- May 2025 Status Report - 11 May 2025
Hey everyone, sadly we don't have anything new to talk about regarding the development progress of the multiplayer playtest and early access release at the moment. Everything from the previous status report still applies. But nonetheless, we can talk about some features that we haven't revealed until now! Keep in mind that those features are still in development and may change before the next release. Expedition Loadout Customization Dusky Depths will feature customizable starting loadouts for expeditions. To customize your loadout, you will have to analyze items first by either recycling or upgrading them on an expedition. Afterwards, that item will be available for loadout customization on your next expedition! However, those items aren't free. If you don't have enough material to afford your custom loadout, you will spawn with a penalty... Enemy Elites Enemies may rarely appear as el…
- October Status Report - 28 October 2024
Hey everyone, it's time for another report on the current state of Dusky Depths. Multiplayer Playtest Unfortunately, we have missed our planned launch by many months by now due to various real life circumstances unrelated to the development of Dusky Depths. We will refrain from estimating a new time frame for the launch, as it's difficult for us to predict how things will go in the future at the moment. Early Access Release Since the Multiplayer Playtest is delayed, an Early Accesss release for 2024 has also become infeasible. The Future We're really sorry about those rather frustrating delays. We want Dusky Depths to be as good as we can possibly make it. For that, it needs to be stable, perform well and be intuitive to play. But we just aren't there yet, especially with the multiplayer mode. We will make a new announcement with a launch date for the Multiplayer Playtest when we're rea…
- May Status Report - 20 May 2024
Hey everyone, it’s been quite some time since our last post, so we wanted to give you a little update on the current development state of Dusky Depths. Multiplayer Playtest We originally wanted to start the playtest in April, but progress has been much slower than anticipated. The multiplayer mode is a core feature of Dusky Depths, which is why we want to ensure that our netcode is rock solid. Fundamentally flawed netcode would likely be very difficult to fix once it is interwoven into the game. So if we take shortcuts, it would likely come back to bite us in the long run. We can’t say for certain when the playtest will start, but we will try to have it ready this summer. Release Date The release date depends on the outcome of the multiplayer playtest. If the results of the playtest are positive, then we could release the game into Early Access very soon afterwards. But since the playte…
- Our Plans after the Nextfest - 12 February 2024
The Nextfest has been a great success for us. Many people have played the Dusky Depths demo and we have received a lot of additional feedback because of that. A big thank you to anyone who gave our demo a try! Regarding the demo, we have decided to not immediately withdraw it after the end of Nextfest. Instead, its availability will end on February 19th. So if you haven't played it yet, you still have some time. Multiplayer Playtest We will have another playtest soon in order to test online co-op Expeditions. More information to come soonish. Follow us on Twitter, join us on Discord or follow us on Steam (Click the "Follow" Button") to get notified when we open up sign-ups for the playtest!
- Dusky Depths - Watch the Developers Play (Pre-Recorded) - 8 February 2024
Watch the developers play the demo of Dusky Depths! This footage is pre-recorded, but we will also be playing it live soon! Check out our live events: https://steamcommunity.com/games/2621270/announcements/detail/4020094168388309815
- Dusky Depths is an oddly relaxing name for a roguelite bullet hell about escaping a dead planet - 6 February 2024
Dusky Depths - what a pleasant name for a game. It makes me think of sleepy suburban soap operas, slightly worrying brands of shampoo or chocolate, and easy listening radio shows on long-haul train journeys. It doesn't make me think of getting vapourised by laser beams in an exoplanetary cave system, which is what happened when I gave the demo a try. Read more
- Dusky Depths - Watch the Developers Play (Pre-Recorded) - 5 February 2024
Watch the developers play the demo of Dusky Depths! This footage is pre-recorded, but we will also be playing it live soon! Check out our live events: https://steamcommunity.com/games/2621270/announcements/detail/4020094168388285004 https://steamcommunity.com/games/2621270/announcements/detail/4020094168388309815
- Demo Update Feb 05 (0.3.75) - 5 February 2024
Hello! There's not much time left before Next Fest starts! So we have prepared one last update before it will begin. Features Added an option to disable reticle position smoothing for gamepads A warning will be shown 2 minutes before the sentries arrive Added an option to change the "movement mode" for each input method. The default is "Absolute" which means that the ship will move up/down/left/right relative to your display. The alternative option is "Relative" (also known as "Tank Controls"), which means that the ship will move up/down/left/right relative to the ship. Changes Agreeing to the privacy policy is no longer required when starting the game for the first time The feedback button has been replaced with a button that opens the Steam forum of Dusky Depths The input settings menu has been modified so that it's more clear that it configures each input device separately Simplified…
- Dusky Depths Live Stream + Q&A (2/2) - 4 February 2024
Join the developers of Dusky Depths in a live stream of the game! We will be playing the demo and answering any questions you may have in chat!
