We Are the Universe

Released: Oct 20, 2023
Platforms
Last updated: 14 Sep 2026, 04:06 GMT

Updates & announcements

20 posts

09 Mar 2026Developer post
New Build, Demo Update - RAGE!!! and other stuff...
Full Game Build v0.1.171 Demo Build v0.1.172 RAGE Mechanics are Back Several fixes and improvements later, rage mechanics are back in the game. What is RAGE you ask? There are 3 enemy sizes - small, medium and large. Small enemies require 1 tower block of space, medium requires 2
Full Game Build v0.1.171
Demo Build v0.1.172
RAGE Mechanics are Back
Several fixes and improvements later, rage mechanics are back in the game.
What is RAGE you ask?
There are 3 enemy sizes - small, medium and large.
Small enemies require 1 tower block of space, medium requires 2, and large enemies require 3 (a full grid square).
If an enemy doesn't have a path to your rover they will enter a rage which allows them to attack your nearest structure including walls, which are fragile.
Rage will subside once a path is open again.
Rage detection and warnings can be more than just a warning that you've blocked enemy paths, you can also use the rage mechanic to ping pong enemies between different paths.
Beam Turret Cascade Feedback
Beam turrets now have their cascading feedback enabled. The longer a beam turret is firing, the more the feedback will build up. This feedback amplifies beam damage up to 5x base damage (after upgrades).
A fully upgraded beam turret can be devastating, but be careful as they require a lot of power.
New Wall Build Piece - Single Corner
This new wall allows you to build diagonal channels in your maze and fill in small gaps. It has the same stats as other single block walls.
Full Changes Notes
Rage Mechanics are enabled again
Beam turrets now do increasing damage up to 5x while the beam remains firing. Resets if the beam stops.
Add new wall - single block edge corner
Turrets are now limited to 90 degree rotation when being placed
Improve scene transitions when exiting missions
Fix bug with enemies not wandering correctly after player defeat
Fix bug beam turrets not doing damage
Fix bug for drones if they were upgrading while player base is destroyed
Rebuild navmesh with higher resolution on all levels to improve pathing for all units
Hide game logo on in-game pause menu
Fix selected unit orders panel showing wrong orders for mech
Fix some unit details not showing correct values on unit purchase screen
Original post
23 Feb 2026Developer post
New Build, Demo Update, New Combat Unit, Many bug fixes and Changes
Full Game Build v0.1.166 Demo Build v0.1.168 Highlights New build category - Commands NEW UNIT - Mechanized Combat Exoskeleton (MCE) These are units you can purchase and upgrade at space stations Deploy in missions using the new Commands build menu You can issue and cancel orders
Full Game Build v0.1.166
Demo Build v0.1.168
Highlights
New build category - Commands
NEW UNIT - Mechanized Combat Exoskeleton (MCE)
These are units you can purchase and upgrade at space stations
Deploy in missions using the new Commands build menu
You can issue and cancel orders
They can be repaired and recharged by drones
MCEs draw aggro from nearby units
Mech and similar units have a unit icon panel across the top of the HUD, similar to the drone down the left side
New select unit feature
Left click now selects a unit, right click opens the old upgrades and orders context menu
Click a unit on the map or their avatar to select a unit
Shows a highlight border around the selected unit and their avatar icon
Selected units show a new unit details panel on the right side of the HUD
The detail panel may contain new orders depending on the selected unit
New Selected Unit Orders:
Move to location - move to a target on the map without delay
Cancel Current Order - current move order is cancelled and the unit stops
New Common Commands
Center Camera - the overhead camera will be centered on the selected unit
Camera Follow - the overhead camera will follow the selected unit
Other Changes
Upgrade Unity engine to 2022.3.62f2 which addresses a unity security issue
Upgrade astar pathfinding engine from 4x to 5.4.6, major version upgrade with widespread changes and improvements
Now using Unity/astar ECS based movement components for improved performance and pathing accuracy
Disable rage mechanics for now
The context menu common orders changed to icon buttons instead of text, these match the new icon buttons in the new unit details panel
Replace stock wander movement task with improved custom version
Fix turret build preview causing wall previews to become diagonal to the grid
Fix issue when destroying instanced effects
Fix turret placement losing preview rotation
Ensure game manager initializes first
Enemies now attack Mechs and other Friendly combat units if in range
Friendly combat units (eg. mechs) will cause a limited number of enemy units to aggro on them, this varies by enemy size
All combat units are now categorized by unit size, small/medium/large which also corresponds to the navmesh graph they utilize as that affects the wall gaps/spacing they can navigate
Fix missing or incorrect tags on combat units
Add aggro range projector for combat units
Fix recharger drone using incorrect mouse over highlight
Add made in unity splash
Restore ability to control rovers, although you can't do anything beyond using the camera for now
Rover max drone indicator text now shows number deployed/max drones
Remove endless mode from demo
Double click on rover, drone, or unit avatar will center camera on that unit
Add context menu to rover avatar (left click) and details panel (right click)
Levels now start with the camera centered on the rover
Fix some UI issues for ultra wide resolutions
Add global delay for all tooltips to reduce UI clutter
Fix turret line of sight checks, was getting blocked in some cases when it shouldn't
debris now absorbs turret fire, takes damage against the harvestable remaining energy and can be destroyed
Units no longer collider with debris
Non-vegetation debris no longer has any effect on pathing
Change target highlight and selection behaviour, you can now select or open menus on targets without having to close other target menus first
Units now highlight when you mouse over their avatar
Units now make checks to maintain range in case their target moves out of range, as well as maintain rotation towards target
Add new movement positions for the different enemy sizes to allow a wider swarm around rover and other ground units
Several adjustments to improve enemy swarming and clustering spacing
Remove restrictions on enemy shooter vertical angle
Increase text label sizes to prevent wrapping on rover panel in HUD
Add game mechanics for footstep audio and footstep aoe damage, only applies to mech so far
Add game mechanics for melee hits doing aoe damage
Adjust all attack ranges to conform to unit sizes
Fix issues with unit death on self destruct
Rework and rebalance Drone acceleration and rotation speeds
Fix bug with beam turret getting stuck on dead target
Adjust large enemy unit size to allow moving through 1 square space (previously it needed 1.3)
Build pieces no longer reset rotation when placed
Add measures to prevent enemies from getting stuck on top of walls when walls finish construction
Original post
01 Aug 2024Developer post
New build v0.1.160 (demo also updated)
Small balance update Walls now have much higher health. This is done partly to counter the current issues with the Enrage mechanic having false triggers at x2 game speed. If you experience this try slowing the game speed to x1. This is also a balance change to help counter enemy
29 Jul 2024Developer post
New DEMO and Steam Tower Defense Fest Sale!
New DEMO released! This is a fully functional version of the game except it is limited to the first planet's missions. Includes endless mode for all missions! Demos are not eligible to participate in leaderboards. We Are the Universe is also on sale during the Steam Tower Defense
22 Nov 2023Developer post
Steam Autumn Sale Gameplay Stream
Pre-recorded gameplay: Playing endless mode trying out the new manual turret control feature.
21 Nov 2023Developer post
New Build, Manual Turret Control, and Steam Autumn Sale discount
Steam Autumn Sale Discount A whopping 40% discount for the Autumn sale. Don't miss out! New Version 0.1.152 NEW FEATURE - Players can now take over control of a projectile turret - E to toggle control/return to tactical mode, or press Control button on turret menu - SHIFT to togg
Steam Autumn Sale Discount
A whopping 40% discount for the Autumn sale. Don't miss out!
New Version 0.1.152

