- Demo Update and Future Plans - 24 April 2026
Demo UpdateToday we will be updating our demo to better fit the current state of the game. While it does not include all the we are working on we wanted to give you all a taste of what's coming by opening up the city and including a little bit of Act 1 in it. We have also fixed a ton of bugs and issues and improved on the combat.We hope you enjoy the update, it has taken us a while to get here due to a technical rework but from here on out we we'll be able to advance more rapidly with development.Below are the patch notes of this update.PATCH 0.2MAINPost-Prologue ContentWith this update we are opening up the city and giving you a taste of the story beyond the prologue. Once the prologue is done (i.e returning the shipment to Bilby and going to the White Rose), Bruce will be thrown into the open world allowing you to explore to your heart's content. The content in Act 1 is sparse, as it…
- Streets of Kingsport - 11 March 2026
Streets of Kingsport (Fictionalized Halifax)Today we will go over some of the streets you will visit in Button Man. These will host the majority of the game with many of our characters, puzzles, and story beats happening within them. All were inspired by Halifax Nova Scotia, with some landmarks appearing obvious and others interpolated to suit our style. St. John's StreetShop, drink (anything but booze wink wink), eat and take in the sights of the Old Cemetery where heroes and influential people are buried. As the seat of the Old Guard's power, Mr. Fisher ruled Kingsport from the White Rose Restaurant. Now Mr. Castellanos rules this street, and most don't seem to like him much.MiltonThe fancier part of town, where the well off reside and come for entertainment. It was the first to be fixed up after the explosion, and remains pristine as if most of the funds of the relief commission went…
- Gamescom, Demo Update, and Backerkit! - 8 August 2025
Button Man is coming to Gamescom for the second year!For the second year we are bringing Button Man to the Indie Area of Gamescom at Hall 10.2! Come join us for 4 intensive days and get a behind the scenes and personal look at the game, the comic, and the goodies :)Demo Update Soon!Act 1 Preview!Act 1 of the game is being added in, with the first two quests and the open town ready by Gamescom time for your enjoyment!More Locations!We have added the main streets of the city to explore, each inspired by real life locations in Halifax Nova Scotia. While many of our indoor locations are still WIP we would like to give you a chance to explore and feel the atmosphere of our version of Halifax for yourself. Better Combat!We have improved the fighting in the game both mechanically and visually. Alongside those improvements we have added grabbing to the combat, allowing you to hold some opponent…
- Introducing the Old Guard - 23 January 2025
In turn-of-the-century Kingsport, an organization colloquially known as the ‘Old Guard’ controls the city’s underworld, pulls the strings of daily life, and even operates the Explosion Relief Commission. Helmed by the charismatic Mr. Fisher, the organization cemented its control in the wake of that tragic explosion which devastated half of the town. Fisher created his organization to position himself as the most loved person in town, using goodwill as a fuel to power the underbelly of corrupted politics and police. Still, in the eyes of so many, the relief from Fisher and his commission to the city of Kingsport following the explosion secured his place as a local hero. Extortion and protection rackets, rum running, loan sharking; any methods were used to make Mr. Fisher the most powerful man in town, with no one to oppose him… until a bullet ended his career and threw the Old Guard into…
- Button Man is part of TGAGWCAGA 2024! - 13 December 2024
We’re thrilled to announce that Button Man will be featured in TGAGWCAGA 2024—The Game Awards for Games Who Can't Afford the Game Awards! This one-of-a-kind indie showcase is streaming this Friday, December 13th! TGAGWCAGA highlights incredible indie games that truly deserve more attention while also poking a little fun at the exclusivity of The Game Awards. Subscribe now to TGAGWCAGA’s YouTube channel so you don’t miss out! 📅 TGAGWCAGA 2024 🕔 Friday, December 13th 5:00 PM UTC / 6:00 PM CET / 12:00 PM ET 📺 Watch the stream here: https://www.youtube.com/@TGAGWCAGA We’ll also be part of the TGAGWCAGA Steam Event running from December 13th to December 22nd, featuring tons of amazing indie games—including ours! Make sure to join us this Friday, tell your friends and Wishlist your favorite titles!
