- Update #22: Eggstermination Eggstravaganza! - 18 April 2025
The 22nd update for Swarmcade is now live! Highlights include a cracking new bonus character to unlock, a fresh bonus weapon, a egg-citing new secret boss, and an egg-stra special power-up. This update also brings a new achievement, some quality-of-life improvements, and the usual bug fixes. Highlights New Bonus Hero: Eggslinger Celebrating Easter, the Eggslinger hero is armed with his unique special weapon, the Egg Launcher. It fires unpredictable homing eggs that scale in power and duration the higher your level. Not only that, but the Eggslinger hero will periodically drop the new egg power-up, giving him more regular access to the powerful egg effects. Unlock him by cracking the secret Eggfrafa boss wide open. New Power-up: Eggstravaganza! A new power-up has been added to the random drop pool. When an egg is obtained, players will have a choice of six egg-cellent effects to choose f…
- Update #21: Love Hurts - 14 February 2025
The 21st update for Swarmcade is now live! Highlights include a new bonus character to unlock, a new bonus weapon, a new boss, and the addition of Run History. This update also brings a new achievement, various quality-of-life improvements, balance changes, and bug fixes New Hero: Matchmaker Celebrating Valentine's, the Matchmaker hero is ready to remind you that love hurts! Armed with his enchanted bow, HeartSploder, he fires explosive heart-shaped projectiles that detonate on impact, dealing area damage to foes while mending his own wounds with every successful strike. Unlock him by defeating the new boss. New Feature: Run History This update adds a Run History, a new addition selectable from the main menu that records key details from your last 10 runs. Now, every attempt will be logged, showing which hero you played, the stage and difficulty you tackled, and whether you won or lost.…
- Small Patch - 31 December 2024
1.04.1 Patch notes: Infinite stats now correctly show on build screen, also genie boons are correctly taken into account on build screen Added a message clue for Stage 4 secret super boss Added failure message for Stage 4 secret super boss if taken too long and warped back Fixed a bug where Stage 4 boss portal remained open Addressed a rare crash bug on boss spawn Happy new year!
- Update #20: Slay Bells Ring! - 22 December 2024
The 20th update for Swarmcade is now live, just in time for Christmas. The latest update is suitably festive to celebrate. Highlights include two new bonus characters to unlock with their own exclusive new bonus weapons, a super stage boss, a new secret boss, new achievements. Alongside some tweaks, balance changes and bug fixes. V1.0.4 Patch notes: NEW Bonus hero added - Merrymaker NEW Bonus hero added - Snowmancer 2 new bonus weapons added (exclusive to new characters) NEW Secret area added to Stage 4 NEW Super boss added to Stage 4 NEW Secret boss added to all stages NEW mega chest added for special stage events QoL - Changed text size on Auto Level Up notifications Tweak - Snowmen snowball attack hue changed Balance - lowered rate on Ghost curse Balance - lowered rate on Fire curse Balance - increased Mimic XP amount Tweak - Chest opening art tweaked Bug Fix - some bonus heroes were…
- Small Launch Patch - 5 December 2024
A smaller update to primarily address issues players were having getting a couple of achievements in the original 1.0 version: One for 20,000 kills, and the other for reaching level 250. While this was possible with the previous build of the game, it was probably out of reach for most regular players. Therefore, some balance tweaks have been implemented. This is still not an "easy" achievement, but it should be more doable now. Note: If you are going for either of these achievements, it should be done on Cursed difficulty. 1.03 Patch notes: New enemy added to Cursed difficultly Cursed difficultly waves and amount rebalanced Various minor bug fixes
- Swarmcade Official Launch! - 4 December 2024
After a year and three months, today marks the day that Swarmcade officially leaves Steam Early Access! To celebrate this milestone, check out the launch trailer above. For those who haven’t jumped in yet, the game is currently discounted by 25% for another week—so there’s no better time to pick it up! As some of you may recall, version 1.0 of the game was released ahead of the official launch date to address any major issues. If you missed that update, you can read the full patch notes here. Looking ahead, a small patch will be released very soon. While this won't be a major content update, it will include a few tweaks and fixes. Patch notes for this update will be shared once the patch is live. Thank you! I’d like to personally take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported the game on Steam during its Early Access period. Your invaluable feedback and bug reports have been inst…
- Swarmcade @ Bullet Heaven Fest 2.0 (25% off) - 4 December 2024
Swarmcade is excited to be part of the Bullet Heaven Fest 2.0, which launches today on Steam. The game will discounted by 25% for the duration of the event (ending December 11). If you've been waiting for a deal, now's the time to buy! Check out the full Steam page for the event here. More news coming soon!
- Patching a Few Bugs - 7 November 2024
Just a small update to address a few of the bigger bugs reported by players post 1.0. 1.02.1 Patch notes: Bug fix - Some weapons and items were incorrectly carrying over between runs new game preventing them from showing in the LV up choices. This should now be resolved! Bug fix - During the second phase on Stage 5, the boss was not showing damage received on the boss HP bar. Bug fix - Incorrect costs showing for Banish upgrades (the price was correctly deducting but not showing the right value).
