With the recent release of Horace on a new platform, we are pleased to introduce a small patch for PC players that introduces some quality of life additions: - Gameplay balancing with additional shields and checkpoints to make the game easier and bring it inline with the Nintendo
With the recent release of Horace on a new platform, we are pleased to introduce a small patch for PC players that introduces some quality of life additions:
- Gameplay balancing with additional shields and checkpoints to make the game easier and bring it inline with the Nintendo Switch release.
- Lots of little fixes, optimisations and tweaks made to improve the game experience on different hardware configurations.
- New Display menu option that allows you to change screen resolution and toggle between full screen and windowed mode.
- Added the much asked for Quit option to the title screen main menu.
We hope you continue to enjoy Horace on PC or Nintendo Switch!
There has never been a better time to jump in Horace! Save 40% for a limited time and experience this hidden gem about a small robot on a big adventure. Need a reason to buy the game? Well, here are 5: “Horace really could be one of the most charming games of the year.” Eurogamer
There has never been a better time to jump in Horace! Save 40% for a limited time and experience this hidden gem about a small robot on a big adventure.
Need a reason to buy the game? Well, here are 5:
“Horace really could be one of the most charming games of the year.” Eurogamer
“An endearing, nostalgic, platforming masterpiece” The Digital Fix
“A real contender for Indie Game of the Year” The Sixth Axis
“Horace is a treat, and very well worth getting hold of” Get Indie Gaming
“If I play a better game than Horace this year, I’ll be surprised” VGAlmanac
Save 30% on the Soundtrack too and complete your Horace collection!
We noticed that some of our players were experiencing some bugs since our last update and this hotfix aims to fix those bugs we have seen our players experiencing. - Fix for any previously collected junk respawning on re-entering certain rooms when continuing a saved position fro
We noticed that some of our players were experiencing some bugs since our last update and this hotfix aims to fix those bugs we have seen our players experiencing.
- Fix for any previously collected junk respawning on re-entering certain rooms when continuing a saved position from an older version of the game.
- Fix for a progression blocking bug that could occur in the Prison section of the game if player was killed at the same time as unlocking a door. If you have encountered this problem you should now be able to proceed with your existing save game.
- Some minor graphical and gameplay tweaks we noticed whilst watching people playing the game online. Thanks to all you lovely streamers for playing our game!
It's not been long since our last content update and we have some more content for you to enjoy in our latest v1.5.2 patch along with a couple of fixes. See the full patch notes below: * Hats! Once you've beaten the final boss in the game you'll notice that hat stands with a vari
It's not been long since our last content update and we have some more content for you to enjoy in our latest v1.5.2 patch along with a couple of fixes. See the full patch notes below:
* Hats! Once you've beaten the final boss in the game you'll notice that hat stands with a variety of fun head gear have appeared in the game world. Tap up when you find one to exchange your current hat for the one hanging on the hat stand.
* Photo Booths! Another reward for beating the final boss is the addition of Photo Prize Booths. Have your photo taken and if you're rocking the correct head fashion you could win a prize that will make reaching the ultimate goal of a million items of junk a little easier.
* Fixes for people suffering from some broken save game issues. Some players have suffered problems where the player would restart in an out of world position or without the Nuee Shoees. Fixes have been made which will hopefully get your save game working again in the majority of cases.
* More robust handling of quitting the game with Alt+F4. Feedback from some users made us realise that quitting the game using the Alt+F4 Windows shortcut could lead to broken save games. Unfortunately we haven't been able to put in a fix to heal save games broken in this manner, but we have made the game saving code more robust so that quitting the game in this manner should no longer yield a broken save position. We would still recommend pausing and quitting to the title screen, then pressing Escape to quit as a preference.
Surprise! We are continuing to release new content for Horace and this small update brings some exciting new ideas that you won't want to miss! Features * The Ninja Suit! This becomes available to buy in the in-game shops towards the end of the game. It not only looks really cool
Surprise! We are continuing to release new content for Horace and this small update brings some exciting new ideas that you won't want to miss!
