Greetings fellow archers! We've been hard at work over here at Ethereal Gem trying to make Bowmen the best possible game it can be before we launch it, officially, to the rest of the world. Your feedback during the Early Access period is paramount to Bowmen's success, and we are very grateful to the few of you who have already provided us with some feedback, you know who you are. You make working on the game fresh and fun, and we get very excited when we implement a suggested change and send it out back to you for play testing. As you may know, the targeted release date that we had set for ourselves (May 3rd) was fast approaching. Based on the state of the game, feedback we've received, and some ideas we still wished to implement, we decided that it was best to keep the game in Early Access for a little while longer. For example, we noticed during our own internal play testing sessions that we would often angle our bow down and rapid fire at bat enemies that were getting too close to our player if we didn't finish them off at a distance. This takes away from firing at farther enemies, and makes the gameplay a little stale. To remedy this, we've been toying with a "melee" attack, whereby you can finish off any enemies close to the player with the shift key. This makes gameplay a little more complex and dynamic, and allows you to finish off enemies close to you with ease while still shooting at farther targets. So, there's still a lot more to do, and your feedback during this period is really what is making Bowmen shine. So while we were reluctant to postpone the "official" release of the game, keeping it in Early Access for the time being will be best for the game in the long run. Your continued support and feedback are very important to us. Thank YOU for all your hard work, playing the game, and helping us make Bowmen better. You rock! Sincerely, The Bowmen Team

[ 2021-04-11 17:02:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

HOW LONG CAN YOU SURVIVE? Lord Pain has summoned his infernal minions once again to wreak havoc on the realms of men... As one of the last of the Bowmen, a long forgotten but elite Elven race that once guarded the living against this malevolent evil, you must conjure up your courage and venture forth toward the portal of doom to save mankind once again. With a bit of skill, a dash of luck, and the help of unusual accomplices, you may hold these demons off just long enough for the living to be saved and mankind to emerge victorious once again!

SURVIVE THE ONSLAUGHT OF A CARTOON HELL

Fight against Lord Pain's relentless armies in a single game mode called "onslaught", whereby enemies spawn in progressively more and more difficult waves the longer you stay alive. To succeed, you'll need to call upon allies for aid, equip unique items, use health potions, and decimate your foes by detonating powerful explosives.

Leveling up your character after each encounter will allow you to invest in player attributes that will improve your character's damage throughput and survivability, slowly allowing you to progress into more daunting and brow-sweating difficulties.

EQUIP UNIQUE ITEMS

Bowmen comes "equipped" (heh, see what I did there?) with a plethora of items that drop from enemies that have succumbed to your inescapable wrath. These items can improve your player's stats, grant you extra experience per kill, heal your character, or empower you with unique skills and abilities. Will you stick with a scroll that gives you some additional health regen, or will you drop it in favor of that sick legendary sword that will allow you to do maximum damage? The choice is yours!

EARLY ACCESS EXCLUSIVES

Completing specific objectives, performing feats of strength, or reaching high global ranks in Bowmen will unlock unique skins that will allow you to customize your character for a more personalized gaming experience. Starting with RC v1.04, as a token of our gratitude for supporting Bowmen during its early stages, players that purchase the game before its full release will be given the Panda skin, a unique skin that makes a menacing face whenever you get a double kill or greater during onslaught. Early Access backers will also unlock the Vanguard achievement, forever solidifying your Steam account as an Early Access supporter.

Early Access backers will also be providing key feedback to the developers that will shape how the game plays and feels. Those that provide us feedback during development will be given specific recognition in the game's credits once it launches.

FIGHT YOUR WAY TO THE TOP

Lastly, you can fight your way to the top of our leaderboards to earn exclusive bragging rights among your fellow archers! After each session of onslaught on Inferno difficulty, your score will automatically be submitted to Steam along with your character's name and your current level. If your score is higher than any of the scores within the top 1000 for that season, your score and rank will be shown in-game so that everyone will know their place relative to YOU in the Bowmen hierarchy!

Disclaimer: Bowmen is currently available through Steam Early Access, but is considered a work in progress and not representative of the final product. If you wish to play Bowmen in its current state and provide us with feedback, you may do so by purchasing a copy of the game and providing feedback on the Steam forums. For more information about Early Access, please see the Early Access Q&A above.