- SPORTAL Update #1: Upping the Stakes - 28 August 2026
Hello everyone! A big thank-you to all of you who picked up SPORTAL! We are really happy with the reception so far. Our current review score sits at 94% positive on Steam! While making the game, we quietly hoped to hit around 90% because we had a blast playing work-in-progress builds, and seeing you all have just as much fun confirms our instincts were right.We're definitely not putting down our keyboards and mice anytime soon. We’ve been gathering your feedback and put together a fresh update to make the game even better.Patch NotesAdjusted the in-game economy by rebalancing several upgrade prices and tweaking monster coin drop rates. This stabilizes the game's flow, preventing players from becoming overpowered too quickly and keeping the challenge alive longer.Reduced Mask damage output (they were significantly overpowered, making runs too easy and trivializing the challenge).Reduced…
- Battle 1950s B-movie monsters with sports equipment in the roguelite FPS SPORTAL - 12 June 2026
Love retro first-person shooters? How about a comedy arena shooter with 1950s B-movie monsters? SPORTAL is a new release out now and it's a real good time. Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/06/battle-1950s-b-movie-monsters-with-sports-equipment-in-the-roguelite-fps-sportal/
- SPORTAL IS OUT NOW - 11 June 2026
Hello, dear players! After many long months and thousands of hours of hard work, the moment we’ve all been eagerly waiting for has finally arrived. Starting today, you can play SPORTAL!In today’s post, we’ll tell you a bit more about ourselves and how the game came to life.Inspirations:SPORTAL is inspired by classic FPS games. Quake 1 is one of my favorite games ever, as is the slightly later Painkiller. However, we also drew inspiration from other genres—mainly action roguelikes like Vampire Survivors.Our other inspirations include retro horror and the 1950s in general. We absolutely love the cheesy monsters from that era! Let us know if you feel that retro vibe while playing!About artstyle:Both of us have a background in art, so the game's visuals were incredibly important to us. From the very beginning, we focused on a highly stylized look that would stand out. In short, the game was…
- SPORTAL is Steam Deck Verified for Launch! - 10 June 2026
SPORTAL is officially Steam Deck Verified just in time for launch on Thursday, 11 June. That means you can take our roguelike arena shooter wherever your day takes you: to the gym, on the bus, by the footbal pitch, or flat on the couch. The carnage follows wherever you go!Verified status means SPORTAL is fully optimized for Steam Deck - just pick up and play. With launch just around the corner, now's the perfect time to get your Deck charged, your wishlist locked, and your trigger finger ready. Thursday is coming fast. Don't miss it! Wishlist SPORTAL:
- SPORTAL Launches This Week - 9 June 2026
Hey everyone, huddle up! The SPORTAL launches on June 11! We thought we would prep you with a quick refresher on what is coming at release and share a few more details about the game, including the price.About our gameSPORTAL is a retro sport-themed FPS roguelike where your entire arsenal is repurposed sporting equipment, and everything trying to kill you crawled out of a 50s creature feature. Each run you'll fight through waves of B-movie monsters, picking up and upgrading bats, clubs, balls, outfits, and perks as you go.Features8 base sports weapons with over 120 lethal upgrades100 perks across backpacks, shoulder pads, shoes, and masks6 B-movie-themed environments across dozens of arenas19 types of movie monsters and 5 deadly bosses19 tracks to pump you up during mayhemDark humor, retro-styled gibs, and satisfying monster-smashingPixelated retro look with a serious 50s vibeSPORTAL's…
- SPORTAL Launches June 11 - 28 May 2026
Hey everyone,SPORTAL is officially launching on June 11!In two weeks, sport meets slaughter. The balls will fly, the bats will swing, and the carnage will begin.Take a look at what is coming your way:When the game drops, you'll be diving straight into a retro, rogue-lite arena FPS packed with:Deadly Sports Arsenal: Forget traditional guns. You'll be clearing arenas with spiked baseballs, electrified hockey pucks, exploding golf balls, bladed bowling balls, and more.1950s B-Movie Madness: Battle through unique environments and dozens of arenas filled with classic silver-screen monsters and menacing bosses.Roguelite Synergies: Pick your weapons, upgrades, gear, and perks to craft builds on every single run.Retro Pixel Vibe: Fast-paced shooter gameplay wrapped in a stylized 1950s pixel-art aesthetic.In preparation for launch we have also updated our Demo, so don't wait, and get a taste of…
- Devlog #9 - 5760 gamedev hours - 16 January 2026
The number in the title is our rough estimate of how many hours our duo has poured into this game.In this post, I’ll recap the key milestones from the entire development journey.Let’s dive in! The Idea:Sportal is an evolution of our previous game, Golf VS Zombies. We wanted more weapons, more enemies, more arenas-and we wanted to remove the barrier that kept players from jumping straight into monster‑slaying action (yes, that infamous wall of text).The old game was fun, but it lacked that extra spark and didn’t achieve commercial success. This time, the plan was simple: do everything similarly… but better.Golf VS Zombies on Steam Prototype:The first prototype took just one month to build, and the biggest difference was that the game originally used a TPP perspective instead of FPS.Early Development:For several months, we continued building the game in TPP. We created four enemy types, a…