- Update #666, Chapter 2 - The Banishing - 31 October 2024
The nineteenth update for Swarmcade is now live, adding the much-requested Banish mechanic, two new Halloween themed characters to unlock, as well as a new secret boss and 2 new achievements. Alongside the usual Balance, QOL/tweaks, and some bug fixes from 1.0. Highlights Banishing The biggest new addition is the game finally has the banish feature. If you're somehow not familiar with this mechanic from other games in the genre, it basically allows you to remove any item or weapon from the item pool during a run. This allows more manipulation of the RNG, hopefully allowing you to get the things you want. In Swarmcade, this is how it works. First it must be unlocked in upgrades (this can be upgraded 5 times for a total of 5 banishments). Then a new NPC merchant will appear on any stage alongside the other merchant (if you have unlocked both). Unlike the item/weapon merchant he will not t…
- Update #18: The Big One - 18 October 2024
The eighteenth update for Swarmcade is now live! After a bit longer than hoped (that's game dev for you), 1.0 is finally here! This is the biggest update to the game since the early access launch. A new stage, new difficulty, new upgrades, new heroes, enemies and bosses/elites. Plus some much-requested quality of life and features, new achievements and more. There's a lot to go through so let's begin! Patch notes Note: Some text has been marked as spoilers as some of you may prefer to find out the major new features/rewards and unlocks through actual gameplay. New Title Screen added and Title Music Bonus Stage (unlocked after surviving 30 minutes on Stage 5 - retroactive). On this stage every wave is randomised Lucky Draw added after completion of Bonus Stage - Spend excess gold here for a chance of a prize. There is a pity mechanic so you will never go too long without a win! Cursed di…
- Swarmcade @ Raid Survivors Festival / 1.0 Update - 17 September 2024
Swarmcade is excited to be part of the Raid Survivors Festival, which starts today on Steam. The game will discounted by 25% for the next 7 days. If you've been waiting for a deal, now's the time to buy! Check out the full Steam page for the event, which includes lots of other great games on offer in the same genre here. 1.0 update As mentioned back in July, 1.0 had to be delayed, but happy to report this major update is in a really solid place now. This took a little longer than hoped, but the delay has allowed even more cool elements to be added. The finishing touches are being applied now. Release at the end of September is the new target, but perhaps even sooner!
- 1.0 Delay - 31 July 2024
Hey everyone, Just wanted to give an update on version 1.0 of Swarmcade. Unfortunately, it is not going to hit the original planned July release. The patch was on track, but a few unexpected major bugs reared their ugly head during testing, which set things back a little. As a result, the update needs a little more time in the oven. This is the biggest patch for the game since the Early Access launch with new endgame systems added, and most of the existing ones have been completely re-done to incorporate these new elements. On top of that there are new heroes, a new unique stage, a new harder difficulty and more. I'm not going to set a new release date, but I don't foresee it being that long of a delay. Fingers crossed!
- Update #17 - Robotron 2024 - 30 June 2024
The seventeenth update for Swarmcade is now live, and it brings two new characters to unlock, a new Ultimate and new achievements! Alongside the usual Balance, QOL, tweaks, and bug fixes. 1.0 Coming soon! This update should mark the final one before version 1.0. This major update has been worked on in the background for the past few months. 1.0 adds the final chunk of content before leaving early access - some cool new additions are still to come even if you have unlocked everything/achievement until now. Patch ETA is before the end of July (Unless something goes wrong at the last minute, but hopefully not!) Highlights NEW Robot Hero The Robot starts with the Thundermine weapon. His passive ability triggers the magnet effect every ~15 seconds (dependent on your cooldown) without the need for the magnet power-up. If you do grab the magnet master power up as well, he will gain more magnet…
- Update #16 - Mages, Monks & Bananas! - 31 May 2024
The sixteenth update for Swarmcade is now live, and it brings two new characters to unlock, a new weapon, new Ultimate and new achievements! Alongside the usual Balance, QOL, tweaks, and bug fixes. Highlights NEW Archmage Hero The Archmage is a pure glass canon - he has immense power, but at the cost of very low HP. He starts with the Meteor weapon, but his passive ability allows him to randomly summon Ultimates of the elemental magic variety, e.g. Fire, Ice, Lightning. Yes, right from the start of the stage without levelling anything up! And these stack with the regular Ultimate Fire, Ice and Lightning for even more power. NEW Monk Hero The Monk starts with the Cyclone weapon, and comes with a unique ability to summon a healing aura on the ground. If you are in vicinity of the aura, you will be healed. This aura refreshes every 5 seconds and heals for the duration (on a cooldown). If y…
- Swarmcade @ Endless Replayability Fest - 13 May 2024
Swarmcade is excited to be participating in the Endless Replayability Fest which launched today on Steam! The game will discounted by 30% for the duration of the event (which lasts until May 20). Check out the full Steam page for the event here. The game's price will be increasing slightly after this event to reflect the amount of new content added, so now's the time to buy! The next major game update will be out before the end of the month.
