- Impaler at Tiny Roguelikes 2026 - 5 February 2026
Hey everyone! Hope you’re all having a solid 2026 so far. We’re checking in to let you know that Impaler is featured in the Action Roguelikes category of theTiny Roguelikes 2026 event. If you haven’t added the game to your library yet, now is the perfect time to grab it and see how you’ll fare in the Skull King's arena.It’s a great chance to grab the game alongside a massive variety of other roguelikes (Action, Idle, Deckbuilders, Shooters, Looters, Auto-battlers, and more). Whether you want to impale some demons or explore something totally different, there is plenty to dig into. Make sure to check out Tiny Roguelikes 2026 before February 13!
- Bullet Time Unleashed - 6 December 2024
Hey everyone, We're back with another patch! This one brings a highly requested feature, which we weren't too sure about since it required an additional keybind. Initially, Bullet Time was activated on the first shot after filling the bar on top of the screen. Then we introduced the ability to choose whether the activation event was a shot or a stomp attack. Now we're taking next step and giving you the ability to activate Bullet Time with a keybind (this still requires you to fill the Bullet Time Meter first). Here are the full patch notes: Added Bullet Time keybind (default MMB a.k.a. the Scroll Wheel, or MB3) Expanded “Bullet Time Activation” setting to include keybind (this is the new default) In-game help menus updated to reflect configured Bullet Time activation method Added a tutorial popup for Bullet Time activation Reduced density of obstacles in campaign Fixed incorrect center…
- Improvements across the board - 22 November 2024
Hey everyone, We've been collecting feedback since the "Gold" update, and we're coming back with a round of changes aimed at improving gameplay, visuals, and overall performance. We've shortened the campaign rounds, increased weapon damage, and increased the frequency of jump pad spawns. We've also made some key technical improvements, which resulted in faster loading times and fixes for the death cam, as well as a few UI issues. Dive into full patch notes: Content “Health Bars” upgrade was replaced with a new upgrade called “Lost Souls” Visuals “Steroids” upgrade has a visual effect when active (a trail that follows the player) “Vampire” has a visual effect on heal “Bullet Time Heal” provides instantaneous heal w/a visual effect Added suction animation to evil offering for added clarity “Jump Boots” upgrade has an associated effect when air jumping Improvements to all smoke effects Imp…
- Sharpen your aim - 17 October 2024
Hey everyone, We've been taking a closer look at gamepad performance this last couple of weeks, and today we're introducing Aim Assist function for gamepad users - it can be found in the settings menu. Alongside that, we're tinkering a bit with weapon and monster balance, Here are full patch notes: Added aim assist function for gamepad users (game settings menu) Increased Perforator bullet velocity Slightly increased Rifle damage Slightly increased Cannon damage Slightly reduced melee range of Jumpers Increased speed of enemy Turret rockets Stone Heads will no longer teleport if they were damaged recently Potential crash fix for people playing offline modeAs always, please share Impaler with your friends and leave a Steam review if you’re enjoying the game to help us reach even more players. See you in the next one! Apptivus and Retrovibe
- A Patch to Get Your Weekend Going - 27 September 2024
Hey everyone, We've prepared another round of improvements for Impaler Gold, this time we focus again on localization improvements, but we're also bringing down Hornet's power, as they have felt a bit too strong. Further localization fixes Added some improvements to German language version (with the help from Till) Reduced Hornet's movement speed Improved Cage Explosion Effect
- Collect-a-crown! - 12 September 2024
Hey everyone, The Leaderboards for Collectathon are here! Be nimble, be quick, and be ruthless to claim the top spot on the Leaderboard. Update #7 also brings new achievements for our new game mode, along with some improvements, bug fixes, and support for 15 additional languages! We have also reset the Campaign Leaderboard, since there were a lot of gameplay changes introduced since the original Leaderboard appeared in Impaler. Resetting it will enable fresh competition, on equal rules. Can't wait to see you all climb the ranks! Here are the full patch notes for Update #7: 3 new achievements for Collectathon Collectathon leaderboards Reduced load times Various small bug fixes High scores and leaderboards have been reset New language support for: Bulgarian Czech Danish Dutch Finnish Hungarian Italian Norwegian Polish Portuguese (Portugal) Romanian Swedish Turkish Ukrainian Greek Make sur…
- Upcoming Leaderboard Reset - 10 September 2024
Hey everyone, We'd like to let you know that the current Impaler Leaderboards will be reset with the upcoming patch on Thursday, September 12. The competition will start fresh in the Campaign arena, as well as in Collect-a-thon, which is getting its own, separate, leaderboard. In addition, we have brand new achievements for Collect-a-thon coming with this patch along with some bug fixes. Sharpen your spikes, get some practice runs done, screenshot your high-scores before the Leaderboard is wiped clean, and get ready to take the top spot in the Leaderboards on Thursday! See you then!
