- DEADBOLT 10th Anniversary Community Highlight - 18 March 2026
hiIf you’ve missed it, we recently pushed out an update to fix some of the more disruptive issues that had been in the game for a while, you can check out the changelog here.DEADBOLT is 10 years old as of when this is posted! Crazy how time flies. Ten years of shooting undead, obsessing over scraps of lore, proving your level design and artistic chops through many (MANY!) creative works, and drawing lines on the DEADBOLT 2 conspiracy board (it’s not a delusion if I’m right!). Alongside the patch, we’ve decided to celebrate with another community highlight.While there is an extensive history of community efforts throughout the game’s lifespan, documenting all of that would require basically infinite space, which isn’t a luxury we can afford. As a compromise, we’ve decided to limit ourselves to everything particularly cool since the last community highlight, i.e. three years ag— what do y…
- DEADBOLT v1.0.3. Patch Notes - 18 March 2026
Bug (& Misc.) FixesFixed being unable to take Steam screenshots.Fixed a number of typographical errors.Fixed the volume sliders displaying incorrect values when set to near max.Fixed Ibzan’s second death cutscene only using the "Poor aim" line.Fixed Ibzan’s penultimate cutscene never playing.Fixed Puff and Player (Crossbow) crashing the game when falling.Fixed Bartenders hiding behind doors after being revived.Fixed a crash when going into Load Custom on certain OS installations.Fixed a crash when exiting Load Custom while at the bottom of the list.Fixed a crash when buying too many weapons at once.Fixed enemies becoming alerted when toggling Flashling Lights. Fixed a crash when a Stela phylactery was present without Stela herself.(Hopefully) fixed a crash when too many landmines blew up at once.Fixed a crash when dying after triggering a map end.Fixed several crashes related to cutscen…
- DEADBOLT Community Catch-Up - 15 February 2023
Hey everyone! …wow, it’s been a while, huh? The last several years have been bonkers, but amid all the chaos, we’ve noticed a rise in DEADBOLT content, whether it be retrospectives, artworks, quality maps, more mentions of the game throughout Hopoo-related spaces, and everything in-between. Figured it’s time to jump on the belated bandwagon, and see what these years have had to offer. Don’t be mistaken, though, this is purely a community highlight, there aren’t any plans or teasers for future DEADBOLT content from Hopoo Games themselves. Yet. Keep that counter going, y’all. VIDEOS There's been plenty of videos on DEADBOLT to keep the community going, from analyses to retrospectives and more! Story Among the most influential videos in the community is the extremely high-quality lore recap from Squatch Gaming. Paired with excellent narration, it retells the story of DEADBOLT in minute det…
- Map Highlight #61 - 3 December 2020
Hey everyone! With another Map Highlight suddenly appearing on your Steam activity page, today we’re covering “Operation Twin Towers” by Чертила! Spanning across a total of 12 stages, full of back-and-forths and downtime to break up the pacing, it’s one of the more memorable workshop levels I’ve played yet. We start off at the ground level of one of Stela’s Towers, run by Amber & Evelyn. After a quick introduction — which also mentions our primary target, Sir Stela, — we’re immediately greeted with an overwhelmingly detailed environment and a foyer full of enemies. Well, that and a couple weapons lying by our car, which are sure to come in handy. From there on, things quickly begin to derail - seems you aren't the only one who wants Sir Stela dead. As you ascend the tower, you're assaulted by a trio of demon snipers. Time your dodges well and you'll be able to reach a sniper rifle on th…
- DEADBOLT Modding Overview - 9 October 2020
Hey everyone! Now, back when I said that we’d be posting on a more irregular basis, we didn’t have this kind of time gap in mind… but, oh well, what can ya do? As you could guess from the title, today we’re going to be digging into the world of DEADBOLT modding! From humble beginnings back in April 2020, it’s come a long way over the course of several months, and I believe now’s the time to showcase what’s been made. This is entirely community-driven, so all credits go to the contributors of this project. The main shoutout goes to Chris Bloomfield who’s laid out the main framework to expand upon, but of course, other community members’ efforts (such as Nintee’s custom sprites and countless mod ideas in the #modding channel over on our Discord) are not to be forgotten. DEADBOLT Editor Community Patch Since custom levels are at the heart of community content, I feel it’s appropriate to st…