- Devlog #8 - Finishing & polishing - 28 November 2025
In the beginning we were aiming for the release for the end of the year. However we decided to add more polish to the game!In this update, we’d like to share what we’re currently working on. Gameplay Balance:This is one of the most crucial aspects. We want the balance to feel just right — and trust us, it’s no easy task in a game like this. The biggest challenge lies in tuning the values of the global progression tree (the upgrades that don’t reset after death). Our goal is to ensure smooth pacing: no excessive grind, but also not too easy. In other words, we play relentlessly, adjusting upgrade costs until everything clicks. global progression treeAnother key challenge is balancing enemy strength against weapon damage, as well as player movement speed, jump height, enemy speed, weapon reload times, and more. Dozens of interconnected parameters must work together like a perfectly tuned…
- SPORTAL DEMO UPDATE - 29 September 2025
Hello freaks!Since the demo dropped two weeks ago, we've been working our butts off—tuning the balance, squashing bugs, polishing mechanics, and boosting the overall quality of the game. Most of this effort is aimed at the upcoming full release (yes, it's coming soon!), but the demo didn’t get left behind either. It’s been hit with dozens of juicy improvements to make your arena experience even more chaotic and satisfying!Most important improvements:In-game Wiki – Press F1 to access detailed descriptions of hundreds of items available in the game. Finally, some clarity in the chaos!Health Upgrade Bug Fixed – There was a sneaky bug that gave players free health upgrades. It’s gone now—so expect a slightly tougher ride 😈.Visual Polish – We’ve added dozens of graphical tweaks, including better-looking projectiles for weapons. Your carnage just got prettier.Lacrosse Rework – The feel of la…
- SPORTAL DEMO IS OUT NOW! - 12 September 2025
Hey everyone! The SPORTAL Demo is now available on Steam, and it's your chance to step into the arena to experience the mayhem of weaponized sports equipment firsthand. This is where chaos takes the field. Every level is a fight for survival and an opportunity to upgrade your arsenal to crank up the destruction.This is your front-row seat to a blood-soaked slugfest where footballs explode on impact, hockey pucks ricochet between enemies, and monsters never play by the rules. Choose your gear and fight your way through a gauntlet of grotesque creatures in a demo packed with carnage. What’s Inside the DemoThe SPORTAL Demo gives you a taste of the upcoming mayhem:9 levels with 2 distinct environment types to battle through9 monster types1 boss to test your skills and give you a taste of what's to comeAround 60 minutes of gameplay from start to boss fight4 sports-inspired weapon classes: Fo…
- Devlog #7 - Sport elements - 22 August 2025
Hey folks! We’re in the final sprint on Sportal, which means less time for regular Steam devlogs lately. But today’s topic is just too good to skip—it’s been giving me the boost I need to share it with you. I’m putting this together after a full day of game‑building, so show some love with a comment or a like down below On that note, we’re down to just two milestones before launch! The game’s in an advanced stage now, and we’re deep into internal playtesting. From almost the very start, testers have been saying they expected a bit more of a sporty vibe. At first, we weren’t convinced—after all, we already had monsters and sports‑themed weapons. We didn’t think the action needed to take place in stadiums, or that the monsters had to run around in jerseys. That just wasn’t the core of the game. Or so we thought.But after hearing the same feedback 5 or 6 times, we realized there was someth…
- Devlog #6 - New weapon: Hockey stick - 9 April 2025
We’ve been keeping ourselves super busy lately - no surprise there! Right now, we’re at the thrilling stage of finalizing the content for our game. All the systems are up and running, and now it’s time to fill them with awesome stuff. And when we say “content,” we mean it: 120 unique weapons and 100 diverse passive clothing items (backpacks, shoes, masks, protective gear - you name it!). Excitement is through the roof as we bring everything to life! Recently, we finalized the functionality of the 6th type of weapon that will be in the game - hockey sticks! You might be wondering, “Wait, I don't get it - 120 weapons, and you're only just working on the 6th type?” Let me explain. In our game, there will be 8 different types of weapons, each operating in unique ways. Here they are: Slingshot Lacrosse Baseball Golf Frisbee Hockey Football Bowling Ball Kick (Okay, not exactly a weapon, but i…
- SPORTAL at Sport-acular Festival 2025 - 9 April 2025
Hey everyone! We're excited to be a part of the Sport-acular Festival, among many fantastic sports games. Whether you're looking to get some games, or want to stay up to date on what games are coming soon, be sure to check out the Sport-acular Festival Steam Event Page.
