Nothing Beyond This Point News

One of my Foundational Video Games is Mazeworld, an elder Apple Macintosh first-personifier in which you explore a Carollian landscape of blue-walled darkness and rainbow-shelled snails. I was a young slip of a boy when Mazeworld released, and prone to daymares about crocodiles floating through the ceiling. Imagine my reaction to a game in which you are immediately confronted by a slathering, bodiless Cheshire Cat, its face a grinning smear that is only visible when it's charging right at you.

I'm always looking for games that similarly hide themselves, throwing you into a chasm of occult potentiality from which anything might emerge, given the appropriate rites. Games like Nix Umbra, Death Of A Wish and now Nothing Beyond This Point, a topdown metroidvania in which you are a flaming cube surrounded by floating rods, dropped into a pixelart-scuffed void. RPS reader Mr_B recommended it in our last weekend plays thread, and I couldn't resist trying the demo.

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Hi everyone! Thank you so much for playing the demo of Nothing Beyond This Point. The game was flawless and absolutely no things will need to be addressed. Just kidding.

It got a bunch of players, and there were quite a few issues - some expected, others coming out of nowhere. I will do my best to properly address all of them over time. Better now than at launch! But overall, the concept was well-liked and I'm happy. Therefore, I thought it'd be nice to give an overview of what will happen next.

[h2]Better Tutorial[/h2]
The biggest problem was the tutorial area, which experienced a lot of player drop-off. With the path having two whole corners to navigate through, it was hard to know where to go next, and many players kept backtracking or going the same way over and over. Once you get to the Obelisk and get the map, it's all a lot clearer, but I need to communicate this better.
To address it, I'm changing the layout of the rooms. It will be a straight line up that is clearly communicated via decoration and two early locks. I realize this is boring, but it prevents players from quitting too early. The Brewer and Cutter will be moved to the side, and indicated by a waypoint machine, so fewer players run into it and try to backtrack to it, getting lost. The rest will remain the same: slash, refuel, fireball, dash, combust/void locus, campfire.



[h2]Difficulty[/h2]
Difficulty isn't a major issue right now. I did have to nerf the two consecutive Void Locuses, to again make accessing the Obelisk and maps easier, but apart from that it's alright.
One thing that does bother me, is that most players are hesitant to do anything but Slashing. Fireballs are rarely used. Not using Dash or Combust in the demo is fine, they'll be more useful in the full game, but I'd still like to somehow teach players that fireballs are much more powerful than the Slash, and refueling is fast enough to do is consistently in combat. Maybe a new early-game enemy or changes in enemy behavior can fix this. It's not a huge issue, though - believe me, later areas give you plenty of reason to keep your distance.



[h2]Steam Deck support[/h2]
I want to add proper Steam Deck support, as I understand it's suboptimal right now. I don't have a deck to test it with, but will do my best to optimize for it anyway. Remember you can remap buttons for now!



[h2]Outside of the Demo[/h2]
I'm hardly worki- uh, hard at work on the latest areas and bosses. Here's a sneak peak! The game is pretty much completely planned out at this point, but I could add or remove some bosses depending on how much time I have. The game is set to release early 2026 with 16 areas, 12 bosses, and 3 endings... and you get to meet the Gods! But do they even like you?


I've decided that the demo will stay up for now. Also, progress from the demo will carry over into the full game. So be sure to complete it, you'll get fireworks in the room with the Engine beacon if you do.
Oh yeah! If you haven't already figured it out, there are two bosses in the demo, not one. You find the second boss by going east from the first boss, though you'll have to go around a Void Wind room via north/north/east/east/south/south.

Cheeri-o!

Hi everyone! The demo is live, just in time for Next Fest.

Give it a go, tell me what you think, and have fun. Report any bugs so I can fix them quickly, but of course hopefully there aren't any. Good luck and don't get lost!

Hi everyone! Great news: Nothing Beyond This Point is coming to Steam Next Fest in February 2025! The demo will release on February 24th, be sure to grab it and see what it's all about.

Wow! I look great today.

Nothing Beyond This Point is a unique take on the Metroidvania genre. You play as an entity made from pure fire, who uses Rods, Runes and Sigils to survive in the endless Void. Navigation is key, as the game will not easily tell you where to go, so pay attention to all the help that is available - waypoints, enemies, and helpful passerby's. Secrets are everywhere, so find them to become stronger and tackle increasingly powerful corrupted enemies. But don't be fooled: the Void is extremely empty, and wants you gone as well.

The demo is quite expansive: three areas, a full boss, four items, and so on. You can freely explore and play with how your inferno fights, or just rush straight into completion. A "hard mode" is available if you think you can handle it! I'm currently still polishing everything so it'll be the best possible version to release.

In the meantime: wishlist the game if you haven't already and tell your friends! When it rolls around, give it a play and tell me what you think. Good luck!

- Dieuwt

hm, maybe I should dodge that.

Hi everyone!

Dieuwt here. Progress on Nothing Beyond This Point (NBTP from now on) is going steady. I'm working on finishing the playable demo, which will release in Steam Next Fest in February 2025. In the meantime, I figured it'd be cool to give a preview of what to expect in the game.


NBPT takes place in the one and true Void. Unlike a bunch of other Voids out there, this place is quite... empty. It's slightly confusing to navigate (but don't worry! You can find maps somewhere), mostly completely dark, and things that roam in it, aren't your friend. Occasionally you'll run into something worth investigating, though, so keep your eyes open! Some runes, some Vaults, maybe a strange machine... You can (usually) run away from combat, but then you won't get to see what they do!

And if they do something helpful, you better stick around to reap those benefits.


Recognize this gal? Sure you do.

You're made out of fire! This has advantages: fire immunity, tough to destroy, and infinite regeneration! Unfortunately, Voidfire still hurts you, and enemies don't seem to understand the consequences of their actions, so you'll be fighting all the time. Additionally, the hostile environment may not even let you heal at all!
The combat is very fast-paced and dynamic! Some enemies require you to get up close and personal, while others are too fast to be taken out by melee attacks. Throw endless explosive rods at them instead!

...wait, can we rewind to that please?


I've spent some extra time polishing the combat mechanics this time around. Your "rods", floating sticks made from pure fire or something, are your main resource. You're constantly balancing them, so no combat feels the same Shoot an extra fireball and dodge the next two hits? Refuel now then dash into slashes? Charge an explosion as enemies will be approaching soon? It's up to you.

Many different items spread across the dark world can boost your strategic options: lower cooldowns, stronger rods, or just a good ol' mega-explosion. However, you can only carry one, so pick carefully and remember where you put them, please!


As strong as you are, there's always more to learn. Trace Runes to gain access to powerful items and upgrades. Read Proscribed Books to permanently gain strength. Talk to the divine Raimor to gain new abilities. And much, much more! There's loads of customization options in there, so take your pick and roll with the punches.


In other words, plenty to look around for. Of the 16 planned areas, three will be available in the demo for around 1-2 hours of gameplay! I don't know how to lock down the Void at will, so please don't try to escape, okay? Thanks.

I'm also looking for a publisher this time around! If you know a good one that might be interested, notify me or them so I can hopefully get some more coverage.

So! Wishlist now, tell your friends, and mail your favorite Youtubers that a new Metroidvania (sort of but not really) is coming! Or just wait until February to see for yourself. Cheeri-o!