Features * The Ninja Suit! This becomes available to buy in the in-game shops towards the end of the game. It not only looks really cool but also gives you five seconds of absolute invulnerability, which should make reaching the magic 1,000,000 junk a bit easier.
* Portable Game Guy Device! Also available to buy in the in-game shops is the GameGuy, a portable gaming device in glorious green-tinted monochrome. It comes bundled with a new mini game that can only be played on the GameGuy. The full range of arcade games are available in GameGuy versions too, but you'll have to find or buy the cartridges to play them.
* Some new rooms to explore towards the end of the game. Think of this as a bit of a Director's cut version of the games concluding chapter.
* Hopefully a fix for the dreaded black background bug that a minority of players have noticed. We say "hopefully" because it's not something we've been able to reproduce, and every time we spoke to somebody who was experiencing the problem it would suddenly magically fix itself just as we were about to try something new.
* Game completion achievements had a bug meaning if you completed the game with one million junk you couldn't then get the achievement for completing with less than a million. Fixed so that both achievements will now pop, and also if you load a saved game completed with more than one million this will also pop the less than a million achievement.
* Various other bugs and improvements
We hope you enjoy turning invisible or trying out the Game Guy for the first time and please keep sharing your feedback on the game.
Horace, the ambitious story-driven 2D platformer that Eurogamer's Martin Robinson liked really rather a lot on its release last year, is currently free on the Epic Games Store, meaning you've yet another opportunity to expand your interminable gaming backlog. Developed by Paul He
Horace, the ambitious story-driven 2D platformer that Eurogamer's Martin Robinson liked really rather a lot on its release last year, is currently free on the Epic Games Store, meaning you've yet another opportunity to expand your interminable gaming backlog.
Developed by Paul Helman and Sean Scapelhorn, Horace casts players as the titular hero, a small robot "learning of life, the universe and Douglas Adams".
Horace is, at least in part, a richly inventive platformer, offering up its own unique spin on the rather well-worn Metroidvania formula. But it's also very British love letter to video games as a whole, tipping its hat to host of classics through a slightly anarchic, and gently nostalgic array of sharply observed nods, winks, and playable pastiches.
Horace is an unpredictable platformer with a narrative bent and plenty of mechanical twists. It's not what it always seems, but to find out more you'll need to take it for a spin yourself. Thankfully, it's free on the Epic Games Store for a week. OK, maybe you can find out a bit
Horace is an unpredictable platformer with a narrative bent and plenty of mechanical twists. It's not what it always seems, but to find out more you'll need to take it for a spin yourself. Thankfully, it's free on the Epic Games Store for a week.
OK, maybe you can find out a bit more before you take the plunge. Here's Dominic Tarason's take on why this weird platformer is more than worth a look:
Six hours into Horace and after several genre shifts, I officially gave up trying to predict what this narrative-driven adventure was hiding up its sleeve next. What started as a gentle if cutscene-heavy platformer about a robot butler and his quest to clean up rubbish had metamorphosed into a grand, generation-spanning adventure, dense with pathos, some dark humour, plus some genuine tragedy when you least expect it. Best, then, to go with the flow and see where the story took me.
You can grab Horace for free on the Epic Games Store until January 23, followed by monochromatic puzzler The Bridge.
As many of our players will already know, Horace was developed over 7 years and was made by just two people. Labor of Love is certainly an apt nomination for this year’s Steam awards given the dedication and passion from developers Paul Helman and Sean Scaplehorn. Please consider
As many of our players will already know, Horace was developed over 7 years and was made by just two people. Labor of Love is certainly an apt nomination for this year’s Steam awards given the dedication and passion from developers Paul Helman and Sean Scaplehorn. Please consider nominating Horace for the Labor of Love Award at the Steam Awards 2019 and share your vote with your friends.
Since launching the game, more content has been added and we have also released the Soundtrack on Steam. There is still more content in the pipeline so we hope people, both new and old, jump into the game in the near future!
A big thank you to everyone that has played Horace - your positive feedback has been amazing and it's great to hear how much the game has impacted some of our players. Now the power is in your hands! If you shed a tear (or many tears), cheered or booed any of the characters or be
A big thank you to everyone that has played Horace - your positive feedback has been amazing and it's great to hear how much the game has impacted some of our players.