- Roguelike boomer shooter Impaler gets massive new golden update - 5 August 2024
One of the most wonderful things about the recent surge of boomer shooters is seeing how different developers interpret what a retro FPS should be. Some like Amid Evil look to Heretic for inspiration, others like Dusk bounce off the Quake springboard. Then you get a game like Impaler , which combines a whole ton of influences. You've got bits of Doom, a hint of Rise of the Triad, the arena combat of Quake 3, and even a bit of Unreal Tournament's verticality. Now a brand new update has hit the game, retitling it to Impaler Gold , and there's loads to unpack. Read the rest of the story...
- Impaler Gold Update is Out Now - 5 August 2024
Welcome to the Golden Era of impaling! The time has come, and Impaler Gold is now available worldwide! It is a completely free update for everyone who owns the game, and it will be integrated with the base game for everyone who purchases it from today onwards. Long story short: Impaler is now GOLD! Impaler Gold represents the most significant milestone since the game's initial release. Over the past year, our team has worked hard to refine and expand Impaler, responding to player feedback and pushing Impaler to be the best game it can be. This patch is packed with fresh content, enhanced graphics, improved audio, and a ton of gameplay tweaks, all designed to provide a richer, more engaging experience. Whether you’re a veteran player or just picking up the game, Impaler Gold offers something for you to enjoy. Impaler Gold, however, isn't just another update. We're taking things to anothe…
- Impaler Gold Update Arrives on August 5 - 1 August 2024
Hey everyone, Ever since launching Impaler, we wanted to do more with the game, add more features, and, simply, make it the best game it can be. Over the past year, we’ve released regular updates, allowing you to compete in the Leaderboards, expanding the number of stages, adding Sword, reworking Shotguns, introducing a handful of new enemies, such as the Hive and Pigmen, and much more. Now is the time to take a step further. We’ve been working on this for quite some time now, and we’re finally excited to share more details with you. Introducing: Impaler Gold Impaler Gold is the most significant game update since Impaler’s initial launch. All aspects of the game have been improved and the patch contains 100s of enhancements alongside new content. This update marks a certain milestone in the development of Impaler, and we’re celebrating it with a complete overhaul of the Steam Page, and…
- A Year in Review and Looking Ahead - 14 March 2024
Hello! It’s hard to believe that it’s already been over a year since we launched Impaler and introduced you to the arena filled with fast-paced action, relentless challenges, and retro-inspired aesthetics. In the most recent updates we’ve laid some groundwork for future updates, and we’re finally ready to share more details. However, before we spill the tea, we’d like to share a small summary of what Impaler went through these last twelve months. From the very beginning, our goal with Impaler has been to deliver adrenaline-fueled playthroughs that keep you on the edge of your seat. Throughout the past year, we've continuously refined and enhanced the game's core mechanics to ensure that each run in the arena is as intense and satisfying as possible. Ever since the release, we’ve been seeing messages that players wanted more. More of Impaler. So we delivered. Over the last year, we incre…
- What's that buzzing sound? - 5 October 2023
Hey everyone! In the last update we've laid the groundwork for introducing exciting new content to Impaler. This time around, we are thrilled to introduce NEW MONSTER CLASS - Hornet and Hive, alongside some balance adjustments, gameplay tweaks and bug fixes. Here are the full patch notes: Major Changes New monster class - Hornet and Hive Has a melee and ranged attack Includes both a large and small variation Spawns from hives which can be destroyed before hornets hatch Adds some nice variety to the monster lineup Balance and Gameplay Reduced delay between monsters spawning and attacking Rockets from monsters now create shrapnel making them more dangerous Slightly increased speed of grenade enemies Improved teleport logic for the large stoics Audio and visual Fixed missing particle effect on permanent jump pads Stakes no longer stick to objects and monsters (didn't look good) Overheat so…
- Visual Feast and Gameplay Tweaks - 21 September 2023
Hey everyone! It's been a while, but welcome to Update #5.6! While we are working on future Impaler content, we thought it would be cool to release a rather ligher patch on the content side, but at the same time introduce a handful of QOL changes and squash some bugs, so you can squash demons without any issues popping up! Here are the full patch notes: Major Changes Sweeping improvements to the game’s visuals Numerous fixes and QOL improvements Preparations for future updates Balance and Gameplay Harvester projectiles are now more bouncy Pig monsters are now slightly more accurate Enemy grenades detonate slightly sooner Audio and visual Improved numerous textures, materials, and sprites Improved lighting and material rendering Blood and bullet impacts decals now stick to vertical surfaces Improved blob shadow rendering Improved soft particle rendering - less clipping / z fighting betwe…
- A Symphony of Changes - 13 July 2023
