- Developer Diary #6 - 20 September 2026
It's been a couple of months since our last update and substantial progress has been made! In this dev diary we'll be covering what we've been up to recently, our current priorities, and what updates you can soon expect to see in the demo.New Gameplay TrailerA year ago we created a Defiled West trailer for the release of the demo, and while it showed off a lot of Stickstead, it is in no way representative of the game as it is today. Over the past week, we've been putting together a brand new trailer that showcases gameplay elements across multiple towns and buildings, some never before revealed! This trailer is now live on our store page along with some updated screenshots. We'll begin posting it on our socials closer to the beginning of...Next Fest (October 19th)This October, we will be taking part in Next Fest! This has been in the plans for a long time, but we believe that the game h…
- Defiled West Demo - Patch Seven! - 21 June 2026
As work continues on our latest town Fort Experiment, we are updating the demo with some of our most recent features and bug fixes: Introducing the Where Wagon!The weapon wagon has been reworked to:Provide hints as to where players should travel next.Allow the storage of items and gadgets.Still acts as a way to retrieve your weapons.Changes & ImprovementsUpdated the ground texture in Stickstead.Rescue a new NPC from Brainsbury's to unlock the updated weapon wagon.New building title cards that appear when viewing a hint from the weapon wagon.Trying to quit the game via the pause menu during levels will now show a confirmation popup to inform players that their progress has not been saved.Added title cards to buildings.Bug FixesFixed an issue that prevented weapon reload times from being less than 1 second.Sheriff Brutality is no longer unkillable after reloading a checkpoint.Dying in lev…
- Developer Diary #5 - 19 June 2026
Fort ExperimentAfter travelling via Banshees River for hours on end, you spot an imposing structure in the distance. With common sense at hand, you turn right toward it as you're certain it's probably safe. When you wash ashore, a tall cabin stands before you. Everything would look normal if it weren't for the metal sharks surrounding your boat. The door creeks open and you wander inside. A guardian stands before you, just like you, but something is wrong. It's body is twisted, jaw unhinged. There are so many.--New FacesFor the past few weeks we've been working on the next major location, Fort Experiment. Standing tall for decades, the fort has been repurposed by an enemy with a unique interest in your soul altering abilities. The Chimeron. Chimeron arrived here long before anyone else. Discovering a source of untapped technology, he took over the crumbling fort and restored it. This ma…
- Developer Diary #4 - 19 May 2026
A Year of MindmossHello! We're back once again with a new dev log, only this time it's in celebration of the Mindmoss birthday! We've been working long and hard over the past year to add all sorts of new and exciting features to Defiled West. In this log, we'll be reflecting on what has changed in twelve months, providing some insight into our current endeavours and giving a little insight into what we have planned next.A Year of ProgressWhen we set up Mindmoss, Defiled West was already over one year into development, following on from its humble beginnings as an entry to the NSE Game Jam 2024. At this time, the demo was still not yet released. Our first town, Stickstead, was still largely unfinished and the concept of adding additional towns was still very much... conceptual. Since then, development has sped up tremendously. Stickstead is now complete and fully playable in the Defiled…
- Defiled West Demo - Patch Six! - 9 April 2026
This is a significantly smaller update than our last, but we have found a bug that could not go unaddressed. Read our latest Developer Diary to see what we've been up to! ImprovementsThe number of weapon slots on the weapon wagon has almost doubled, allowing room for the many more weapons you will discover along your journey!Bug FixesFixed an issue that prevented players from swapping weapons during the soul scale tutorial, rendering those holding melee weapons stuck indefinitely.Fixed a rare issue where you would not be given enough spectral essence to perform the spectral pulse ability in the soul scale tutorial.Fixed an issue that caused the Life Reaper to break the lighting in the Ethereal Rift.Fixed an issue that would cause the locked door key icon in Riftwood Ranch to reappear on revisit. Thanks for reading! Please visit our new feedback form here to help us improve the demo! All…
- Developer Diary #3 - 5 April 2026
IntroHey again, It's time to go over some content we've been working on! (and some thoughts about balancing...)It's been a little bit since we released the latest patch for the Demo build. We're committed to refreshing the demo where possible, keeping it as an accurate game representation. However, less content will be added going forward. We've finished adding animations and UI changes now - our focus is mostly on upcoming areas, weapons, gadgets and fun. The Screaming CavesThis town is functionally complete, which is very exciting for us. We've been working on it for a couple of months now and we're very proud of the outcome. Animations and sound effects are still on the to-do list, but the new enemies such as the Petrighoul, Oxidised Miner, Cave Ganderer and Petrified Pincer are all complete!Of course, being a major town, all the usual staples are included. A new set of bounties, a n…
- Defiled West Demo - Patch Five! - 27 March 2026