Now the power is in your hands! If you shed a tear (or many tears), cheered or booed any of the characters or belly laughed out loud then please consider nominating Horace for the Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award at the Steam Awards 2019.
If you do vote for Horace, be sure to share your vote with your friends and thank you again for all your support.
Great news, the Horace Official Soundtrack has now available on Steam! Relive the unforgettable journey of a small robot on a big adventure with 42 classic chip tunes of classic songs and originals by developer, Paul Helman. Out Now ➡️
Great news, the Horace Official Soundtrack has now available on Steam!
Relive the unforgettable journey of a small robot on a big adventure with 42 classic chip tunes of classic songs and originals by developer, Paul Helman.
Six hours into Horace and after several genre shifts, I officially gave up trying to predict what this narrative-driven adventure was hiding up its sleeve next. What started as a gentle if cutscene-heavy platformer about a robot butler and his quest to clean up rubbish had metamo
Six hours into Horace and after several genre shifts, I officially gave up trying to predict what this narrative-driven adventure was hiding up its sleeve next. What started as a gentle if cutscene-heavy platformer about a robot butler and his quest to clean up rubbish had metamorphosed into a grand, generation-spanning adventure, dense with pathos, some dark humour, plus some genuine tragedy when you least expect it. Best, then, to go with the flow and see where the story took me.
If it weren’t for some friends’ glowing recommendations, I probably would have missed out on Horace myself. Its first hour or so is gentle, comfortable and vaguely meandering, but it’s just lulling you into a false sense of security. Friendly yellow robot Horace is ‘born’ into a wealthy family, and the entire story (dialogue and all) is narrated in the first person in his sharp mechanical monotone. It’s schmalzy stuff. Simple platform obstacle courses punctuated with gentle platforming challenges and cheerful cutscenes of him growing closer to his human family and developing a love of classical music, old TV and videogames.
Just when you feel like the game is coasting, everything changes. I won’t spoil exactly what happens, but any sense of safety and domestic sitcom life comes to a sudden, violent end. After a lengthy cutscene, the game plunges you into the ruins of Horace’s former life. Even the platforming suddenly becomes tougher and more complex, as you have to navigate conveyor belts and buzzsaws with the aid of some gravity bending shoes. It’s just the first of a dozen narrative and mechanical twists the game has in store before the credits roll, and there’s a lot of time for it to mix things up; most players clock the game at 15 or more hours long, and the difficulty never lets up.
A few levels later and somehow Horace (the game, not the character) had grown into a non-linear monster. Suddenly there are boss fights, physics-driven puzzling, towns to explore, and shops, and an economy, and trains I need tickets to ride. There are rhythm mini-games to play in order to scrape together the money required, stealth segments, rail shooters, retro game parodies and a whole lot of mileage. Horace feels like what happens when a developer has far too many ideas, the skills to implement them all, and nobody to tell them to stop.
It’s of little surprise that Horace is a passion project. Two men have been hammering away at this mad sci-fi comedy epic for almost six years, and it feels like a work of singular, bizarre vision. Bicentennial Man filtered through a lens of old British TV and 8/16-bit era games. I’m at the older end of the millennial spectrum, and references to the likes of Steptoe And Son and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet nearly flew over my head. Is Horace an intense precision platformer for the over-forties crowd? Quite possibly, although there’s enough contemporary humour to provide giggles if you’re under thirty. Most of it is extremely British, however.
Even if stripped of all its charming story, deadpan robotic narration and colourful characters, Horace would probably still be worth the price. There’s a bit of Super Meat Boy spirit to its platforming. There’s some real Mario-like weight to Horace himself, but he’s quite capable of bouncing from wall to wall, over and under lasers and sawblades. The levels are cleverly designed too, leveraging all the abilities you’ve hoarded over the course of the game, but never getting away from the basics. From early on until the end, you’ve always got to be careful just how high you jump, as trap-lined ceilings are a regular fixture. Horace’s (mostly optional) quest to clean up all the rubbish in the world means that every piece of oddly placed junk is a collectable, too, so there’s plenty of temptation to explore into every dangerous little corner.
