- Almost Ready to Descend - 14 October 2026
Underkeep Opens Very SoonUnderkeep launches on November 5, 2026.We promised ourselves that we wouldn't add anything else to the game this late in development. Then our programmer basically said “meh” - and somehow Underkeep ended up with a few more features anyway.Just One More Feature...First of all: minimap notes are finally here.You can now place your own notes directly on the minimap - mark suspicious walls, places you want to return to, unfinished business, or simply leave a warning for your future self.Heroes also cry out when they die now, because apparently silently collapsing wasn't dramatic enough.Our intro and outro sequences now feature professional voice-over narration, adding a little more life to the beginning and end of your journey.We're also squeezing in a few smaller quality-of-life features before release that should make your journey through Underkeep a little more…
- Release Date Revealed - 12 September 2026
The Gates of Underkeep Will Open on November 5Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts with us about the release, and especially to our dedicated testers and everyone helping with the translations.After extensive testing and careful consideration, we have decided to release Underkeep this year. We are confident that the game will be polished and ready to deliver the experience we originally set out to create.Watch our new teaser below.Underkeep will be released on November 5, 2026.At launch, the game will be available on PC through Steam and GOG. You’ll be able to play the game in English, Czech, Polish, German, Spanish, Russian and French with full controller support.A Nintendo Switch version is currently planned for Q1 2027. We will share more information when the time comes.We’ve just updated the demo with most of the core features you’ll find in the full game. If you haven’t…
- The Road to Release - 21 July 2026
We have some exciting news.Underkeep is now playable from beginning to end.The only bad news?For now, only we get to play it.Every major area, dungeon, and story chapter is now in place. While plenty of polishing remains, the entire adventure can finally be played from start to finish.That also means internal beta testing has officially begun.We spend our days doing things that are far less exciting... but absolutely necessary.Finding bugs.Fixing bugs.Creating new bugs while fixing the old ones. Along the way we're also balancing combat, adjusting encounters, fixing typos... and occasionally throwing fish at monsters.What Is Still Left Before Release?There is still plenty of work ahead.finishing the intro and ending sequencescompleting the remaining environmental assetswriting the last remaining dialoguesbalancing all difficulty settingsSteam achievementsLocalizationslots and lots of po…
- Closer to the Depths - 30 May 2026
We Are Getting There. Almost.We are slowly approaching the point where we can finally talk about a release date.Not just yet. But we are getting closer. A Lot Has Changed Since the DemoSince Next Fest, Underkeep has grown quite a bit. Not only in content, but also in atmosphere, systems, encounters, and overall identity.Some parts of the game became darker.Some stranger.Some things are better left beneath the surface.We’ve been expanding the later parts of the game world, including Underkeep Tower, Swamp, Dungeon ruins, Forgotten gardens, and several larger story encounters.The Mushroom questline from the demo is now part of the full game, altough slightly altered. If you are not familiar with it yet, let’s just say the mushrooms have some... questionable ideas about family.Combat, Classes, and ProgressionThe Paladin is fully happening, including Zeal-based resource system.We have added…
- Underkeep - News From the Depths - 19 April 2026
Once again, thank you to everyone who played the demo during Steam Next Fest and took the time to share your thoughts. The feedback, bug reports, balance suggestions, and discussions on the forums have been incredibly helpful.Of course, not every suggestion can make it into the final game, but your feedback helps us clearly see which topics matter most to the community.Here is a short summary of the most frequently asked questions.LocalizationWe will announce the officially supported languages closer to the release date.For additional languages, we would like to explore community collaboration. If everything goes well, this should allow more languages to be added after release.Release DateWe do not have a specific release date yet.We prefer to announce it only once we are confident the game is ready. However, 2026 remains our target release window.What We’re Working OnNew Character Port…
- Steam Next Fest Is Live - Thank You - 23 February 2026
First of all, thank you.The demo may be short, but the impact of your feedback is not.The amount of suggestions, bug reports, and thoughtful discussions over the last week has exceeded our expectations.Being compared to legends like Eye of the Beholder or Lands of Lore means a lot to us, and it certainly raises the bar. We’ll do our best to meet it.We’ve read almost everything (truly), and we’ve taken notes. Here’s a small preview of what is already being improved or confirmed for the full version:Confirmed ImprovementsMore character portraits + custom namesImproved turning animation (already updated, including optional movement animation!)Clearer tutorial flow (yes, the breakable crates caught many of you)Difficulty settingsSave system improvementsCustom key bindings and further controller refinementsImproved UI clarity and overall readabilityOptional toggles for many effects such as s…
- The Underkeep Demo Is Live - 12 February 2026
The Underkeep demo is out!Step into the mechanics, atmosphere, and pacing of our upcoming dungeon crawler. Demo Launch – Current State & What’s Coming The demo represents the current state of development. Some elements are still being finalized, including hero portraits, parts of their skill sets, and additional polish. What awaits you? Blood, sweat, and slime! The full game will deliver the real challenge. Hours of exploring deep dungeons, battling monsters, collecting equipment, developing your heroes, completing quests, and solving mysterious puzzles. The romantic atmosphere of sunlit forests will give way to the ominous darkness of forgotten catacombs, where you will hear nothing but the creak of your keyboard, mouse, and gamepad. The success of your expedition will depend solely on your party, their equipment, and their abilities. Wishlist Underkeep and follow us on Steam to join t…
- The Torch Is Lit - 22 January 2026
This February, Underkeep will be part of Steam Next Fest, with a short playable demo.We prepared a small, self-contained adventure designed to give you a focused introduction to the world of Underkeep.The demo lets you step into the dungeon and experience the foundations of the game:tactical, turn-based combatgrid-based movement and explorationthe atmosphere and pacing we’re aiming forIt’s not a full preview of the final game, but it should give you a solid sense of what Underkeep is about and how it feels to play. It offers roughly 15 to 30 minutes of gameplay, depending on how carefully you explore.We’re looking forward to welcoming you into the world of Underkeep and hearing what you think once you’ve taken your first steps below.