NEW FEATURE - Players can now take over control of a projectile turret - E to toggle control/return to tactical mode, or press Control button on turret menu - SHIFT to toggle zoom when in control - Left click to fire/start beam
Turret reload changed, now fires immediately after lining up with target
Fix recycle button not working for turrets (in context menu)
Fix heading speed for turrets using wrong upgrade value
Limit declination of turrets to prevent clipping into walls
Prevent turrets from being able to fire on themselves (rare)
Remove AOE splash damage from pulse laser turret
Turret attacks can now hit other friendly buildings/rover/vegetation but do no damage
All friendly fire is disabled
Reduce tracking speeds and upgrades for most turrets
Change pulse laser audio
Beam turret will now always fire once the warmup phase starts. This prevents it from getting stuck warming up without getting a chance to start firing when its target is destroyed.
Repair drone will now repair walls
Fix some tree billboards showing collider
Fix rover starting position on Zazel - Ring of Fire
Add Steam Community News button to latest panel changes on Home page
Fix audio clipping for pulse laser turret
Add audio for spawning, building, drone actions, death
Fix Zazel - Burn the flames rover starting location and ramp on landing ship
Fix beam turret - should switch targets properly and not continue firing on targets blocked by rover/buildings/walls
Improve targeting for shooter enemies
Known Issues