While tough, I never found Horace too frustrating. Checkpoints are frequent, and death immediately zaps you back to the last checkpoint touched. In the few areas that expect you to play at your best for longer, there’s a basic lives system that lets you tank an otherwise-lethal hit or two. If you die repeatedly, the game even adjusts the difficulty a little and offers more lives to pick up along the way. Even if you took away everything but the nuts and bolts at the heart of the machine, Horace would still be an excellent game. Wrapped in cheeky humour, heartfelt storytelling and constant mechanical and tonal shifts, it might just be a classic.
If I absolutely had to pick at Horace’s robo-nits, I’d grumble that sometimes (albeit not often) direction and jump inputs get ‘eaten’, though that may also be the fault of my hard-worn controller. The soundscape of the game can also be a little harsh, especially the sounds for dying and picking up trash. Lastly, the game’s final act feels a little oddly paced, but in a game that tries to cram in everything and fifty kitchen sinks (to sell for scrap), I’ll forgive it. Beyond that, this is a massive, funny, pathos-laden and ambitious game that hits almost every target it shoots for. If you don’t mind some tricky platforming, Horace has my highest recommendation.
Horace is 20% discounted on Steam until September 23rd, and was recently updated with a boss rush mode and cutscene/music galleries.
Firstly, we would like to thank everyone who has played Horace so far, your support has been amazing. Whether you have finished the game or are just setting out on the robot's adventure, we are bringing some new content for you to enjoy in our latest v1.4.0 update. See below for
Firstly, we would like to thank everyone who has played Horace so far, your support has been amazing. Whether you have finished the game or are just setting out on the robot's adventure, we are bringing some new content for you to enjoy in our latest v1.4.0 update. See below for a full list of features:
Features
* The Time Machine will allow players to revisit old boss fights completed during normal gameplay. By revisiting boss battles and achieving better results, players can unlock in-game movies and music tracks for the Cinema and Gramophone.
* The Cinema will allow players to re-watch their favorite cutscenes from the game. Cutscenes are unlocked through normal gameplay, by beating boss challenges in The Time Machine or by picking up a Bad RAM item from the game.
* The Gramaphone lets players listen to musical tracks featured in the game. Tracks are unlocked through normal gameplay or by revisiting boss battles in The Time Machine.
Fixes * Improvements to game frame rate which should eliminate the juddery motion noticed by some players. * Lots of other minor graphical and gameplay tweaks.
Following community feedback from our last patch we are releasing a smaller hotfix to improve some of the game play and fix some bugs. Full patch notes below. Horace Patch Notes (v 1.3.1) * Fixes for music tracks playing over the top of some cut scenes towards the end of the game
Following community feedback from our last patch we are releasing a smaller hotfix to improve some of the game play and fix some bugs. Full patch notes below.
Horace Patch Notes (v 1.3.1)
* Fixes for music tracks playing over the top of some cut scenes towards the end of the game, making the cut scene audio hard to hear.
* Fix for the game not restarting the Air Boss if player starts the battle, then quits to the title screen. On resuming save game Air Boss will now spawn correctly.
* Fix for the game getting stuck in an infinite loop of the robot falling into space if trying to play the burning house section with a shield orb. Save games affected by this bug should work correctly on this new version.
* Fixed a problem with the Egyptian boss which caused it to sometimes stop spawning rocks for the player to throw back.
* Changed the way that the battery unit slots into its receiver in Robot Lab Backup Generator as some players are reporting issues with it locking into place.
* Modified the helicopter boss battle collision detection as some players were reporting difficulties in destroying it.
We have just released a new hotfix (v1.3) for Horace which will fix some bugs that have been fed back from the community and improve the overall balance of the game.Thanks again for your support and we hope you continue to enjoy Horace. Hotfix Patch Notes (v1.3) * Improvements to
We have just released a new hotfix (v1.3) for Horace which will fix some bugs that have been fed back from the community and improve the overall balance of the game.Thanks again for your support and we hope you continue to enjoy Horace.
Hotfix Patch Notes (v1.3)
* Improvements to Repo Yard rooms to make it easier for player to jump using the Shoes.