- Map Highlight #60 - 3 July 2020
Hey everyone! Boy, I missed saying that. Lots of things to recap, lots of maps to review! Alas, writer’s block strikes suddenly and without warning. So, let’s make up for lost time! You may have noticed the title change – that’s right, these posts are no longer constrained by a weekly schedule! We believe posting on an irregular basis can help avoid future burnout and give us more time to pick truly noteworthy maps. Besides that, the premise stays the same – giving the maps that stand out the proper credit and recognition! Let’s get right to that, shall we? (oh, and you might want to stick around for something interesting at the end) King Goose’s “Shakedown at the Docks” can pride itself with being an inspiration for revival of this series. There’s something beautiful about its simplicity as a standard DEADBOLT level: apartment blocks, drugs to burn, and undead to reap. What made it sta…
- 4 Years of DEADBOLT - Announcing the winners! - 30 March 2020
Hey everyone! Figured I'd make a quick announcement to settle things down. The two weeks have come to an end, and we've got our winners! As previously stated, the winners of the mapping category are: "Small Time Hydra" by Classic_Cheese18"Decomposition" by Tabu"Welcome to the club buddy" by Kenshi And the runners are: Sockpuppet with his 25 second run of Small Time HydraTabu with a 58 second run of Welcome to the clubAlas, no winning place for Decomposition. Likely explained by the technical difficulties. We'll be contacting the winners shortly to give them their hard earned prizes. Thanks to everyone who participated! We couldn't have done this without you :)
- The Speedrunning Week Begins! - 4 Years of DEADBOLT, Week 2 - 23 March 2020
Hey everyone! The mapping week has ended, and forth comes the speedrunning week! As per our plan, we've chosen three maps that best suit the event's theme, and the line-up is this: - "Small Time Hydra" by Classic_Cheese18 - "Decomposition" by Tabu - "Welcome to the club buddy" by Kenshi Let's have a quick overview: Small Time Hydra Small Time Hydra is easily one of the most impressive of the bunch. It fits the entirety of the camera space, and poses quite a variety of ways to be completed. With vents that cover the entire building and enemies that appear seemingly out of nowhere ("Hydra" is there for a reason), it's jam packed with elements that allow for all sorts of routes. Destroy the phylacteries, kill Stela and flee. Can you beat our record of 29 seconds? ːhoopterː Decomposition Decomposition is mostly focused on finding your way around the level, almost feeling like an elaborate p…
- 4 Years of DEADBOLT - The Speedmapping Event - 14 March 2020
Hey everyone! So, wow, four years of DEADBOLT. It’s hard to believe that the game was released that long ago, despite the fact that a lot of stuff has happened. The 2017 workshop activity spike and all the crazy maps that came with it, the MotW revival, all the discussions and memes. Words cannot describe mine and hopoo’s gratitude for everyone’s support of the game over the years, and the efforts to keep the community as lively as possible. Of course, we can’t celebrate the occasion with just a regular blogpost. This year, we’ve decided to combine the efforts of mapmakers with the efforts of another dedicated part of the community – speedrunners! They strive to beat the game in the fastest time possible, learning everything about the mechanics and perfecting their routes, and we think it’s about time for custom maps to get the same treatment. That’s why we’ve decided to host… The DEADB…
- Map of the Week #59 - 15 January 2020
Hey everyone! The festive season has passed, decorations are coming down, and everyone’s getting back into their usual routines. And that includes us reviewing maps! And after experiencing the unusual, whacky nature of some of the modern DEADBOLT workshop maps, we thought we’d go back to a more classic, vanilla-style map. And that’s what we’re covering today – Totem Blaze by PlausibleSoul! It’s quite simple in nature. Burning totems is nothing new to most reapers, but this map is heavily focused on stealth. You’re outmanned, outgunned, and confined to claustrophobic rooms that don’t leave you much space, you’ll have to plan out your route and avoid all the enemies so that you can burn the totems without being killed. Or, if you’re feeling stubborn, you could try a full-on frontal assault of the base. This map reminds me of how the official levels are structured, in a way. They tend to h…
- Happy New Year(bolt)! - 2 January 2020