- Dusky Depths Live Stream + Q&A (1/2) - 4 February 2024
Join the developers of Dusky Depths in a live stream of the game! We will be playing the demo and answering any questions you may have in chat!
- Demo Update Feb 02 (0.3.44) - 2 February 2024
Hey everyone! Based on your feedback and bug reports, we have prepared a new patch for the demo. Features Added/extended various options to customize the HUD (via User Interface Settings) Added minimum and maximum reticle clamp options to the gamepad settings menu (Input Settings -> Change Settings for Gamepad) If the minimum is equal or larger than the maximum, then the reticle will no longer dynamically react to collisions. Added a reticle clamp shape option ("Oval" or "Circle") to the gamepad settings menu Changes When finishing a run, the end match summary will now be shown after a short delay Assorted minor gameplay balance changes Bugfixes Fixed track bar UI elements not moving when holding the left or right direction button down Fixed navigation towards track bar UI elements sometimes not working when using a gamepad Fixed drop-down list panels hiding the mouse cursor when hoveri…
- Nextfest Demo Available Now - 31 January 2024
Hey everyone, The Steam Nextfest is coming up and thus we have prepared a brand new demo version of Dusky Depths for you to play! You can download the demo on our Steam page. We've made a lot of changes, both minor and major, since the playtest in december. If you have participated in the playtest, you will find many bugfixes, performance improvements, quality of life improvements, UI refinements and more. Here's a short list of the highlights: The Map screen is now available The UI scaling can now be adjusted By default, the HUD is now a bit less cluttered Additional HUD customization options have been added Several UI icons have been changed for more clarity The design of several friendly objects in the world has been revamped Color correction has been implemented, giving the game a more interesting look Framerate stuttering has been significantly reduced ... and many more changes! Ad…
- What's next for Dusky Depths? - 15 December 2023
Hey folks, The Playtest has officially ended today! We thank everyone for participating in our Playtest. We have received a lot of really valuable feedback from you all, and we will definitely use it to further improve Dusky Depths. Your Feedback Based on the feedback we have received so far, the most important issues you have raised are: The in-game user interface is cluttered The in-game UI shows a lot of information at once, which can be overwhelming. To remedy this issue, we will introduce several configuration options with which the player can customize their UI. By default, we will try to minimize the amount of UI elements shown to the player. The current HUD. You'll be able to customize many parts of it soon! Which objects in the world are interactable? Right now, it's not 100% clear which objects can be interacted with by the player by sight alone. We will try to make it more cl…
- The Playtest is Live Now! - 8 December 2023
The Dusky Depths open playtest is now available for download! If you have clicked the "Request Access" button on our store page before, then the game should now be available to download and play in your Steam library. If you haven't clicked it, you can still do it of course! Otherwise, if you have any questions, please refer to our previous announcement: Dusky Depths Playtest Announcement Also, check out the Known Issues thread if you have found any problems! We wish you good luck on your exploration of the Dusky Depths! Hotfix 2023-12-08 5:09 PM UTC Removed the map screen on the setup menu. It's still a work-in-progress and will be added back later. Reduced the costs for unlocking loadouts significantly.
- Dusky Depths Playtest Announcement - 30 November 2023
After many, many years, we are thrilled to finally announce that the Dusky Depths Public Playtest will be starting soon! Visit our Steam page and click the Request Access button to pre-register and gain access once it starts gain access immediately! About the game Dusky Depths is a rogue-lite twin stick shooter set on a mysterious and treacherous planet. Take control of your ship and defend yourself against an onslaught of ancient drones and bizarre organisms. How long can you hold out? Your only hope of escaping your eventual demise is to restore and activate the warp gates left behind by an ancient civilization. Where will they lead you? There is only one way to find out.. Scavange for rare loot, upgrade your ship, and unlock ancient mechanisms to escape this strange and hostile place – alone or together with friends. For more information, visit our website. Playtest FAQ What is the D…