- Update #15 - Burn Baby Burn! - 30 April 2024
The fifteenth update for Swarmcade is now live, and it brings two new characters to unlock, a new Ultimate to discover, new weapon, and new achievements! Alongside the usual Balance, QOL, tweaks, and bug fixes. Highlights NEW Pyromancer Hero Alongside the firepit weapon, the Pyro has a unique trait of leaving a trail of fire behind her. This will harm any enemy that comes into contact with it. The damage scales as the hero levels up, so it will be effective into the late game. NEW Angel Hero The Angel starts with Azazel's Tears and has a unique passive ability to mirror the laser beam. That means, for instance, if the hero is facing right the mirror version will fire left at the same time. Essentially, you are covered in both directions, making the Angel the best to use with the laser beam. NEW Line Bomb This weapon drops a bomb during player movement. When it explodes it leaves a verti…
- Update #14 - The Missing Link - 31 March 2024
The fourteenth update for Swarmcade is now live, and it brings two new characters to unlock, a new Ultimate to discover, a sneaky new secret boss, new achievements! Alongside the usual Balance, QOL, tweaks, and bug fixes. Windwaker Hero Alongside the bananarang weapon, the Windwaker hero starts with a unique fairy summon. The fairy has a few functions. She will heal the player when in danger (at or under 40% HP), attack enemies (with scaling damage) and "special" moves that will be amusing to fans of a certain massive game series... Ghost Hero The Ghost starts with the Nom Nom weapon and has a unique passive ability to inflict fear most regular enemies periodically throughout runs (bosses and elites are not affected). Affected enemies are visibly changed whilst they are under the fear status. The best thing about this is that Ghost can then run into scared enemies to kill them instantly…
- Update #13: Go To Hell! - 29 February 2024
The thirteenth update for Swarmcade is now live, and Stage 5 is here! This is the last regular stage of the game before 1.0, and hell is the final destination. The new map is a 30+ minute run (to complete all waves and kill the boss). It contains all new enemies, elites, and secret and final bosses. On top of that, there are another two awesome new tracks (composed by Miguelangell960)! How to unlock Stage 5 To unlock Stage 5, players must survive 10 minutes in Stage 4 (normal). This should be retroactive, so Stage 5 (normal) should be open if you have already done this. Full patch notes follow. V0.9.0 Patch notes: NEW map added, Hell NEW regular enemies added NEW elites added NEW final boss added NEW 4 secret bosses added NEW Music tracks added QOL - Magnet pick-up changes for easier legibility during the chaos! Tweak - Regular chest slightly reduced in size NEW - 4 Achievements (requir…
- Update #12 - Bombs Away! - 20 January 2024
The twelfth update for Swarmcade is now live, and it brings two new characters to unlock, a new Ultimate, a new regular weapon and item, new achievements. Alongside the usual Balance, QOL, tweaks, and bug fixes. v0.8.5 Patch notes: NEW Hero added, Bombardier, starts with B.F.B., Mini-Nukes NEW Hero added, Frostmage, starts with Ice Orb, Ice Retaliation at half HP NEW Ultimate B.F.B weapon added NEW regular weapon added, Meteors - calls down meteors from the sky! NEW item added, Dragon's Eye - Boosts Crit Rate and Crit damage Balance - Max range of Magnet Master increased even further Balance - Regular enemy move speed slowed on Stages 1 & 2 Balance - Elites move speed slightly increased on all stages (Hard mode only) Balance - Nerfed “Hidden in Plain Sight” boss HP QOL - Crit icon now shown on HUD during crit boost powerup QOL - Some Vendor spots moved on Stage 2 to avoid accidentally o…
- Update #11: Season's Beatings! - 22 December 2023
The eleventh update for Swarmcade is now live, and Stage 4 has arrived in time for the festive season! The map, Snowzonia, is a 30+minute run (to complete all waves and kill the boss). It contains all new enemies, elites and a secret and final stage boss. On top of that, there are another two festive tracks (composed by Miguelangell960)! How to unlock Stage 4 To unlock Stage 4, players must survive 10 minutes in Stage 3 (normal). This should now be retroactive, so Stage 4 should be open if you have already done this. Elsewhere there's the usual quality of life, tweaks and bug fixes. Full notes follow. V0.8.0 Patch notes: NEW map added, Snowzonia NEW regular enemies added NEW elites added NEW final boss added NEW secret boss added NEW Music tracks added Balance/QOL - Level 40 XP spike reduced Balance/QOL - Reduced magnet spawn timer Balance - Lowered Crowned King HP Bug Fix for Full scre…
