- Demo Update 0.1.3 - 1 September 2026
Major version bump! A lot has changed in this update!! If you are attending Pax West in Seattle this weekend, come visit me at the Indie Incubator booths in the main expo hall! 🚀 UpdatesAdded four unique Dwarf character models and a character/skin selectorAdded a seamless in-game tutorial during your first runAdded currency for mining BloodstonesAdded Weapon Upgrade system (Uses currency)Added Upgrade reroll functionality (Uses currency)Added first Sniper RifleAdded first SMG weaponAdded an Unstuck option to the menuAdded new puzzle roomAdded three new dungeon roomsAdded a new main menu sceneAdded boss musicAdded multiplayer invite codesAdded Aim Assist for controller players, including adjustable camera rotation strengthAdded Difficulty SelectionAdded customizable key bindings with saved rebinding preferencesAdded new Creepy Crawling enemiesAdded new Jumper enemies with jumping and fo…
- Demo Update 0.0.73 - 15 May 2026
New dash ability! Give it a try and let me know what you think! We now have our first map event! There will be may more to come! 🚀 UpdatesAdded room puzzle systems and event mechanics.Added a new dash ability.Added status menu that shows current weapons and upgrades.Added boss/event music.Added more sound effects.Added weapon comparison UI.Added new enemy animations.Added new upgrade.Added new dungeon room.🧩 FixesCleaned up colliders across multiple areas (Less invisible walls).Fixed enemies still attacking while dead.Improved multiplayer sync settings.More minor fixes.
- Demo Update 0.0.70 - 22 April 2026
🚀 UpdatesAdded difficulty system with selectable difficulty options.Added new Space Ship Hub starting area. Hub is currently used for hosting game and setting difficulty.In the future will be used for selecting character class and upgrades.Added 3 new dungeon roomsAdded save/load system (currently only used for scene changes).Improved menu transitions (now instant).Improved mining system (can hold to mine, faster mining, updated animation).Health orbs are now always auto picked up.Reduced weapon sway (Makes aiming feel more responsive).Improved jump behavior.Improved lighting, textures, and environment polish across scenes.Added new minimap icons.🧩 FixesFixed restart issue in multiplayer.Fixed minimap rotation issue.Fixed arms flickering issue.Fixed multiple small bugs and inconsistencies across UI, environments, and gameplay systems.
- Demo Update 0.0.65 - 13 February 2026
This update focuses heavily on polish, stability, and overall game feel. I’ve spent time improving lighting and shadows, tightening up weapon handling, and fixing several bugs that were affecting gameplay flow. As always, feedback through Discord is greatly appreciated!🚀 UpdatesImplemented dynamic shadow casting and lighting improvements.Various lighting, shadow, and visual polish passes across the dungeon.Add weapon pickup labels to display stats including damage, fire rate, and magazine size.Improved shotgun and rifle recoil.Added brightness setting.Added shadow quality setting.Can now hold key to mine.Removed Continue button from death menu.Increased maximum camera sensitivity.Tweaked general UI elements.Various optimizations.🧩 FixesFixed scheduled actions bug which showed up in various ways. These should all be fixed but if you notice any of them please let me knowShotgun stuck in…
- Demo Update 0.0.58 - 2 December 2025
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! 🚀 UpdatesAdded three new dungeon roomsLimited inventory to two weapons at a time so that you must choose your weaponZombies are now easy to hear when behind the playerAdded damage indicator flashImproved various sound effectsChanged weapon pickup visualsSlightly increased rifle attack speedAdded center dot to crosshair and increased zoom while aimingAdded indicators for current room and time remaining in each roomMore small improvements
- Demo Update 0.0.49 - 27 October 2025
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.🚀 UpdatesReworked upgrade system.Mining crystals now gives you random upgrades.Added upgrade drone with selectable upgrades at the end of each room.Added minimap.Added health orbs dropped by enemies on death.Added doors between each room which are locked until all enemies are spawned.Added grenade recharge system and corresponding upgrade.Improved boss pacing.Added slow ability.Crawler e…
- How Ideas Turn Into Features - Devlog 3 - 10 September 2025
Working on a roguelite about space dwarves fighting endless undead means I’m constantly buried in ideas. They come from everywhere. Sometimes it’s something I spot in another game, sometimes it’s just a dumb thought I can’t shake. But not every idea makes it into Bloodstone Rising. It has to prove it belongs.From “Wouldn’t it be cool if…” to a real featureMost 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 chaosWhen I think an idea is worth chasing, I put it through a quick filter. Does it sol…
- Playtests, Feedback, and What’s Next - Devlog 2 - 21 August 2025
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 MatterI 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. That’s when the unexpected shows up: strategies I never thought of and feedback I wouldn’t 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.That’s the magic of playtesting: it turns Bloodstone Rising into something greater than the sum of its parts.How to Give FeedbackI want feedback to be as easy and open as possible. Here are the main ways you can help:• Discord feedback channel – The best pl…
- Bloodstone Rising will be a part of the Debut Festival this week! - 7 August 2025
Bloodstone Rising will be a part of the Debut Festival this week!We’re excited to announce that Bloodstone Rising will be part of this year’s Steam Debut Festival. If you haven’t jumped in yet, or if it’s been a while, now’s the perfect time.Play the updated demoTry 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. Balanced enemy spawns during the boss fight. Balanced boss health Sprinter enemy added. Improved jump animation. Improved pickaxe animation. Adjusted the layout of multiple dungeon rooms. Various animation and AI tweaks. Fixes Fixed enemies sometimes attacking downed players. Reduced the chance of enemies getting stuckWishlist and download now to play the Demo!
- The Gunplay Update - Demo 0.0.40 - 14 July 2025
✨ Updates & ImprovementsAdded ability to aim down sights of gunsAdded new revolver weaponUpdated grenade throwing and explosion effectsImproved gun mechanics and recoilAdjusted shotgun spreadImproved weapon sound effectsConstant enemy spawner added🛠️ FixesGrenades no longer damage other playersReduced likelihood of players and enemies getting stuckEnabled gravity for downed playersRemoved shotgun firing delay
- The Origins of Bloodstone Rising - Devlog 1 - 11 July 2025
Hey everyone, and welcome to the very first Devlog for Bloodstone Rising! I’m 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, I’ll take you through who I am, what inspired Bloodstone Rising, and how this project went from a simple idea to a playable demo. Let’s dive in. ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻Who am I?Hi! I’m Mark, a solo indie developer working under the name Shadow Forged Studio. I’ve 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. My background is mostly in tech with a touch of…
- Demo Out Now! - 23 May 2025
If you give it a try, I’d love to hear what you think — every bit of feedback helps as I continue shaping and improving the game. I’m 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!