- End-of-Year Dev Update - 12 December 2025
Developer Update - Closing Out 2025The game began as the idea of a single person almost two years ago. Small spark that quickly grew into something much bigger. Soon after, two brave souls dove into the project full-time, building the foundations of what Underkeep would become.Over the past year, the team expanded with several wonderful people who stepped in to help. We are genuinely grateful for their contributions in art and music, which elevated the game far beyond what the two of us could have created alone.What started as a compact retro project gradually evolved into a fully featured modern dungeon crawler - with class systems, unique races, reactive dialogues, a hand-built world, complex combat, animated spell effects, and hundreds of details that are easy to take for granted but had to be created from scratch. Throughout 2025, we added many things that were never part of the ori…
- News from Underkeep: Classes, Races & Skills - 4 November 2025
Some of you have been asking about how skills and classes will work in Underkeep, and we’re happy to finally share a few concrete details. This is what we are currently planning and working on. Though, as with all things in development, details may still change by the time the game is complete.Races planned: Human, Dwarf, Horemount, Raven, Elk, and Yah-Ti. Each brings its own strengths and weaknesses to your journey.Classes currently in the game: Warrior, Voidcaller, Archer, and Wizard. Coming next: Thief and Blood Mage. Nice-to-have (someday): Paladin and Runecrafter.Every class is designed to have two specializations that guide your hero down a distinct path. On paper, each class has around 9-12 skills, most of which are still being refined and balanced.The system is simple: one skill point per level, and each skill can be leveled up to five times.When it comes to using these skills,…
- News from Underkeep: We Have Quests! - 9 October 2025
Old-school dungeon crawlers usually didn’t feature any real quest system, let alone branching dialogue. Most of the time you simply started at point A and had to reach point B.Underkeep, however, is not just a straight corridor. The world is, to a certain degree, open, allowing you to explore locations more freely. And that naturally led us to quests and their completion.It may look easy on the surface – throw in a simple fetch quest and you’re done. But believe us, writing and properly scripting even the simplest quest is no small task. We need to account for the order in which quests are accepted, what happens if you skip a step, or even bypass the entire “beginning” of a quest. The game still has to respond consistently and keep the story and world logic intact.We also want the player to feel that certain choices will have consequences in the world. Not every decision is just a line…
- News from Underkeep: Life in the Village - 16 September 2025
Every settlement should feel alive, not just like a backdrop for adventurers. Underkeep takes a step closer to that vision.Villagers now roam the streets, linger by the wells, or wander aimlessly as if burdened by thoughts unspoken. Guards keep a watchful eye, merchants fuss with their wares, and even the idle passerby might glance at you with suspicion or curiosity.They are not merely scenery. Some may greet you, others ignore you, and a few may mutter things best left unheard. It is a small touch, but it transforms the stone and timber of Underkeep into a place that feels lived in.And here’s where we’d like to hear from you: should these villagers physically block your path (as in many of the old dungeon crawlers - immersive, but sometimes maddening), or should they be ghostlike, letting you pass through them, keeping the flow of exploration smooth?Your choice will shape how life in t…
- The dice have spoken… and they say it’s time for an update. - 4 September 2025
Greetings, adventurers,we’d like to share a few news from the depths.The core systems of Underkeep are now in a solid state, and we are preparing for what we have been calling internally our “first real play” - the very first steps into the dungeon. It feels great to finally see the pieces come together in a playable flow.In terms of overall progress, we are approaching the halfway mark of development. There is still a long crawl ahead, but the torchlight is reaching further every week.We’re aiming for a Q1 2026 release. An official demo will be coming before that - though honestly, we’re not sure if it will happen this year. What we do know is that your feedback and testing will be essential. That’s why we plan to open some form of beta testing as soon as possible, and we’ll definitely share more details in a future.On the art side. Most of the visuals are currently being created by on…
- Voiceovers - Your opinion matters - 26 July 2025