There are still some auto-targeting issues, the fix for now is to use manual control
Original post
22 Oct 2023Developer post
Minor Game Update - Version 0.1.142
Minor Game Update - Version 0.1.142 Fix Drone Control 2-4 upgrades for Lynx Fix save game loading duplicate upgrades Fix/adjust enemy spawn position on several maps to prevent issues with getting stuck on terrain at spawn Fix home page Leaderboard button link Change version text
Minor Game Update - Version 0.1.142

Fix Drone Control 2-4 upgrades for Lynx
Fix save game loading duplicate upgrades
Fix/adjust enemy spawn position on several maps to prevent issues with getting stuck on terrain at spawn
Fix home page Leaderboard button link
Change version text from alpha to early access, reduce font size
Watch on YouTube
Original post
20 Oct 2023Developer post
RELEASE DAY Livestream
Livestream going through the tutorial
20 Oct 2023Developer post
RELEASE DAY! We Are the Universe is now released on Steam Early Access
The time has come... We Are the Universe is now available on Steam - Early Access! Making games is hard, it's been a long journey of late nights and early mornings getting to this point of releasing my first game. Special thanks to my beta testers helping identify bugs and their
The time has come... We Are the Universe is now available on Steam - Early Access!
Making games is hard, it's been a long journey of late nights and early mornings getting to this point of releasing my first game.
Special thanks to my beta testers helping identify bugs and their suggestions on improvements.
Also special thanks to Darkhound2000 for making a livestream on short notice.
Now let's talk about the game!
Here's what you can expect right now out of this sci-fi tower defense with RTS elements:

Guided Tutorial
Over 200 Upgrades
4 rovers (player bases)
8 turrets
10 missions across 2 planets/biomes
All maps have endless mode
Harvest resources
Build mazes
Place Bridges and Refineries
Steam Leaderboard
There's a lot more to come throughout Early Access. I hope you enjoy your time with We Are the Universe
Drop by Discord to say hi
Original post
20 Sep 2023Developer post
New Build - 0.1.115
Version 0.1.115 Add ability for Harvester drone to overload harvesting - this allows the drone to continue harvesting even when full of energy. This allows you to continue to clear resources to allow for clearing paths etc. Arcadia - Mission 03 - reduce spawn difficulty in later
Version 0.1.115

Add ability for Harvester drone to overload harvesting - this allows the drone to continue harvesting even when full of energy. This allows you to continue to clear resources to allow for clearing paths etc.
Arcadia - Mission 03 - reduce spawn difficulty in later waves
Fix defeat giving player gained energy from mission (rover is lost, you get nothing)
Fix warnings about drone height fixing
Fix tutorial windows position for 21:9 monitors
Change Retreat tactic energy return, now capped at 10% above what you start the mission with
Fix stellar hex map from allowing you to deselect a selected grid
Limit mission game speed to x2 max
Fix wall height offset to match grid height offset on Arcadia - Mission 01
Fix grass density on Arcadia - Mission 02
Fix sliding notification height
Reduce grass density on Arcadia - Mission 03
Change ground texture to sand dunes on Arcadia - Mission 03
Original post
18 Sep 2023Developer post
New Build 0.1.108 - Change to difficulty settings, guided tutorial
Version 0.1.108 Change mission difficulty Normal - harvesting now starts enemy waves Update guided tutorial to reflect new difficulty behaviour
Version 0.1.108

Change mission difficulty Normal - harvesting now starts enemy waves
Update guided tutorial to reflect new difficulty behaviour
Original post
16 Sep 2023Developer post
New Build 0.1.107 - Two new maps, one new enemy and more
Version 0.1.107 New map Arcadia - Mission 04 - heavy use of bridges New map Arcadia - Mission 05 - Large grid area, this completes the mission list for Arcadia New enemy unit Laser Sword Infantry - small and quick with a modest attack, high health for it's size Bridge placement i
Version 0.1.107

New map Arcadia - Mission 04 - heavy use of bridges
New map Arcadia - Mission 05 - Large grid area, this completes the mission list for Arcadia
New enemy unit Laser Sword Infantry - small and quick with a modest attack, high health for it's size
Bridge placement is now only possible in fixed locations on the grid
Bridge placement now shows an indicator where the bridge goes and what direction it will face
Original post
10 Sep 2023Developer post
New Build 0.1.95 - New Map, New Rage Mechanic, Many other fixes
Version 0.1.95 New Map - This is the first map post training/tutorial offering a full 20 waves and a larger playing area with several options for building your maze. And as usual all missions can be played in endless mode. New Game Mechanic, Enemy Rage - If you block the path of
Version 0.1.95

