This update adds several improvements that should make the demo feel more polished. From adding weapon choices to easier to hear zombies sneaking up behind you. Try out the new rooms and changes, and swing by Discord to share what you\'d like to see next!\n

Updates

• Added three new dungeon rooms

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• Limited inventory to two weapons at a time so that you must choose your weapon

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• Zombies are now easy to hear when behind the player

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• Added damage indicator flash

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• Improved various sound effects

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• Changed weapon pickup visuals

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• Slightly increased rifle attack speed

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• Added center dot to crosshair and increased zoom while aiming

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• Added indicators for current room and time remaining in each room

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• More small improvements

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Hello everyone! I am excited to announce the largest demo update released to date! A whole bunch of things changed along with significant systems improvements that will help accelerate future development.

The demo is slowly but surely getting to its final state yet there is still a lot of work to do. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts on Discord . What do you feel is missing? What should I focus on next? The biggest item on the list is to add many more interesting upgrades and weapon variations.

Updates

• Reworked upgrade system.

  [list]

• Mining crystals now gives you random upgrades.

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• Added upgrade drone with selectable upgrades at the end of each room.

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Fixes

• Fixed various visual and audio bugs.

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• Fixed enemies getting stuck on stairs.

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• Fixed excessive sway when you aim down sights.

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• Fixed menu glitch when starting a new game

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• Fixed aiming input delay (Please report if you still experience this).

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Working on a roguelite about space dwarves fighting endless undead means Im constantly buried in ideas. They come from everywhere. Sometimes its something I spot in another game, sometimes its just a dumb thought I cant shake. But not every idea makes it into Bloodstone Rising. It has to prove it belongs.

From Wouldnt it be cool if to a real feature

Most of my ideas start as scraps in a messy document. Weapon sketches, weird enemy concepts, modifiers, half-written events. The ones that survive are the ones that actually solve a problem or add something fresh to the chaos.

One of my earliest notes was:

What if the player has to manage the stress of resource gathering and fighting aggressive hordes in a roguelike setting?

That simple note became one of the pillars of the game.

Making sense of the chaos

When I think an idea is worth chasing, I put it through a quick filter. Does it solve a problem? Does it fit with the roguelite loop of maps, upgrades, and replayability? Will it still feel fun after ten or twenty runs, or will it just break the game?

That stops me from wasting time on flashy features that dont actually hold up once youve played them a few times.

[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45585643/2ca56292d4a38d9e832899fe7e94ae8ecd9220b4.gif\"][/img]

From paper to pixels

Once something makes the cut, I throw it into Unity as quickly as possible. Sometimes its ugly placeholder code, sometimes its just boxes on a map. If it feels good, I keep forging ahead (ha!).

The forge upgrade system is a good example. Early versions spat out ridiculous, broken combos that made the game way too easy. I almost cut it, but playtesters loved the chaos. Instead of scrapping it, I leaned into it and started balancing the game around those surprising, overpowered moments.

[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45585643/21d75f99ae05e58da234369b80bb04b8f8423947.gif\"][/img]

Why this matters

Bloodstone Rising is meant to surprise you. Runs should feel unpredictable, where strange interactions between mining, forging, and fighting create stories you didnt expect. The only way to get there is to test ideas, keep the ones that work, and let the rest go.

Where you come in

Playtesters have already shaped the game more than I thought they would. Some features I considered minor ended up being player favorites.

That feedback loop is what makes the game better, and its why I keep asking for more.

If youve got an idea, feedback, or even just a crazy what if, throw it at me. You never know which one might make its way into the game.

Apply to be a Playtester

[dynamiclink href=\"https://store.steampowered.com/app/3338020/Bloodstone_Rising/\"][/dynamiclink]

Hey everyone, Mark here again. Welcome back to the second Devlog for Bloodstone Rising!

Today, I want to delve into something equally important: playtests, feedback, and how you can contribute to shaping the game.

Why Playtests Matter

I can spend weeks coding features, tweaking combat, and building systems, but the real test happens when someone else picks up the game and plays it their way.

Thats when the unexpected shows up: strategies I never thought of and feedback I wouldnt have considered on my own.

This kind of feedback helped shape the new version of the first Boss, which now has more mechanics, attacks, and is more challenging.

Thats the magic of playtesting: it turns Bloodstone Rising into something greater than the sum of its parts.

[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45585643/2ca56292d4a38d9e832899fe7e94ae8ecd9220b4.gif\"][/img]

How to Give Feedback

I want feedback to be as easy and open as possible.

Here are the main ways you can help:

Discord feedback channel The best place to drop quick thoughts, screenshots, or funny bugs\n Steam discussions Perfect for longer write-ups and suggestions\n Playtest reports For those in the closed playtest, Ill share a short survey after each testing round

Whether its a one-line shotgun feels weak or a full breakdown of your run, every bit of input helps me tune the game closer to what players want.

[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45585643/21d75f99ae05e58da234369b80bb04b8f8423947.gif\"][/img]

Playtesters Wanted

If youre reading this and youre curious about Bloodstone Rising, nows your chance to jump in. Playtest sign-ups are planned to come, and spots will be limited.

Playtesters get:\n Early access to new builds before public demo updates\n A chance to directly influence game balance and features\n Tester bragging rights in the community

Keep an eye on the communications for potential sign-ups in the coming weeks.

Join our Community Server

[dynamiclink href=\"https://store.steampowered.com/app/3338020/Bloodstone_Rising/\"][/dynamiclink]

Bloodstone Rising will be a part of the Debut Festival this week!