It's been a while since our last update to the Defiled West demo, but that's not to say we haven't been hard at work fixing bugs and working on exciting new features! Most of our attention has been focused on content outside of the demo, but there are still plenty of changes and improvements that we are able to share with you now! ImprovementsThe inventory UI now features a new section dedicated to collectables! Here you will be able to view your collected achievements, cosmetics and more!Ranged weapons now have a point blank bonus! Killing enemies at close range will now deal extra damage.The weapon wagon now features new visuals which serve as a way to compare different weapon stats.New animations for the Poltergeist and its pedestal!New animations for the Slammer!New animations for the Crimson Disciple!New animations for the Drunkdead!New updated look for the Enraged Souls!New and im…
- Help us improve the Demo! - 14 February 2026
Help us improve Defiled WestHello!Please visit our new feedback form here!As you can see from our posts, we're trying to keep the Demo as enjoyable as possible. We'd really appreciate it if you could spend one minute giving us your opinion. Positive, Negative and anything in between. There's only three questions and it would help us massively.Even though the full game is coming, the Demo will still receive improvements!Thanks!- Mindmoss Team
- Developer Diary #2 - 4 February 2026
Straight into itIt's been a good few weeks, we've focused a lot on testing for Wraithwood, ensuring its balanced appropriately and contains things that actually interest you. Although its a lot of work, we refuse to let our towns blend into eachother. Our highest priority is feeling like you've actually travelled somewhere. The caves has a completely unique set of rocks and plants. Something that feels as if it's close to the orange-y, muddy Wraithwood, but far away from dry, pale Stickstead.Where are we at with the Screaming Caves?There's a lot of art left to do, but we're happy to say that all new enemies and features are implemented for this town. Additionally, three of the four bosses are feature complete, with the Horseman of "Famine" himself being the last one. As with Stickstead, the Caves contains a minigame, secrets + a sheriffs... office? Accompanied by a rat which may or may…
- Defiled West Demo - Patch Four - 10 January 2026
The holiday season may be over, but an exciting year of Defiled West development is just beginning! We've been hard at work making new bug fixes and improvements for the demo, alongside making excellent progress with the Screaming Caves: our second major town! Bug FixesAiming direction no longer breaks at the border of maps when playing on controller.The gundead from the soul scale tutorial kept reappearing in the Ethereal Rift. He is now gone.Tutorial videos are now much less likely to freeze.Fixed an issue that would cause the oilchestrator to freeze and become invulverable after loading a checkpoint.Gadgets are now properly refunded after dying in a level.Fixed an issue that would allow players to make themselves invincible.Fixed an issue that would cause certain status effects to persist after death.Fixed an issue that would cause street ambience sound effects to continue into build…
- Defiled West Demo: The Festive Frontier! - 19 December 2025
The Defiled West Demo is back with another update!Not only is Christmas now being celebrated across the Famine Frontier, but we have a wide selection of bug fixes and big improvements to accompany the festive season!Holiday AdditionsJollydead now spawn in Stickstead: Gundead wearing seasonal hats!The Spectral Candy Cane: a new throwable melee weapon that is gifted to anyone who logs in during this holiday period! Be sure to pick yours up from the weapon wagon.The Snowball Cannon: a new and exclusive ranged weapon that you can unlock by killing 25 Jollydead!Stickstead Christmas decor!ImprovementsThis update comes with massive changes to some of the game's core systems:Updated Soul Scale TutorialThe Soul Scale tutorial has seen a complete overhaul. Previously, the tutorial was admittedly convoluted and in places difficult to understand, so we have restructured the whole thing to make for…
- Developer Diary #1 - 14 December 2025
IntroHey everyone, It's been a while since we discussed more about the game itself and what's coming. This post is our first Developer Diary. We'll go into the basics of Wraithwood and reveal new information about the town that comes after. Also, we've got an update to the Demo releasing this month which fundamentally changes how one of our core systems works. Please skip to the end to see a TLDR if you're not in the mood for some reading ;) A Detailed Wraithwood DiveThe fun bit comes first. We've been working on Wraithwood steadily over the past few months. It's now feature complete, and only polish remains. While it's a much smaller town, it's by no means empty. Containing six procedural, randomised houses, Wraithwood also has three unique points of interest. Medical MorgueOverrun by the dead at the last minute, the morgue is in relatively good shape. Despite the name, its a doctors.…
- Bye Bye Pumpkins - 13 November 2025
Hey,Now that Halloween is over, we're reverting back to the quiet darkness of the Famine Frontier. But, we've got a few little changes as we continue to improve the game. Removed Halloween DecorationsSFX to graveyard minigame successNew tomahawk tiersEnemy optimisationsYou can now only dig if the shovel is in your handA few smaller fixes.We're still working on our overhaul of spectralisation, which will be released to the demo in the following weeks. I wonder what will Stickstead look like over the holiday season? Thanks!