Hey everyone! Happy New Year! You may have noticed our absence over the last couple of months – we took that break to recharge for new MotWs and deal with real life things. But enough about that! We decided to make the most of the New Year and organise something special just for the occasion – a New Year Themed Mapping Collab! We figured it’d be a nice opportunity to bring the community together and celebrate this time of year, and even if we didn’t get all that many submissions, the love and dedication of the creators can be felt in each one of the ones we’ll be reviewing today. Reincarnation of a Community First up on our list is “Reincarnation of a Community”, by PDF_Survivor_482 and Classic_Cheese18! We consider it to be the best entry of the bunch – it’s outstanding both in gameplay and level design, but the scripting and usage of triggers is what truly makes it. choose a question…
- Map of the Week #58 - 24 October 2019
Hey everyone! It seems we’re on a streak of old-but-gold maps, and today in the spotlight is “Hall of Mirrors” from kilozombie’s “Cassettes” collection – a story-heavy campaign that focuses on unique level design and psychological topics delving deep into Ibzan’s consciousness. Oh, and there's Timur as well. Fittingly enough for the level’s name, the first section is perfectly symmetrical, aside from the enemies being warped to different heights, which will make hitting the heads more difficult. The stage itself is pretty huge, with lots of small rooms, stairwells and interconnected vents that allow for quick navigation. The guns on the shelves are a neat touch, specifically because they’re pretty tricky to get. https://media.giphy.com/media/YR32bWyriRmOGM1zoa/giphy.gif After clearing the warped bar, you can explore a bit to find a familiar face, or acquire an Auto Grenade Launcher if y…
- Map of the Week #57 - 9 October 2019
Hey everyone! Continuing our nostalgic quest through old-but-gold maps, today we’re covering “Synthesis of the Soul” by Tahazzar! Not to be confused with its remake, “Synthesize the Soul”, which we'll touch upon later. Tazz describes it as the first map he’s publicly released, and it’s an unbelievably strong start. Although it doesn’t feature any fancy scripting or gimmicks, it already shows Tazz’s trademark love for hard and enormous levels. Here, you’re tasked with wiping out the patrons of a club, with a long bar area at the top, and various seating areas on the way up. Of course, any self-respecting bar of this size must have four bartenders, at least. Three are just for show, but the fourth is so good at his job that he can pour drinks while upside down. Now that’s talent. Of course, where there’s bartenders there’s phylacteries, scattered all around, with some being closer to thei…
- Map of the Week #56 - 1 October 2019
Happy hopooween! If you’ve grown to like levels with branching narratives and paths, then today’s your lucky day, because this week we’re highlighting the final level in SockPuppet’s “Residue” collection – “No Strings Attached”! A teeth-clenching map that rewards those who go off the beaten path and look for secrets in more ways than one. You may think that reviewing the finale of a series out of nowhere is a bit odd, but we’ve actually covered a couple of maps from this series in the past, if you want to check those out. Maps in the Residue series are heavily connected to one another, and this one’s no exception. Right off the bat, you’re presented with two paths depending on your actions in One Trick Puppet. Of course, you’re also free to just try every possible outcome, like we did. Depending on the path, the difficulty will vary greatly – you’ll either get a series of relatively dif…
- Map of the Week #55 - 26 August 2019
Hey everyone! Today we’re making up for the delay with a huge submission – “Downtown” by Classic_Cheese18! It’s a long set of levels, focused on getting the Reaper into all sorts of situations whilst cleansing the undead. https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F11430809%2F1e8991d17ca38deb0fdbcb66dd4ad68bb6697741.png Right from the start, we’re introduced to a mechanic that we’re honestly surprised nobody’s really used until now – a level select screen! It’s very useful for large, multistage maps as you won’t need to repeat hard gameplay segments you’ve already completed just because you took a break. Neat! And you should prepare yourself for hard gameplay segments, because boy there’s plenty of them. https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F11430809%2F037f5881ed258ddd42a742002f06bc56eea535bd.png As the title suggests, you’ll be making you…
- Map of the Week #54 - 14 August 2019