- Streaming! Watch Devs Play Button Man! - 17 October 2024
Join us as we stream Button Man and have a chat with our developers about the game, the process, our inspirations, and more!
- Button Man Demo is Here! - 14 October 2024
The time we've all been waiting for is here! Check out the demo here! It's the moment you can give Button Man a proper try with a presentation of the prologue of the game! Play as Bruce McKenzie as he returns from abroad and put straight to work for Kingsport bigwig Albert Fisher. The Demo will be updated throughout the NextFest event and beyond! To give feedback and report bugs please join our Discord community! We are hard at work creating the world of Button Man and the twists and turns you'll experience within it! We hope you enjoy your time in Kingsport, and come again when the world opens up for your adventure! Check out our newest trailer here
- Meet The Actress: Daliah O'Halloran - 3 September 2024
In your journey to uncover Fisher's killer, you'll encounter the lovely and shrewd Ms. Daliah O'Halloran. After to arriving in town for business involving Fisher, O'Halloran now seeks to find why her deal with the most powerful man in Kingsport has been discarded by his successors. Though she has no stakes in the future of the city, O'Halloran aligns herself with those seeking the truth about the murder and those who will stand up to the looming threats to the city. Born in the United States, not much is known about O'Halloran aside from her fame in the newly growing moving-picture industry. Her posters are found across town and much enthusiasm is felt among the people for her arrival in Kingsport. She has friends in high and low places; from mayor to waitress, no one is beyond her charms. Despite her status, she does not shy away from handling her own business, even if it means she has…
- Exploring the Nova Scotia of Old - 9 August 2024
When Button Man first came to be it was envisioned as a simple, text-based adventure about a New York-type mafia, in general sensibility. Our childhoods, steeped in the media landscape of mafia films and series, drove us to create a story which evoked the criminal underbelly they outlined. As the game evolved from its text form to the point & click genre, and our story needed fleshing out, we began to explore other avenues of inspiration. Being new in Halifax, NS, we at first didn't even consider the rich history that surrounded us. As we began to scratch the surface, initially in search of visual inspiration, what we found was a fascinating history and cast of characters, interwoven with those of their more famous counterparts. From time to time, the names of Nova Scotia or Halifax do come up in the media, but for many it still remains unknown, that sleepy city in that rural province,…
- Meet Bruce Mckenzie & Jaime Donovan - 21 March 2024
In Button Man, you will primarily play as Bruce McKenzie and experience the action and mystery through his eyes. Bruce is a veteran of the Great War and a soldier committed to Mr. Fisher's commands. Although honourable, Bruce is a man struggling with his demons, as he has been called upon to do terrible things throughout his life by those who he has served. Despite this, he still tries his best to be kind to the deserving and brutal to those who would threaten others under his watchful eye. Bruce is a wildcard; based upon player choice he may rise above his trauma and conditioning so that he may help the city, or he may fall deeper into his personal Hell, contributing to the city's fall into chaos. While Bruce takes the burden on standing up for the city, he is not alone. Beside him is Jaime Donovan, an amateur reporter stopping at nothing on her quest for the truth, and daughter to a f…
- Button Man Announcement! - 15 February 2024
Hello All! We at Styrax Studios are proud to present our debut game "Button Man"! Button Man is a side-scrolling action adventure game set in a fictionalized Halifax, Nova Scotia, called Kingsport. During prohibition Halifax was a port famous for bootlegging to the US, and that is when our story is based on. Our love for our city makes us want to share it with all of you, to see its history, its spirit, and things that are sometimes swept under the rug. In Button Man you will play as Bruce McKenzie, a button man, the guy who gets things done for the local bootlegging kingpin, Mr. Fisher. Your boss has been in control of Kingsport for a long while, making people love him and fear him with no opposition to speak of. It has been two years since Bruce has gone far away from home, and on his first day back on the job Mr. Fisher gets assassinated and Bruce gets shot. What follows is a game of…