- Halloween Descends on Stickstead... - 30 October 2025
The spookiest time of the year is upon us - and with it comes new changes to the Defiled West Demo! This update not only includes a variety of bug fixes and improvements, but also introduces several seasonal features - available for a limited time only!Halloween AdditionsPumpkindead now spawn in Stickstead.The Pitchfork: a powerful new melee weapon obtained by killing Pumpkindead!Pumpkins have been placed throughout the streets.The main menu now features halloween music.Bug FixesFixed a bug that would prevent unlocked weapons from showing on the level completion popup.Fixed an issue that would break interaction with the weapon wagon when swapping between controller and keyboard.Data from destroyed weapons is no longer saved unnecessarily.Patched an infinite ammo exploit.Fixed an issue that would cause item slot count to disappear after dropping one item from a stack.Fixed a bug that all…
- What lies beyond Stickstead? Wraithwood Sneak Peek - 6 September 2025
A Little OverviewWraithwood features two completely unique levels - the Medical Morgue (seen above) and the Cultists House. Everything in this post is subject to change!Wraithwood is a minor town, these towns serve as a bridge between major locations like Stickstead and the Screaming Caves. These towns do not feature unique boss fights, but have new enemies, weapons, gadgets and challenges. For example, the image above shows a new enemy called the Creepy GP. These corrupt doctors float throughout the abandoned morgue armed with an enormous acidic syringe. Capable of shooting acid and directly injecting it, they're not to be messed with at any range. The Rest of the TownLike Stickstead, Wraithwood contains a few points of interest. We wont spoil these, but you can unlock some pretty special gear!Make your way through the two initial levels, with the cultists house posing a significant cr…
- Defiled West: Demo - Patch Two - 15 August 2025
We're back again with another update and more patch notes! This time we've directed more focus towards fixing bugs, but we've also tried to include a few gameplay improvements too.Bug Fixes:Fixed an issue that would prevent the Sheriff Brutality achievement from being awarded.*Fixed an issue that would prevent Sheriff Bruality's death animation from playing.Fixed an issue that would cause Gundead to rapidly flip direction while a player was standing beneath them.Fixed issues that would prevent Gundead from shooting.Gundead no longer jog on the spot.The soul scale is now frozen while spectralised, as intended.Fixed an issue that would prevent chore and status effect information from being displayed on the inventory UI.The item drop circle now disappears properly when closing the inventory UI.Inventory UI description area is now cleared when the inventory is reopened, preventing old infor…
- Defiled West: Demo Patch One! - 6 August 2025
The first Defiled West Demo patch is now live!Huge thank you to everybody who has wishlisted and played the game so far. In this first update, we have a multitude of bug fixes and general improvements that we hope will make for a smoother gameplay experience. - MindmossBug FixesFixed an issue that would allow Martha to attack several times a second.Fixed an issue that allowed multiple difficulty options to be selected simultaneously.Weapons no longer snap to a fixed position while holding aim when using controller.Improvements:Made the fog of war lighter in colour for increased visibility.Vertical fences have updated art to make them clearer.The door to the training room in Riftwood Ranch now glows during the tutorial.There is now an arrow on the floor in Riftwood Ranch to make the tutorial clearer.Key popups that require you to hold now feature a progress bar. Martha the Malicious has…
- Demo Available Now! - 5 August 2025
We're excited to announce the demo for Defiled West is now available. Explore SticksteadThe Demo drops you in right at the beginning of the game, experiencing it almost exactly how you would in the full version. Clear all five infested buildings, capture some bounties for the local sheriff, complete chores to stock up on gadgets and take complete control of the settlement with a selection of weapons ranging from rusty revolvers to spectralised ghostly rifles. Acquire Equipment and AbilitiesThough not all abilities are available in the Demo, you can choose an ability every time you complete a level to help you with your eradication leisure. Unlock weapons as you find them, with some carefully hidden, and others left behind by those who failed to do what you've been tasked with. Unlock gadgets, such as molotovs, bear traps, pouches of glass and more. Experience the Soul ScaleDeath isn't n…
