- Conventions season: Playtesting Dark Queen of Samobor - 7 September 2026
Hi, everyone! It's been a busy couple of weeks for us. In the span of just a few days, our demo was playtested at two very different events: one of the biggest gaming shows on the planet, and one much closer to home. We wanted to share how it went, and say thank you to everyone who sat down and gave our demo a try.The big stage: GamescomGamescom needs no special introduction. Hundreds of thousands of visitors, and more games than any one person could ever play during the 3 days of the event. Bringing our demo there as a small indie team for the first time ever was really exciting!We had a small corner in the Games Croatia section, together with other amazing Croatian games. We were not there physically but we got a live feed of photos and videos from our friends, showing how many people stopped and played the demo. The reactions that were reported back to us were really positive, and we…
- Kickstarter 100% Funded! - 19 June 2026
Hi, everyone! WE ARE 100% FUNDED!!! This was such an incredible news to wake up to and we are so honored that so much of you gave us your support and showed your trust. We are more motivated than ever to finish Dark Queen of Samobor as a game you will enjoy and a game we will be proud of. Thank you everyone who backed us so far! ❤️We now turn to our first stretch goal: Including a new chapter in the game!If we reach $20,000, we will have enough resources to build this new chapter at the same level of quality as the remaining parts of the game, including building the entire new level in a new biome, modeling all the enemies (including a boss at the end!), coding, and putting everything together.We want to dedicate the upcoming posts to presenting this new chapter of the game to you, and to kick things off, we want to show you one enemy type that we already have modeled and ready to be im…
- Meet the Team - 15 June 2026
Hi,, everyone! In todays' post I'm excited to tell you more about our team.Downtown Game Studio started with 2 brothers: Mato (art director) and Josip (producer/writer). We grew up together (well, duh...) and watched tons of movies, cartoons and played video games together, and we always dreamt of making our own game. That dream became reality when we met Aleksandar, Downtown Game Studio's solo programmer.The 3 of us started making mobile games and, during that time, we got familiar with the Unity engine and improved our workflow. 2 years later, we decided to leave mobile game space and focus on a game we truly wanted to make and play - Dark Queen of Samobor. Aleksandar, Mato, and Josip showcasing Dark Queen of Samobor at a local event in Zagreb, CroatiaSoon after, the 4th member joined the team - Matija, our friend from the neighborhood and studio's sound designer.Matija and Mato playt…
- 1st Demo Patch - 13 June 2026
Hi, everyone! We released our first Demo patch. The updates in this patch include: BUG FIXES Fixed several camera clipping issuesFixed a bug where players could get stuck at the entrance of the first secret passageReduced and improved Combat Area layout; players no longer get stuck on rocks and walls during combatFixed camera stuttering after the third encounter with enemiesFixed: players could climb on large traps in the snow area and return backwardsFixed death trigger on the dragon skull (the player could die when turning around and jumping onto the skull) GAMEPLAY IMPROVEMENTS Potion refill checkpoints now heal you as wellImproved enemy placement throughout the levelTraps affect enemies even while they attackIncreased lever collidersAdded a ledge collider before the falling platforms sectionAdded "Throw axe to activate traps" tutorialAdded a tutorial explaining that some enemies can…
- A look at 75%? - 10 June 2026
We've now reached 60% of our funding goal!Thank you to everyone who has backed the campaign so far. Our goal remains the same: $10,000, which will help us push through the final stage of development and bring Dark Queen of Samobor to release in early 2027.In this post we want to show you a new enemy type from the Mountain biome.So... Meet the Zvoncar The Zvoncar are inspired by a real folk tradition from Croatia. For centuries, mountain villagers wore costumes made from animal hides and carried large bells, believing the noise would drive away evil spirits and protect their communities.In the world of Dark Queen of Samobor, things have taken a darker turn.After falling under the influence of the Dark Queen, the Zvoncar now serve her cause. Their bells no longer ward off darkness, they strengthen it. In combat, Zvoncar fight alongside the Queen's forces as melee enemies, but their greate…
- 50% funded! - 9 June 2026
In just over 24 hours, we've reached 50% funding! We're grateful for every pledge and each one brings us closer to the finish line and helps us deliver the best version of Dark Queen of Samobor when it launches in early 2027. Since the develpment kicked off in early 2024, it's safe to say the game has improved quit a bit. It's crazy to look back at some of our early prototypes and see that the game has come from this:And this:To this:And this:We started in Spring of 2024 and now just a bit over 2 yers later in June 2026, we have a playable game. A beta version with many features still to be implemented, but we're finally at a stage where we're excited to share the game with all of you and gather your feedback. Most of our main mechanics are in place (but some require more polish), including all the special abilities (demo shows only 2), most of the levels content, and majority of enemy…
- 30% Funded! - 9 June 2026
Wow!After just a few hours since we launched our campaign, we've already reached 30% of our funding goal! Thank you to everyone who backed the campaign and helped spread the word. This is a strong start and a great sign that there's interest in our game and that makes us so incredibly excited.Our primary goal remains the same: reaching $10,000 to help fund the final stage of development. These funds will allow us to finish the game and prepare it for its planned release in early 2027. Every pledge brings us closer to making the game we set out to create.As the campaign continues, we'd like to share more behind-the-scenes content with you. What would you be most interested in seeing in future updates? Content about development, story and lore, enemies and bosses, concept art, music and sound design, the team behind the game, or something else entirely? Let us know and we'll use your feed…