Hey everyone! Welcome to a lighter, #5.5, update. This time we're introducing 2 new upgrades, and a bunch of QoL and balance changes that should make your Impaling experience more comfortable and, most of all, more fun. Here are the full patch notes: Major Changes Two new upgrades Vlad’s Choice - your last shot before overheating the spike staff creates multiple spikes under the closest enemy Symphony of Destruction - spawn an additional group of 2 barrels in another part of the map You can skip upgrade purchases if you dont like the selection Balance / Gameplay Harvester has reduced bullet spread and slightly less recoil Stomp attacks trigger more easily Increased effectiveness of all healing perks by 20% Normal difficulty healing rates increased slightly Nightmare difficulty healing rates decreased slightly Master Spiker achievement can be achieved with
- Sharpen Your Swords! - 15 June 2023
Hey everyone! Update #5, focused on WEAPONS, is now available! It introduces a brand new melee weapon, that is very different from every other piece in the arsenal. The Sword allows you to cut down foes at a close range, but also its shattering shards will surely reach distant enemies. We're also reintroducing Pump Shotgun as a unique weapon, and overhauling The Harvester. On top of that, all weapons have received a visual update! Here are the full patch notes: Major Changes Added new unlockable weapon - Sword Reintroduced Pump Shotgun as a unique weapon Balance overhaul of the Harvester (kind of like the Flak Cannon from Unreal Tournament) Added 4 new unique weapon upgrades for sword and Harvester Improved each weapon's art Balance / Gameplay Player air control increased by 40% Evil offering no longer jumps around because it’s annoying Cluster nades no longer emit mini nades on a direc…
- Enhancing Gravity - 18 May 2023
Hey all! Welcome to the Update #4.5! In this ".5" update, we'll be tinkering with existing systems, rather than adding new content. This time we're taking a look at the gravity, since the floatiness of the Player Character has been coming up pretty frequently since the launch. To add some more oomph to the air controls, we're introducing the wall jump ability. Just press JUMP when touching a wall mid air, and you'll bounce from it ninja style! Apart from that we're taking a look at other gameplay elements, mainly from the balance perspective. and adding some magic touches here and there. Check out the full patch notes: Major Changes Increased the overall game gravity by 50% and improved physics to feel less “floaty” Rebalanced jumping, jump pads, other values to account for change in gravity Added a wall jump ability (jump while touching a wall mid-air) Balance / Gameplay Projectiles sp…
- M-m-m-m-monster Patch - 24 April 2023
Hey all! Welcome to Update #4, also know as the (Unreal Tournament voice) M-m-m-m-monster Update! This time we're introducing a completely new monster, adding new mechanics to some of the monsters, and making the Demoness no longer an optional monster. She's here to stay in the Impaler roster. We're also taking a look at offerings, and having some fun with them. We hope you'll find them cool and exciting! We always like to talk about the next updates in the patch notes, however the plans for Update #5 are not set in stone yet, the general idea is to take a look at weapons, but we'll keep you updated on that once we have more firm things to share. Here are full patch notes: New Content New monster - Pig Man New “platinum” offering variant Jumper monster given a new sprint ability New "Hazard" kill type and scoring Revamped demoness monster + new balance + new audio + healing ability Nume…
- Update #4 on the Beta Branch - 21 April 2023
Hey all! Update #4 is getting ready to get out of the oven, and we feel comfortable enough to launch it on the beta branch to gather as much feedback as possible. This update is focused on monsters revamp, offerings mechanic rework, and more. You can check out work-in-progress patch notes here for more information: https://bit.ly/Update4_Changelog Reminder, to access beta branch, right click Impaler in your Steam library, go to Preferences > Betas, and choose beta_branch from the dropdown menu. We'd love to hear your feedback on our Discord server, or the Beta Branch Feedback Steam Forum. Have fun! Apptivus and Retrovibe
- Rise to the Top - 16 March 2023
Hey all! Welcome to our first ".5" update! While we're hard at work on the Update #4 which revolves around the monsters of Impaler, we've prepared something really cool for you! Introducing: Leaderboards. From now on your high scores will be placed in the worldwide leaderboard, where you will compete with other players. We've also prepared a short list of balance updates for the Boss level! Here are full patch notes: IMPORTANT As we've announced, old high scores will be cleared due to balance / scoring changes and the introduction of leaderboards New Features / Content High score leaderboards implemented Main menu shows your leaderboard rank Score summary shows the total run time (for speed runs) In-game run time can be shown via config file “show_run_timer = 1” Added config file entry to disable crosshair “disable_crosshair = 1” Config file instructions Audio / Visual “Evil” offering i…
- Save your High Scores! - 14 March 2023
Hey everyone! Leaderboards are coming to Impaler! In the next patch you'll be able to compete in the worldwide ranking against other players! We're aiming to launch this update by the end of this week! There's one thing we need to do to ensure a fair and square competition. We will be resetting your High Scores when the patch goes live. If you'd like to save your score for boasting purposes, make sure to screen shot it, and maybe share it in The HIGHSCORE Thread on our forums.
