revealed the sheer size of the game, enough to rival the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2, and I am even more invested and impressed. Going one better, you can check out a piece for yourself on Steam for free now.

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Tombwater Map Reveal

[p]Howdy gunslingers!
[/p][p]The folks at GamesRadar+ just featured our map reveal, giving the first peek at nearly the full scope of the game. Honestly, we were having so much fun that we didn’t quite realize how big the map was growing as we were building! [/p][p][/p][p]There are nearly 20 distinct biomes to progress through in a non-linear fashion, with a mix of areas you can explore at any time and others that you need to unlock by gaining an ability, procuring an item, or defeating a boss. At launch, Tombwater is estimated to take 20-25 hours of gameplay for completion. So, pack a canteen and some jerky and prepare to stay awhile! [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]For context, the current demo explores the Spanish Fort, an experience that shares only 5% of this extensive playable map.
[/p][p]Detailed Points of Interest[/p]

[p]Central District includes:[/p]
- [p]Tombwater Station, a historical landmark under the care of Amos Armijo, who somehow maintains a safe haven from the town’s monsters.[/p]
- [p]A traveling circus is in town but beware, there is no shortage of clowns![/p]
- [p]The Argent Cathedral, a local behemoth offering sacred rituals and a congregation of aggressive acolytes.
  [/p]
[p]Thistle Gulch includes:[/p]
- [p]A vast expanse of scrubland before the mesa ruins. The area is dangerously filled with hungry coyotes, oversized spiders, and other indescribable creatures. [/p]
- [p]A gateway to Tombwater Lake, the source of Silverwater rumored to have made the townspeople unnaturally strong. [/p]
- [p]Thistle Ranch, an abandoned homestead, dotted with the bloated remains of cattle and shambling figures picking their way between the carcasses.[/p]
- [p]Its namesake thistles can grow thick and tall. Visitors will need to make sure they have found some way of creating fire to clear a path.[/p]

[p]
[/p][p]We’d love to have you in the loop on our social channels. You can follow the developer, Max Mraz, on Bluesky and join the Midwest Games Discord for ongoing game updates.
[/p][p]Stay safe and be wary of the madness.[/p][p] - Tombwater Team [/p]

July 8th, 2025 - Demo Patch v0.3.4

[p]Howdy gunslingers![/p][p][/p][p]We’re still hard at work getting Tombwater ready for its full release. In the meantime, we’ve rolled out some updates to make the demo experience even better. If you have any feedback that is not listed here, please let us know in the Steam Discussions tab or in the Midwest Games Discord. [/p][p][/p]

Patch Notes

[h3]New Features[/h3]

[p]Expanded and reworked layout of Presidio Alto[/p]
[p]Select weapons now feature special move "Weapon Art," which costs a small amount of Madness per use (test it out with LB!)[/p]
[p]Revamped the Madness system: [/p]
- [p]Exceeding your Madness cap now prevents the use of casting spells and Weapon Arts until you rest at a campfire[/p]
- [p]The Madness cap can be increased as you progress through the game[/p]

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

[p]Added a version control checker[/p]
[p]Fixed a crash related to control remapping [/p]
[p]Overall improvements to the remapping system [/p]

[h3]Known Issue[/h3]

[p]The puzzle in the new area of Presidio Alto can be exploited by spamming the switches - this shouldn’t block progress, but it’s on our radar[/p]

[p][/p][p]We’re so darn grateful to everyone who’s played the demo and shared feedback - you are a huge help in making Tombwater the best it can be. We’ve got some exciting news coming, so stay tuned!
[/p][p]- The Tombwater Team [/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

Tombwater: Know Before You Go

[h3]TRAVEL WARNING: Reports of violent townspeople, contagious madness, and eldritch beasts on the rise in the town of Tombwater.
[/h3] Howdy Gunslingers! While I’m just the humble proprietor of what is perhaps the finest general store West of the Great Plains, allow me to recommend the respectable town of Tombwater as a comfortable restin’ stop on your journeys.

Many of you are familiar with our prosperous silver mines or perhaps arrived by train to play our demo. Rest assured, Tombwater has so much more for you to explore, just make sure you’re prepared!

Pack for A Pleasant Visit:

Healing Flask: Don’t forget this necessary item to restore your HP when needed!
Lantern: A must have to explore through the viscous darkness of Tombwater’s tunnels and caves.
Weapons: Beyond classic firearms, many visitors find an array of weaponry best suits their time here.
Spells, Charms and Potions: Pack lightly, there are plenty of hidden items to aid you in combat.
Climbing Gear/Grappling Hook: If you don’t own gear, you may find some that others have left behind due to their… quick departure.

Know Before You Go:

Our town is unfortunately plagued by deadly Eldritch beasts.
If you come across an open campfire, take some rest. You’ll need it.
Stay fit as a fiddle by keepin’ an eye on your madness meter.
Ammo is hard to come across in Tombwater, so you may have to resort to other forms of attack, such as melees.
You cannot leave. A curse traps everyone and everything in Tombwater.

Tombwater is a special town but there’s a madness spreadin’ far beyond our control. For any of you strongfolk who brave the demo, prepare yourself for the otherworldly journey that lies ahead, and, please, stop by Dusty Withers’ Wares and Sundries for your general store needs!

Much obliged,
Dusty Withers

May 14th, 2025 - Demo Patch v0.2.3

Howdy gunslingers!

As you may have realized, Tombwater is a town enveloped in madness and evil. And we would be mad to not listen to your feedback! We have implemented a few changes and bug fixes that will improve the demo experience. If you have any feedback that is not listed here, please let us know in the Steam Discussions tab or in the Midwest Games Discord.

Patch Notes

[h2]Changes[/h2]

Nerf for Blood Rain spell damage output
Improvements for M/KB controls
- Changed "Attack" to Left Mouse
- Changed "Fire" to Right Mouse
- Changed "Wraith Shot" to Middle/Side Mouse
- Changed "Pause/Unpause" to ESC
- Changed "Cancel" to Tab/Backspace
- Arrow keys are now hard bound to navigation controls in addition to WASD (WASD can be rebound, Arrow keys cannot due to a limitation of the engine)
- Added a visible cursor to assist in aiming using the Mouse

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

Fixed issue where the UI was displaying generic control prompts instead of Xbox/PS4 specific
Fixed issue where firing the gun then rapidly changing screens can disable gun use
Fixed issue where dying before picking up the Spanish Fort key causes the key to disappear
Fixed unintended inputs for confirming purchases in a shop
Fixed issue where the player can move during the class selection screen, resulting in re-triggering the cutscene and all kinds of funky issues

We are grateful for all the support that we have received on the demo! Reminder, the demo is really just a small dungeon in the greater world. There is so much more freedom to roam in the overworld coming later this year. Stay safe out there. Avoid the madness.

- The Tombwater Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3547600/Tombwater_Demo/