New Map - This is the first map post training/tutorial offering a full 20 waves and a larger playing area with several options for building your maze. And as usual all missions can be played in endless mode.
New Game Mechanic, Enemy Rage - If you block the path of an enemy with walls, they will become enraged. While enraged enemies can attack your fragile walls, which will also destroy anything attached to them like your valuable turrets.
New Enemy, Large Scorpion - Fast, high damage, and good health. Sounds pretty OP so watch out.
Many balance changes to progression, costs, and stats, plus many other minor fixes as the Early Access release date approaches.
Original post
25 Jun 2023Developer post
Livestream Replay on Repeat
Replaying the Steam Next Fest second livestream where I take a run at high score in endless mode... and got it! Reached level 39, further than I thought I make it.
25 Jun 2023Developer post
New Build 0.1.85
Using this build for the Next Fest livestream #2. Version 0.1.85 - You can now sell purchased upgrades at full price - Add upgrades for rovers, increased drone control and capacitor - Fix some issues where enemies might take the long way instead of shortest path - Add enemy spawn
22 Jun 2023Developer post
We Are the Universe - Steam Next Fest Livestream #2
Steam Next Fest Livestream #2 Developer gameplay livestream - mostly taking a shot at high score in endless mode.
22 Jun 2023Developer post
We Are the Universe - Steam Next Fest Livestream #1
Steam Next Fest Livestream #1 Developer gameplay livestream - going over some features in the demo including the tutorial, the stellar map and missions, upgrades, buying new vehicles, and more.
29 Apr 2023Developer post
Build 0.1.71 - Two new turrets, Steam Leaderboards and more
Release Highlights Steam Leaderboards Track your high score from any mission against other players. Two new turrets Double barrel versions of the Pulse Laser and Plasma Cannon added. Turret placement options are limited so this allows you to concentrate more firepower, but at an
Release Highlights
Steam Leaderboards
Track your high score from any mission against other players.
Two new turrets
Double barrel versions of the Pulse Laser and Plasma Cannon added.
Turret placement options are limited so this allows you to concentrate more firepower, but at an increased energy cost.
Build 0.1.71 Release Notes

Add new turret - Dual Pulse Laser
Add new turret - Dual Plasma Cannon
Add short range splash damage to pulse laser and plasma cannon when it hits terrain
Ranged enemies no longer attack drones - expect this to return once drone repair is enabled
Steam Leaderboards now integrated for High Score - NOTE there is an issue with them not showing on the Steam store page which I'm working with Steam to resolve. For now, all you can see is your rank in game on the home page.
Leaderboard Rank now shows at the top of the main screen
Leaderboard score is updated after every mission win or lose, with your best global score regardless of mission type
Defeat screen now shows stats
Added highest wave reached stat to game over screen
Harvester drone - increase capacitor stats/upgrades
Fix bug where upgrading drones could result in upgrades not progressing, but still costing power at player base
Reduce amount refineries earn by default to 25/sec
Map Changes - rover position moved up 1 grid so the un-buildable area around the rover is now 3×3, this allows enemies to properly encircle the rover
Some turret upgrades now include a cost per shot increase
Upgrades UI details panel now shows text for the upgrade type/value and the increased cost per shot if applicable
lower target points on some enemies to help with overshooting
reduce large enemy agent size to promote denser crowding around rover
increase rover default capacitor transfer rate (because there are no rover upgrades yet)
Original post
23 Apr 2023Developer post
New build 0.1.70 - New Freeze tower, movement effects, upgrades and more
Release Highlights New Freeze Tower and speed effects The new freeze tower is similar to the flame tower with the same 4 directional jets you can build. Along with the new movement speed effect mechanics this tower will chill enemies slowing them down, but only does half the dama
Release Highlights
New Freeze Tower and speed effects
The new freeze tower is similar to the flame tower with the same 4 directional jets you can build. Along with the new movement speed effect mechanics this tower will chill enemies slowing them down, but only does half the damage of the flame tower.
The Flame tower is also changed by these new mechanics where enemies caught on fire will speed up.
How will you handle these strategic changes?
Build 0.1.70 - Release Notes