Were excited to announce that Bloodstone Rising will be part of this years Steam Debut Festival. If you havent jumped in yet, or if its been a while, nows the perfect time.

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Play the updated demo

Try new weapons, mechanics, and improved combat!

The latest demo update includes:

Updates & Improvements

• Improved boss fight: The Boss now has an additional attack and is more aggressive.

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• Balanced enemy spawns during the boss fight.

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• Balanced boss health

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• Sprinter enemy added.

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• Improved jump animation.

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• Improved pickaxe animation.

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• Adjusted the layout of multiple dungeon rooms.

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• Various animation and AI tweaks.

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Fixes

• Fixed enemies sometimes attacking downed players.

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• Reduced the chance of enemies getting stuck

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Wishlist and download now to play the Demo!

Updates & Improvements

• Added ability to aim down sights of guns

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• Added new revolver weapon

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• Updated grenade throwing and explosion effects

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• Improved gun mechanics and recoil

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• Adjusted shotgun spread

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• Improved weapon sound effects

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• Constant enemy spawner added

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Fixes

• Grenades no longer damage other players

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• Reduced likelihood of players and enemies getting stuck

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• Enabled gravity for downed players

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• Removed shotgun firing delay

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Hey everyone, and welcome to the very first Devlog for Bloodstone Rising! Im incredibly excited to finally start sharing this journey with you. As a solo developer, building this game has been a massive learning experience filled with late-night ideas, unexpected challenges, and moments that reminded me why I love creating games in the first place. In this Devlog, Ill take you through who I am, what inspired Bloodstone Rising, and how this project went from a simple idea to a playable demo. Lets dive in.

Who am I?

Hi! Im Mark, a solo indie developer working under the name Shadow Forged Studio. Ive been passionate about games for as long as I can remember, and over the years that passion has evolved into something more serious - the dream of building games from the ground up that are gritty, immersive, and just plain fun.\n

[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45585643/945ac596dc48d0d03374096394dd5cf12f5b760f.jpg\"][/img]

My background is mostly in tech with a touch of art. Ive worked in software professionally for the past 12 years, and long before that, I daydreamed about making a video game.

In November 2024 I was working full-time and felt ready for a change. I thought, why not start the hobby of game dev. In less than a day, it turned into a reality. I switched to part-time game dev and started focusing on making a game. Now here we are with Bloodstone Rising as my first full project as a solo dev, and its a huge step toward building the kind of games Ive always wanted to play.

What inspired Bloodstone Rising?

[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45585643/029aa1dd2d5c1f33e72ca892edfd188a535732ce.gif\"][/img]

A lot of inspiration came from my favorite genres growing up - dark fantasy, survival shooters, and roguelikes. Think Deep Rock Galactic meets Killing Floor 2, with a dose of Risk of Rain 2 upgrade chaos.

When I first started this game dev journey, I figured I should start with something super simple that I could finish in a couple of months, so I built a small prototype of a side-scrolling space shooter.

[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45585643/6aba066ccdd6a04685263ef7796c9ca83142946e.gif\"][/img]

Before long, I lost interest in the project. I realized I was building it just to finish something. I didnt love what I was making, and I suspected that the gaming community wouldnt have much interest either.

In bed late at night, the first ideas for Bloodstone Rising came to me. I ended up staying up all night, excitedly thinking through what the game could look like. I set myself the goal of launching a demo by mid-May 2025, and was off to the races.

What is Bloodstone Rising?

Bloodstone Rising is a dark fantasy co-op FPS roguelike where you and your fellow space dwarves fight back against waves of cursed undead to reclaim your lost homeland. Between waves of zombies, youll mine resources, earn upgrades, and grow more powerful - if you can survive long enough.

[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45585643/976de696ddd3ab6d963fe0635445b58764d78ef5.jpg\"][/img]

My vision is to deliver something fast-paced and satisfying, with a strong theme and plenty of replayability. Right now, the game features 1-4 player co-op, procedural maps, and a growing arsenal of weapons, enemies, and upgrades. Theres a free demo available on Steam - and Id love to hear your feedback!

Why Unity?

Last year, when I decided to give game dev the full attention it deserved, one of the first questions was Which game engine should I use?. At first, I found Godot quite appealing. I am a big fan of the open-source project as well as the Python-inspired GDScript. My space shooter prototype was made in Godot, and for the most part, I was happy with it.

[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45585643/7d896b4bda8ff79896e9474c040e0154801b7265.png\"][/img]

Once I decided to switch projects to Bloodstone Rising, I realized that the 3D features in Godot wouldnt meet my needs. I also realized that I would have a much easier time utilizing community assets and porting to console if I switched to Unity.

So far, I have been extremely happy building Bloodstone Rising in Unity. As a solo developer, I needed a flexible engine that could handle first-person gameplay, co-op networking, and fast iteration. Unity gave me the tools I needed to prototype quickly and actually bring the game to life without spending all my time reinventing the wheel.

Whats coming next!

Updates to the Demo are planned soon! Check out the following in the next update:

Old:

• LMB - Shoot

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• RMB - Mine

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New:

• LMB - Shoot

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• RMB - Aim

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• F - Mine

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[dynamiclink href=\"https://store.steampowered.com/app/3338020/Bloodstone_Rising/\"][/dynamiclink]

If you give it a try, Id love to hear what you think every bit of feedback helps as I continue shaping and improving the game.

Im actively working on updates and bug fixes, so stay tuned. Found a bug? Got an idea? Drop it in the Discord it really helps!

Thanks so much for playing!