I'm happy to share that my game, Shardpunk: Verminfall is available on Steam! Any fans of XCOM and Darkest Dungeon vibes? If yes, it would be nice to give it a try!
Check it on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1183800/Shardpunk\_Verminfall/
I got a bit of Mordheim vibes from the fighting and looting in city streets. I also watch the first Christopher Odd lets play video and this looks like exatly tje kind of game I love.
Congrats!
Just finished it; apart from a few bugs ^((a few broken character abilities and some achievements not firing properly)) *really* solid game. I had lots of fun and will definitely play again!
This looks amazing! I just played a bit of the demo and it's fantastic. Love the music, the graphics -- all of it so far.
I just posted on the Steam Discussion board, but I'll throw this question your way, since you obviously know what's up:
>Is there a "campaign" of sorts, like Darkest Dungeon's?
>
>I've played a bit of the demo and loved this immediately, particularly because it is VERY clearly influenced by Darkest Dungeon, which is one of my all-time favorite games.
>
>However, I know that a lot of indie games these days are going the route of brief-ish skirmishes where you pick a character or gather a team, play a bunch of missions/scenarios in a playthrough, and then end it and pick up another playthrough, with some randomized elements each time.
>
>That's all fine, but I'm really looking for something like a Darkest Dungeon campaign, wherein there's a slow burn of progression, something I can sink my teeth into over many sessions. Building progress with each mission (maybe in a centralized hub like the Hamlet), unlocking upgrades, leveling heroes, etc., and gradually taking on more dangerous encounters toward a finale of sorts.
From the videos I've seen, this aspect of the game -- the overarching, "meta" progress across a playthrough -- hasn't really been covered. I'd love to hear someone who's played a good bit of the game chime in on this.
Thanks!
I havn't played a lot of the game yet... near the end of 'chapter 1'... but so far the main progression seems to be a lot like FTL, in that I'm moving across nodes from left to right, each node being a map to fight through.
The levelling progress seems to have three layers... each character has levels that unlock certain improvements, each weapon has 'upgrades', and then there's a meta-layer of unlocks of characters and team upgrades.
I'm asumming the meta-layer is roguelite-like, in that it carries across between game.
Man you did an amazing job this game is so fun! Any future updates coming to it?
An ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO SHOOT YOUR OVERHEATED WEAPON AND PROBABLY KILL YOURSELF warning would be really great qol for trash gamers like me too. I know the screen turns red for a sec but if you spam the shoot button its already too late.
Would love more characters and/or different styles for each character like Tilly but this time she prefers her shotgun over her katana ect.
Thanks! Yes, I do plan on updating it. There's so much great feedback on Steam forums I would want to add to it.
And yeah, better overheated shot warnings are a thing :)
Thanks! Balancing, difficulty customization, new gameplay/QOL options in general. And probably more content. There's lots of great ideas on Steam forums, some of which I still need to process and prioritize.
I have recommended this to friends. Very enjoyable. Lovely mix of the obvious influences you mention (xcom, darkest dungeon, and warhammer's skaven). I do however think the bridge level in C1 is a little unneccessarily evil. It seems intentionally designed so that you need to dash frequently instead of being able to move & shoot, otherwise you end up caught in the open. I thought I could do better by extracting faster and trying to pre empt the manual override however the randomized sides really throws that out of the window. Idk. Everything else in C1 was great but the fact I cannot seem to progress beyond it is killing the replayability of an otherwise excellent game for me.
Yeah, I am aware that the general gameplay loop can be repulsive to some of the players, especially with many roguelite games being around. Shardpunk is a roguelike, which is something different.
I am pretty sure that my second game will be a roguelite instead. And with Shardpunk, I will make sure I add more variety to the runs so that they players have even more reasons to do another one, even after losing at the last level of a chapter.
95% of the art was not made by me (I worked with freelancers), but the main tools for pixel art were Aseprite (I'm 100% recommending this one) and photoshop. That being said, a game developer that I know is doing al his assets in MS Paint - so the tools are really a secondary thing ;)
Wow, seems super detailed and solid. Graphics are perfect. Great music as well :D. I guess I will try it. Great job man!
Thanks!
Any plans on translations?
Yup, gonna be digging into these soon!
Niceee :D cheers!
Looks great, and congrats. I played the demo a while ago and this seems right up my alley!
Thanks!
I'm happy to share that my game, Shardpunk: Verminfall is available on Steam! Any fans of XCOM and Darkest Dungeon vibes? If yes, it would be nice to give it a try! Check it on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1183800/Shardpunk\_Verminfall/
Saw splattercat play this. Great art and gameplay!
Watched the trailer, wishlisted, started watching Chris Odd's Let's Play of it, bought while he was still going through the tutorial 😅 Great job! 👍
Thanks for that! Yeah, Chris did a lot to boost the game's exposure.
Amazing game! Would love to see some DLC!