* Fixed bug when entering the tunnel in Mainton resulted in the player being stuck on a black screen and unable to progress.
* Made the receiver for the experimental battery in the Robot Labs grab the battery more quickly.
* Fix for the player sometimes falling off the ends of conveyor belts if running fast around them.
* Fix for softlock bug in Robot Labs Elevator. Player should no longer be able to enter the area behind the sparks until they have the correct ability to do so. Also added a fix so that if the player has managed to get stuck on the wrong side of the sparks they will be teleported to a valid position on reloading their save game.
* Fix for player getting stuck falling forever if they resume a save game battling the Security Robot in the TV Studio.
* Sound levels have been adjusted across the game so that music, sound effects and cut scene volumes should now be more evenly balanced.
* It is now possible to abort the Rhythm King arcade game.
* On resuming a save game, if the player has any shield orbs they will initially be activated. Shields can be toggled on and off using the Y button.
* Several boss encounters have been adjusted to include extra restart points or have slightly modified attack patterns to help rebalance some of the more frustrating difficulty peaks noticed by the developers whilst watching other people playing the game.
* Additional shield pickups have been added in some rooms to provide help to the player (if wanted!) on some of the trickier platforming sections.
* Fix the the parcel stamping job sometimes getting unsynchronised and causing progress banners to appear at incorrect times.
* Fix for game freezing on a black screen when loading a saved game from one of the flying dream sequences.
* Support for additional buttons input on some joypads (e.g. PS4) when using the redefine joypad inputs menu.
* There are now some switches in East Gallery Ground Floor which allow the player to turn off the lasers temporarily so they can pass through the room from left to right, which can be useful after beating some of the mansion bosses.
* Lots of other little tweaks and fixes to minor gameplay and graphical issues that have been reported.
Thanks to everyone who has bought Horace – your positive comments have been overwhelming. We are flattered by the complements but we know some of you have experienced some bugs since launch. Great news! We have just released a new patch (v1.2) which should clean up issues that yo
Thanks to everyone who has bought Horace – your positive comments have been overwhelming. We are flattered by the complements but we know some of you have experienced some bugs since launch.
Great news! We have just released a new patch (v1.2) which should clean up issues that you have raised making Horace even better! Thanks again for your feedback and we hope you continue to enjoy Horace. PATCH NOTES (V 1.2)
- Improved support for other screen resolutions and monitor refresh rates. If you are still experiencing screen resolution problems with this build then please try holding SHIFT whilst launching the game. This will provide a dialog box with available screen resolutions and the ability to run the game full screen or in windowed mode.
- Frame rate related fixes. Some people with faster PC configurations may have experienced issues with the player robot not behaving correctly in some rooms (e.g. the battery placing room). These should now be fixed.
- Some minor graphics fixes in some parts of the game.
Unfortunately the V1.2 build does not solve the problem of missing backgrounds that some people are reporting. We are still trying to work out what the cause for this issue is.
“Horace is the best indie game I’ve played in a very long time, and already is at the top of my Game of the Year list. If I play a better game than Horace this year, I’ll be very surprised. It’s a must have.” Read more...
“Horace is the best indie game I’ve played in a very long time, and already is at the top of my Game of the Year list. If I play a better game than Horace this year, I’ll be very surprised. It’s a must have.”
We're excited to announce that Horace is OUT NOW on Steam! A platforming game at heart with metroidvania-inspired abilities to be unlocked as players progress through the game, Horace invites players to overcome challenging puzzles and defeat difficult bosses while evoking a rang
We're excited to announce that Horace is OUT NOW on Steam! A platforming game at heart with metroidvania-inspired abilities to be unlocked as players progress through the game, Horace invites players to overcome challenging puzzles and defeat difficult bosses while evoking a range of emotions that will leave some laughing, crying and cheering their way through a touching narrative.
Hi everyone! As you may or may not know, Horace is scheduled to launch later on TODAY! A platforming game at heart with metroidvania-inspired abilities to be unlocked as players progress through the game, Horace invites players to overcome challenging puzzles and defeat difficult
Hi everyone! As you may or may not know, Horace is scheduled to launch later on TODAY! A platforming game at heart with metroidvania-inspired abilities to be unlocked as players progress through the game, Horace invites players to overcome challenging puzzles and defeat difficult bosses while evoking a range of emotions that will leave some laughing, crying and cheering their way through a touching narrative.