- Kickstarter is live! - 8 June 2026
Hi everyone! After more than two years of development, countless of hours of work and playtests, we're excited to announce that the Kickstarter campaign for Dark Queen of Samobor is finally live!We're now entering the final stage of development, and this is where we need your help.By supporting our Kickstarter campaign, you're helping us finish the game, expand the content, create the best possible soundtrack and voice acting experience, and bring the world of Dark Queen of Samobor to life exactly as we envision it.If you've been following our journey and cheering us on from afar - we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your support has brought us this far. And if you'd like to help us take the final step, please consider backing the campaign and sharing it with your friends. Here is the link to our campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1857860034/dark-queen-of-samobor-an-…
- Behind the Scenes: Camera of Dark Queen of Samobor - 13 May 2026
Hey, everyone! In this post we want to talk about some of the tricks we use to get that cinematic feeling in Dark Queen of Samobor. If you caught our last dev blog, you already know how much we rely on triggers to make the world feel alive and reactive. Today we'll take a look at the role they play in our camera work. Our camera is fully manually directed, and every angle, zoom, and perspective shift is intentional and placed by hand. Perspective shiftsThis is one of our favourite tricks. The game is a sidescroller by default, but nothing stops us from swinging the camera into a completely different perspective when the moment calls for it. For example, in the scene where you're running across a frozen lake, everything seems fine until the moment you run through a trigger, and the camera pulls up and rotates to a top-down view, revealing something you couldn't see before: something enor…
- Kickstarter Announcement - 15 April 2026
Hello, everyone! Today we have a special announcement. Dark Queen of Samobor has been in development since early 2024, and after pouring everything we have into it, we're approaching the final stretch. The development through these years has been funded mostly by ourselves, with additional support from Croatian public institutions such as the Croatian Audiovisual Centre and the Tourist Board of the city of Zagreb. However, to push through the finish line with a game we will truly be proud of, we need your help.We are excited to announce our Kickstarter campaign! Our page is already up with the campaign launching very soon, and it would help us a lot if you would check it out and consider hitting that "Notify me on launch" button. Here is the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1857860034/dark-queen-of-samobor-an-adventure-inspired-by-slavic-mythsProducing all the details in Dark…
- Dev Blog 8: Building our Levels - 25 March 2026
Hey everyone! Today we're pulling back the curtain a little and giving you a peek at how we actually build the world of Dark Queen of Samobor. Spoiler: it's messier than you might think before it gets beautiful.From grey box to finished worldEvery level in the game starts as a blockout. A rough layout built from simple geometric shapes. No real materials, no finished models, just crude objects slapped together to test whether the space actually feels right to move through and fight in. Does the pacing work? How does the flow of the movement feel? Can you actually see what's going on during combat? These are some of the questions we're answering at this stage, not "does it look pretty."Early BlockoutOnce we're happy with how it plays, we move into the visual iteration: adding the real models, textures, lighting, atmosphere, and all the little details that make the world feel alive and be…
- Birth of the Beast: Inside Our Creature Design Process - 18 December 2025
Greetings, everyone. In this post, we’d like to give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we design our monsters. Every creature in our game goes through multiple stages of exploration and iteration before we settle on a final look. To show this process in action, let’s walk through the creation of one of our monsters: the Grabar.ExplorationWe always begin by exploring the overall shape, silhouette, and mood of a creature. At this stage, nothing is final. The goal is to experiment freely and discover interesting directions. Our designs are heavily inspired by local wildlife, especially when it comes to color palettes, textures, and small details. For the Grabar, we started with several rough concepts to explore different forms and personalities.Grabar exploration - Concepts by Fran Petar DomljanVariationsOnce we settle on a general direction, we decide how the creature functions in gamep…
- A Master of Film Music Joins Dark Queen of Samobor - 28 October 2025
Hello everyone!We have thrilling news to share. Dalibor Grubacevic, one of Croatia’s most celebrated and award-winning composers, is joining our team! Known for his powerful and emotional film scores, Dalibor has collaborated with internationally recognized filmmakers and earned Croatia’s highest music honor, the Porin, for Best Original Score in theatre, film, or television for his work on the documentary about Marco Polo, and several other international awards. Scoring SessionDalibor with the orchestra after his recent concert in Zagreb, CroatiaWe are incredibly excited and proud to welcome him aboard. His artistic sensitivity and vast experience will elevate the sound of the dark, immersive world we are creating, pushing our soundtrack to new heights. We can't wait to hear and share the main theme and the full soundtrack with you all, which is set to release next year.Left to right:…