New game mechanic - DOT effects can now have a movement speed effect
Add new Turret Freeze tower - less than half the damage of the flame tower, but slows enemies to half speed while affected by the DOT. Reduced speed affect on larger/BOSS enemies. This new DOT is negated if the target gets hit by a fire DOT
Change Flame tower - enemies affected by the fire DOT get a speed increase of 25% Negated by a Cold DOT
Added capacitor upgrades for turrets and drones This includes adjusting starting values for capacitor max capacity and transfer rates Values now start lower and require upgrades to increase with the max value being much higher than before
Fix mouse over UI in Main Upgrades panel to show the correct details for the upgrade unit (eg. flame tower was showing Pulse Laser details when you hover over the turret name in the upgrade row)
Fix Main Upgrades detail panel increasing room for unit description
Remove Next/Prev UI navigation buttons on main UI pages for now - will address them later when controller support is dealt with
Change how the mission selection buttons work - one will always be selected by default and it will try to select the highest mission you haven't completed yet. This also sets the Start Mission button to be active by default so in theory it will never become disabled.
Hide difficulty slider for now - it wasn't doing anything yet
Reduce audio volume on drone beams
Fix medium spider enemy walk animation stopping while moving
Fix harvester beam not disconnecting in some scenarios
Original post
10 Apr 2023Developer post
alpha 0.1.66 - new build, new map, new turret and more
Release alpha 0.1.66 Join us on Discord and get access to beta testing. Major Changes Add new map: Boot Camp - Extended This map introduces the bridge and refinery buildings and mechanics This was a major process as it established the workflow to create future maps Add new turret
Release alpha 0.1.66
Join us on Discord and get access to beta testing.
Major Changes

Add new map: Boot Camp - Extended This map introduces the bridge and refinery buildings and mechanics This was a major process as it established the workflow to create future maps
Add new turret type - Continuous Beam These turrets require a long charge up period when acquiring a new target They will also continue firing after losing a target, if they hit something new it will become their new target. So while it may take a long time for the turret to start firing, it can in theory fire continuously from that point on.
Endless Mode Changes: All units receive an increase to their base health of 5% per level, so by level 10 they have + 50% health etc
All enemies are now classified by 3 sizes: small, medium, and large When making your maze, enemy pathing is limited by their size Small enemies can get through 1 tower block width Medium enemies require at least 2 tower block widths Large enemies require at least 4 tower block widths This allows you to channel enemies by size into different paths in your maze
Add Reboot command for drones - after a short delay the drone will restart its logic for finding next jobs etc, this can help if drones get stuck or end up unable to reach something
Turrets can no longer shoot through walls - this was the original intended design as it forces maze design considerations
Other

Rename map: Boot Camp to Boot Camp - The Basics
Rebuild map 01 using new level/terrain workflow
Fix Victory condition not firing
Several changes and fixes to audio system and audio FX
Fixes and cleanup for mission end and restart
Increase BOSS health
Decrease flame turret damage
BOSS units now only attack your rover
Fixes to repair drones and all drone spawn position to help with blocking the rover charge position
Rework the turret firing procedure to fix some broken scenarios
Buildings (bridges, refineries etc, not walls) are now their own object type to fix some broken scenarios when needing repairs
Enemies now only collide and move out of the way for enemies of the same size class
Fix some FX not despawning
Reduced the amount of harvestable vegetation as there are some issues causing delays with AI pathing
Added build object Refinery - place on geysers to collect energy
Added build object Bridge - allows you to cross chasms in terrain to reach new areas
Increase harvest amounts for vegetation
Change how harvest items affect enemy pathing - enemies now get more path options to match the new enemy size changes
Fix for enemies that may end up at invalid heights
Removed the looping bleed damage FX on enemies, it was visual only and not providing the intended effect
Add rescan navmesh button to DEV UI - if pathing seems messed up use this tool
Fix navmesh not updating when walls self destruct or get recycled
Fix objects no longer highlight or allow interaction when actively placing a new build item
Speed up harvesting of enemy debris
Reduce time between pulse laser firing soundFX (from 0.1 to 0.05)
Make help UI text smaller
Changes to the build grid - it how has cutouts indicating where you can or can't build
Changes to play area - enemies should now be restricted to pathing only within the play area (build grid) once they reach it from their spawn
Fix drones from trying to update navmesh on self destruct
Turn off Endless mode by default on mission select UI panel
Original post