- Devlog #5 - New monsters and environments - 15 January 2025
In the latest dev-log, I'm going to dive into the wild world of new monsters! I'll reveal how they'll wreak havoc in the game and the cool inspirations behind their looks and attacks. Plus, I'll give you a sneak peek at two brand-new environments (we're already at 5 out of 6 planned). The project is nearing its epic finale! New monsters: Hors In one of our previous updates, I promised we'd create a two-legged horse with huge teeth. Well, here it is in all its glory! The inspiration came from a meme. When I first saw it, I was so surprised and knew right away that we had to create a monster based on it. The horse from the meme was funny, interesting, and a bit creepy, making it a perfect fit for the world of SPORTAL. We named it Hors. Actually, one of our good friends came up with the name based on a screenshot on the Bluesky platform. I instantly fell in love with the name. When at rest…
- Devlog #4 - Inventing the new aiming systems - 19 November 2024
In our game, we wield sports gear to vanquish monsters! But here's the twist: we couldn't rely on the usual dot or crosshair for aiming. So, in today's devlog, I'm spilling the beans on our unique targeting systems. Fun fact: we have three different ways to aim, and who knows, we might add more! Let's dive into each type below. Slingshot - Almost Traditional Aiming: We figured that the first weapon in the game should feel like the classic shooters we all know and love. We made this call because introducing something too new or different right off the bat might scare off some players. So, the slingshot has a regular crosshair in the middle of the screen. As you can see below, we shoot using physics-based projectiles (the stone we launch drops over time). Golf, Baseball, Lacrosse, and More - The Parabola: Most of the aiming in our game is based on a parabolic trajectory. Drawing the parab…
- Devlog #3 - game world - 31 October 2024
Welcome to the pulp world of SPORTAL, where we mix our favorite pop culture nuggets into a giant, bubbling cauldron of fun! Picture a stew so rich and flavorful, it’s practically bursting with nostalgia and excitement. We can’t spill all the beans just yet, but just you wait! Akron, Ohio: Why Akron, you ask? Well, we needed a place that felt like Hawkins, Indiana from Stranger Things - a small, unassuming town that could be anywhere. Sure, it’s the birthplace of LeBron James and The Black Keys (two of my personal faves), but it still has that “everytown” charm. This makes it the perfect backdrop for our story, letting more players see themselves in the wild, unexpected events that unfold. (image by Google Maps) Stuff that we don't like: By the way, right after the trailer and Steam page were published, we learned about a certain Cyraxx from Akron. There were even suggestions to create o…
- Devlog #2 - art, craft and inspirations - 16 October 2024
We are absolutely passionate about making games. That’s why, even after completing 9 games without a major hit, we’re still at it! If we were in this just for the sake of it, we would have given up long ago. But our love for game development keeps us going strong. In this article, I’ll give you a brief yet thrilling glimpse into our creative process during art crafting and highlight the most notable inspirations behind various aspects of this project. Get ready for an exciting journey into the heart of our game development! Inspirations behind the artstyle: Our graphic style is a nostalgic trip back to the golden age of gaming, when engines couldn’t yet render the gloss of surfaces. Inspired by iconic titles like Quake 1 and other 90’s classics, we completely strip away the gloss and metallic effects in Unity for this project. To achieve that gritty, rusted, and dusty look, we add color…
- Devlog #1 - projects beginings and switch from TPP to FPS - 2 October 2024
The beginning About a year ago we were looking for a topic for another game. Initially, we planned to do something completely different, namely a dark survival horror game with a narrow color palette. We even had a prototype of the world and the first mechanics. However, there was no magic in it. There was no desire to play constantly (as experienced game creators we always look for that in early prototypes). Although the world seemed suggestive and the first tests on Twitter returned hundreds of hearts, the horror prototype was pale compared to our previous game Golf VS Zombies. This is a game that we released in September 2023. It wasn't a huge success, but the players who bought it reported that they had a great time. The main mechanics and the idea of combining killing monsters with sports equipment were spot on. So we decided to try to do it again, but this time much better and d…
- Hello world - introducing SPORTAL! - 16 September 2024
Hi guys! We are Sleepwalking Potatoes, a duo of experienced indie game developers always wanting to create a super fun original game! Previously we made My Demon Wife, Golf VS Zombies and a bunch of other indie games. SPORTAL takes an idea we explored previously - that of taking sport equipment - and turning it into an fps arsenal like no other. Also we felt that fleshing out that campy horror vibe should provide the type of background to set the game against. Especially given we love B-movie monsters and they will play the role of threats and targets throughout. Aside from B-movie inspirations for monsters, we also dug deep into retro games (Quake1/Doom). At the moment we have 7 nasties implemented in the build and further models patiently waiting to be textured, animated and implemented in Unity. More on those soon! Examples of our creepy creations: Spider is of course heavily inspire…