UPDATEHey everyone!We just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you who took the time to share your thoughts on the use of AI for voiceovers. We're genuinely glad we opened the conversation.Our team have never used AI and we only considered AI for voiceovers because we don't have the budget for it. And we came to you with it first. The majority of the community has clearly spoken out against AI even in this minority use, and we're glad you're in favor of the no voiceover option. So don't worry, no AI voiceovers will be used.If we are able to increase the budget in the future, we'll try to hire a voiceartist and add voiceovers then.Your Rake in Grass teamWe wanted to talk a bit about something that’s been on many minds lately: the use of AI in game development.At Underkeep, we’ve chosen to avoid AI for visuals as much as possible. All our artwork is hand-drawn or hand-polished, even i…
- Summer may have arrived outside… but deep in our dungeon? It’s cold. Very cold. - 27 June 2025
What We’re Working OnSummer may have arrived outside, flowers are blooming, birds are singing… but deep in our dungeon? It’s cold. Very cold. And not just because of the lack of sunlight.Lately, the halls have started to attract some particularly ravenous creatures. So while others are off enjoying picnics, we’re down here building traps and prepping fireballs.Monsters Incoming!We’ve commissioned an external artist to bring new monsters to life. It’s not cheap - but let’s be honest, you can put a price on horror, and we just did.The results? Blood golems, zombies, strange abominations you’d never want to meet in a dark dungeon.From Relics to RubbishWe’re working hard to get items into the game. Each one needs logic, visuals (icon + ground sprite), and a decent description. That´s lot of work.No cursed gear or mystery penalties here. We want players to feel curious, not paranoid. But in…
- Development update: Skills, demo and early access - 30 May 2025
Hello adventurers… gather ‘round, we’ve got an update from the frontlines! What are we working on now? Development is forging ahead - and right now, we're tackling very critical elements. Hero Skills. Balancing the number, making them fun, and ensuring every skill feels meaningful? It's a boss fight of its own. Fun fact: Classic RPGs averaged 7–9 skills per hero – and we’re sticking to that spirit. Instead of diving into overly complex skill trees, we’ve chosen a more focused approach: classic levelable skills. But don’t be fooled by the simplicity – we’re aiming for smarter design. Take the warrior, for example: specializing early in axes might feel rewarding… until you stumble upon an epic sword. Oops. We’re working to minimize moments like that, without sacrificing depth or replayability. Another key area we’re fine-tuning is combat complexity - things like stats, battle mechanics, a…
- Legends never rest, and neither should you. - 28 April 2025
Let’s be honest - every good dungeon crawl starts the same way: with a locked door, zero context, and a party that looks like it was thrown together by a drunk wizard on a deadline. As we continue digging deeper into the cursed catacombs and haunted mines, it’s time to answer a question many of you have been asking: “Who the heck am I bringing into this deathtrap with me?” In the demo, you’ll be playing with a pre-built party to give you a taste of the game’s tone, mechanics and of course - races. Today, we’re introducing two of them in detail. HOREMOUNT – ROCK HARD, THINK SLOW If you ever wondered what it’s like to give a walking boulder a sword and a personal vendetta, meet the Horemount. Towering stone warriors from the frostbitten northern mountains, these living slabs of granite have been forged by howling winds, freezing blizzards, and a complete lack of social skills. They hit li…
- Something is lurking in the depths of Underkeep... - 27 March 2025
Greetings, brave adventurers! We know you’ve checking every wall for secret doors while waiting for an update. Fear not! Our two-person party (yes, we’re basically an under-leveled duo lost in the depths of game development) is hard at work crafting new assets and refining the game’s overall design and behavior. There’s still a whole pile of missing essentials - kind of like trying to raid a dungeon without a sword. But we’re making steady progress. Because of this, we don’t have a release date yet (not even a vague prophecy scribbled on an ancient scroll). However, we've agreed on one thing: our first step is to release a playable demo featuring the game's starting areas. It’ll be a bit stripped-down (sorry, no party creation just yet), but it should give you a taste of what's to come. The demo could be out sometime mid-year. Your feedback means everything to us - after all, we're maki…
- News from the Underkeep! - 27 February 2025
Adventurers, Gather ‘Round! We know you’re eager for news, and trust us—we can hear the clanking of your swords and the impatient tapping of your spellbooks! Development is in full swing, and we're currently crafting the opening location that will set your brave party on a perilous path toward the depths near the fortress of Underkeep. Expect mystery, danger, and plenty of opportunities to regret not bringing more food. As a love letter to classics like Eye of the Beholder, Dungeon Master or Lands of Lore, we’re committed to capturing that old-school magic—just with fewer floppy disks involved. So tell us, dear dungeon-delvers: what made you fall in love with these legendary games? What features, moments, or mechanics would you love to see brought back (or reimagined) in our game? Let us know—we’re listening!