Hey everyone! Continuing our quest to document all the forgotten relics of the workshop, today we’re highlighting “Spooky Night” by john_fungus1! This time we’re to infiltrate a set of buildings overrun by the Dredged, and the keyword here really is “infiltrate” above all else – when wielding nothing but the Revolver, the surplus of Technicians and Sergeants will quickly stop you in your tracks if you’re not careful. https://i.imgur.com/XTR18NT.png Thanks to the combination of vents spread throughout the level, the plethora of enemies you’re going to face, and the provided weaponry (especially once you steal a Sergeant’s sledgehammer), this rather small level quickly turns into a fun and memorable experience as you try to find ways around your limited pool of ammo (again, the sledge is the way to go here). https://i.imgur.com/g0j8AMo.png There’s also the scaffolding, which kind of remin…
- Map of the Week #53 - 5 August 2019
Hey everyone! Since activity’s died down a little on the mapmaking front, we’ve decided to review a few older levels, and today in the spotlight is “It Gets Worse” by SockPuppet, who is going to teach you the art of dodging in an intense trial by fire. Be wary that this one is considerably harder than the maps we usually review. https://i.ibb.co/3d8QFDK/5d472fcb0ad2c157455835.gif The premise of the level is simple enough – for every enemy that you kill, an extra sniper starts firing at you. Darkness is your best friend here, as stepping into the light will result in a chaotic and hilarious dance as you attempt to evade a whole squad of snipers gunning for you. https://i.ibb.co/8Dgnzn5/5d473645f22f1986763051.gif The experience isn’t flawless, of course. For one, ammo management is as crucial as ever, especially if you start with the revolver, and keeping a cool head and a steady aim is d…
- Map of the Week #52 - 23 July 2019
Hey everyone! This week we’re covering “Directional Input” by SockPuppet, a part of his “Prisons & Lands” series that aims to explore the boundaries of the editor. It’s a bit of an older map, but it’s no worse off in terms of quality. https://i.imgur.com/9hFVM61.png Puppet was one of the first, if not the first, to make use of branching narratives as a major element of a level, and this is one of the shining examples of the potential of the mechanic. It doesn’t seem too complex at first, with only two endings (both labelled as “bad”) that both consist of playing a level and a slightly altered version of it. https://i.imgur.com/wLz2srT.png That is, until… https://i.imgur.com/0mZJL6Z.png After finding an alternate path, you’re left to explore all that the map has to offer. Follow clues given in bad endings, keep your objective in mind, experiment, and uncover all that the level has to off…
- Map of the Week #51 - 15 July 2019
Hey! So last week’s DNA may have been a pretty major release, but that’s no reason to laze around, so we’re back to our regular schedule, with “Baskerville” by Tahazzar, whose name should be very familiar to you at this point. And before you ask, yes, hounds are definitely present in this level. https://i.imgur.com/KjMRtRP.png “Baskerville” is somewhat reminiscent of one of Tahazzar’s previously highlighted maps, “Ghost Recon”, as it follows a similar structure of playing around enemies rather than focusing on combat. This one is a lot more fun, though, as it has plenty of visual clues to enemy locations, an intuitive layout, and requires you to outsmart your foes rather than simply try to avoid them. https://media.giphy.com/media/elUS2vq3RZN2PrGbWS/giphy.gif This time you’re up against invisible read: super tiny hellhounds, known here as poltergeists. Because of their small incorporeal…
- Map of the Week #50 - The Greatestest Map Ever - 8 July 2019
Hey everyone! The time has come, and after all the cryptic teasing we finally present you… Deadbolt is not Available in Your Country! Or DNA, if you’d prefer. A one-man project by Alex Pine more than 9 months into the making, the magnum opus of our community, featuring wacky pop-culture references, community in-jokes and, rest assured, the spiciest of memes. https://i.imgur.com/hZaeL6p.png With 30+ handcrafted endings to explore, you’re gonna find yourselves in all sorts of wacky situations, meeting different characters and getting into ridiculous levels of meta narrative, as well as maybe (just maybe) dying a lot. Though we believe that every single person who reads these is a master at DEADBOLT and needs not fret about anything. https://i.imgur.com/Z6wMkfE.png It starts off fairly benign, with the player tasked to play Alex's latest level and review it. But as you give feedback, more…