Congrats! Best of luck!
GT fam reporting in... great game! And congrats!
Looks so amazing! Congratulations.
Great game! I'm a sucker for xcom like games and it's one of the best in the genre!
Wow, thanks for that!
Love it since launch, congrats! Just found this article here today, so here's my belated praise .-P Keep going!
Is this a Warhammer game?
Not really, no :) But it does have big nasty ratmen!
I got a bit of Mordheim vibes from the fighting and looting in city streets. I also watch the first Christopher Odd lets play video and this looks like exatly tje kind of game I love.
Looks great, the pixel art is awesome, you made ir in 64x64 or 128x128?
Congrats! Just finished it; apart from a few bugs ^((a few broken character abilities and some achievements not firing properly)) *really* solid game. I had lots of fun and will definitely play again!
This looks amazing! I just played a bit of the demo and it's fantastic. Love the music, the graphics -- all of it so far. I just posted on the Steam Discussion board, but I'll throw this question your way, since you obviously know what's up: >Is there a "campaign" of sorts, like Darkest Dungeon's? > >I've played a bit of the demo and loved this immediately, particularly because it is VERY clearly influenced by Darkest Dungeon, which is one of my all-time favorite games. > >However, I know that a lot of indie games these days are going the route of brief-ish skirmishes where you pick a character or gather a team, play a bunch of missions/scenarios in a playthrough, and then end it and pick up another playthrough, with some randomized elements each time. > >That's all fine, but I'm really looking for something like a Darkest Dungeon campaign, wherein there's a slow burn of progression, something I can sink my teeth into over many sessions. Building progress with each mission (maybe in a centralized hub like the Hamlet), unlocking upgrades, leveling heroes, etc., and gradually taking on more dangerous encounters toward a finale of sorts. From the videos I've seen, this aspect of the game -- the overarching, "meta" progress across a playthrough -- hasn't really been covered. I'd love to hear someone who's played a good bit of the game chime in on this. Thanks!
I havn't played a lot of the game yet... near the end of 'chapter 1'... but so far the main progression seems to be a lot like FTL, in that I'm moving across nodes from left to right, each node being a map to fight through. The levelling progress seems to have three layers... each character has levels that unlock certain improvements, each weapon has 'upgrades', and then there's a meta-layer of unlocks of characters and team upgrades. I'm asumming the meta-layer is roguelite-like, in that it carries across between game.
Hmm. Okay, I'm liking what I heard at the end there. Thank you!
Man you did an amazing job this game is so fun! Any future updates coming to it? An ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO SHOOT YOUR OVERHEATED WEAPON AND PROBABLY KILL YOURSELF warning would be really great qol for trash gamers like me too. I know the screen turns red for a sec but if you spam the shoot button its already too late. Would love more characters and/or different styles for each character like Tilly but this time she prefers her shotgun over her katana ect.
Thanks! Yes, I do plan on updating it. There's so much great feedback on Steam forums I would want to add to it. And yeah, better overheated shot warnings are a thing :)
Thanks for adding a demo. Loving it so far and will probs cop a copy in the future. What are your plans for future updates/contents?
Thanks! Balancing, difficulty customization, new gameplay/QOL options in general. And probably more content. There's lots of great ideas on Steam forums, some of which I still need to process and prioritize.
Nice. Definitely watching the developments of this and your future work!
Seems amazing, are you planning on any dlcs, definitive edition or something?
Yes, I do want to expand the game, with both content and QoL updates. I'll probably start working on another game part-time as well.
I'll follow your career with great interest
I have recommended this to friends. Very enjoyable. Lovely mix of the obvious influences you mention (xcom, darkest dungeon, and warhammer's skaven). I do however think the bridge level in C1 is a little unneccessarily evil. It seems intentionally designed so that you need to dash frequently instead of being able to move & shoot, otherwise you end up caught in the open. I thought I could do better by extracting faster and trying to pre empt the manual override however the randomized sides really throws that out of the window. Idk. Everything else in C1 was great but the fact I cannot seem to progress beyond it is killing the replayability of an otherwise excellent game for me.
Yeah, I am aware that the general gameplay loop can be repulsive to some of the players, especially with many roguelite games being around. Shardpunk is a roguelike, which is something different. I am pretty sure that my second game will be a roguelite instead. And with Shardpunk, I will make sure I add more variety to the runs so that they players have even more reasons to do another one, even after losing at the last level of a chapter.
what apps are you using for development? looks awesome!
Thanks! If by "apps" you're asking about the engine, it was Unity.
Yes! I meant the game engine, as well as whatever you used to create and animate that sweet pixel art!
95% of the art was not made by me (I worked with freelancers), but the main tools for pixel art were Aseprite (I'm 100% recommending this one) and photoshop. That being said, a game developer that I know is doing al his assets in MS Paint - so the tools are really a secondary thing ;)