- Dev Blog 7: Progress Update - 22 October 2025
Hi, everyone!We decided to try a bit different approach to our dev blogs – instead of choosing a specific topic to write on as up till now, we’ll start a series of updates in which we give you exactly that – updates on the game. Which new mechanics we’re implementing, what models and animations we’re testing out, and what parts of our levels are being designed or built. While writing on a specific topic is definitely something we’ll continue to do (every now and then), this new format should let us talk to you more often and more openly about the game’s ongoing progress. We have plenty of new stuff you haven’t seen yet, built after launching the last trailer. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s new in Dark Queen of Samobor: NARRATION TESTINGWe’re currently testing the narration system with placeholder text and audio, soon to be replaced by the real thing, voiced by none other than Sandra L…
- 10,000 Wishlists! - 8 September 2025
Hi everyone! We’re excited to share an incredible milestone with you -- we’ve reached 10,000 wishlists on Steam! We want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. When we first started developing this game, we honestly weren’t sure if anyone beyond our friends and family would want to play it. And now, just a little over a year since announcing it, more than 10,000 of you are eagerly waiting for its release. We’re deeply grateful for each and every one of you. Your support motivates us to keep pushing forward so we can deliver an amazing experience -- for you and for ourselves.Thank you so much! ❤️- Downtown Game Studio development team
- Dev Blog 6: Cinema Playtest - 26 May 2025
On May 14th, we showcased and playtested Dark Queen of Samobor in Karlovac, Croatia, as part of "Kino, igra, film" (“Cinema, Game, Film”), a national educational initiative organized by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC). The event was hosted at the beautiful Kino Edison in Karlovac, Croatia. The goal? To promote locally made games and films while helping younger generations build media literacy through critical thinking and hands-on experience. "Dark Queen of Samobor" at cinema Edison, Karlovac, Croatia We presented Dark Queen of Samobor to two groups of high school students from Karlovac and the response was Incredibly heartwarming. They enjoyed playing the game and they were intrigued by the fact that it draws from Croatian culture, literature, and mythology. Several students told us they were already fans, excited to see August Šenoa and Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić’s stories come to l…
- Dev Blog 5: Showcasing Dark Queen - 30 April 2025
These past few weeks have been a whirlwind but the kind that remind us why we’re doing all this in the first place. We recently brought Dark Queen to two very different but equally meaningful events: Reboot Develop Blue in Dubrovnik, and Gaming Meetup Osijek powered by BIOS, a local indie initiative we co-organized. Both gave us a chance to put our current prototype into the hands of players, developers, publishers, and other industry pros, and the feedback we received has been inspiring. Reboot Develop Blue Reboot Develop Blue is one of the most prestigious games industry conferences in the world. Held in the beautiful coastal city of Dubrovnik, it gathers thousands of professionals from all corners of the global industry, from indie developers to AAA publishers. Pitching Dark Queen at Reboot Develop Blue We had the chance to showcase Dark Queen to an audience of fellow devs, publisher…
- Dev Blog 4: The Art Behind Dark Queen - 26 February 2025
Hello once again, everyone! In this post we’ll talk about the inspirations for Dark Queen that come from the world of classic cinema and animation. We want to build a world that is both visually enchanting and deeply atmospheric, a world where folklore intertwines with fantasy. Our vision is rooted in iconic animations, and timeless pieces of art that evoke strong atmospheres and unforgettable visuals. We’re blending these influences to shape a game that’s unique in its style, lore, and impact. In this post we’ll take a look into some of the biggest inspirations that are shaping the world of Dark Queen. Visual Inspirations: Crafting a Darkly Enchanted World From our very first concepts, we wanted Dark Queen to have a mysterious look, mixing folklore with dark fantasy. This is where we turned for visual inspiration: 80s Dark Fantasy Movies & Animations The 80s were filled with iconic dar…
- Dev Blog 3: Enhancing the Combat Experience - 28 January 2025
Hello again, everyone! In today’s post, we’ll talk about our combat feedback system and what we did to “juice it up”. We wanted to create a combat system that feels responsive, dynamic, and rewarding. It consists of light and heavy attacks with addition of some cool abilities that add depth to the gameplay. In the coming blog posts, we’ll dive into some of these abilities, but today, we want to focus on something just as crucial - the player feedback system that makes combat feel impactful. Initially, when we implemented our basic attacks, everything worked as expected. You could strike enemies, deal damage, and move on to the next one. But something was missing. The combat felt flat - functional but not exciting. It lacked that “wow” effect that makes each swing of the axe feel powerful and rewarding. We playtested this prototype at Blender: FIlm & Games conference in Zagreb and one of…
- Myths & Legends Steam Event - 22 January 2025
Hi everyone, Just a quick info that Dark Queen will be featured as "coming soon" at the upcoming Steam event by Maximum Entertainment: Myths & Legends Make sure to check it out from Jan 29th to Feb 4th and grab some awesome mythology-based discounted games drawing from Roman, Slavic, Nordic, and Japanese folklore. Read more in the official announcement: https://maximument.com/news/maximum-entertainments-myths-legends-steam-event-starts-january-29/ Until the next time, Downtown Game Studio team