In the run up to launch, we wanted to cover a bunch of FAQs. Got any questions in addition to the ones answered below? Leave them in the comments and we’ll answer as many as we can.
Q: WHEN DOES HORACE LAUNCH ONTO STEAM? A: Horace launches on July 18th, 2019.
Q: WHAT IS HORACE ALL ABOUT? A: Horace is a story-driven, platform game peppered with nostalgic, popular culture references which will bring a smile to any gamer who enjoys the 8 and 16 bit era.
Learn how to master your strongest robot abilities and reunite Horace with his long-lost family. Adventure across the world – and time and space – to save mankind from total destruction. Run and jump your way through a comical but touching story told by the charming robot protagonist and use your wits to overcome classic 2D platforming challenges, all whilst cleaning up the mess left behind from the Robot War! Experience tons of variety along the way with parodies of classic mini games ranging from rhythm action to FPS.
Q: HOW MUCH WILL HORACE COST? A: 505 Games is presenting players with an opportunity to help determine the launch price of Horace on Steam with a simple call-to-action of wishlisting the game from the official Steam page. Four wishlist tiers for Horace have been created, each with a corresponding launch discount reward only activated for players once the tier threshold is met.
If the final tier is reached by the community on Steam on or before the outlined deadline of Tuesday, July 16, Horace will be available for purchase to all players for as little as $3.75, €3.75, £2.50 (75% off) at launch for one week. There’s not much time left so be quick!
The game will convert back to its original full purchase price of $14.99/€14.99/£9.99 after the launch discount window concludes.
Q: WHAT ABOUT CONSOLE? A: Right now, we have no plans to bring Horace to console. But should this ever change in the future, we will let you know here on our social channels.
Q: WHERE CAN I WISHLIST HORACE? A: Head over to Steam to wishlist Horace! https://store.steampowered.com/app/629090/Horace/
Q: WILL HORACE EVER LAUNCH PHYSICALLY AT RETAIL? A: There are currently no plans to launch Horace at retail.
Q: HOW MANY HOURS WILL I GET OUT OF HORACE? A: It’s hard to say for sure. Horace could take you 20-30 hours to complete, depending on your familiarity with platforming and puzzle games. There is a ton of content available and you may spend hours procrastinating in the arcades in game.
Q: WHAT ARE THE SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS IN ORDER TO RUN HORACE?
MINIMUM: OS: Windows 7 Processor: Intel i5 Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: Any DX12 graphics card DirectX: Version 12 Storage: 12 GB available space Sound Card: Any, onboard
RECOMMENDED: OS: Windows 10 Processor: Intel i7 Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: Any DX12 graphics card DirectX: Version 12 Storage: 12 GB available space Sound Card: Any, or onboard
Q: WHICH LANGUAGES WILL HORACE SUPPORT? A: Horace supports English VO only but will have subtitles for French, German, Italian and Spanish.
Q: WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION ON HORACE? A: Please visit the 505 Games website for more info on Horace – https://505games.com/games/horace/
Q: CAN I CAPTURE / STREAM HORACE AT LAUNCH? A: Absolutely! Be sure to include our social handles in your content so we can check it out ourselves.
Will you be downloading Horace when we launch later on today? Let us know in the comments below…
Another day, another Horace mini game to showcase! Get ready to take to the track in DayOff, coming to Horace NEXT WEEK when we launch on Steam. (July 18) Got any questions? Let us know in the comments below...
Another day, another Horace mini game to showcase! Get ready to take to the track in DayOff, coming to Horace NEXT WEEK when we launch on Steam. (July 18)
Got any questions? Let us know in the comments below...
DID YOU KNOW - Earlier this week, we announced Horace, a story-driven, pixel-platform adventure coming to Steam on July 18, 2019. Horace comes packed with a wide range of mini games, many of which are inspired by classic games in pop culture history. Take a look at Anabolympics,
DID YOU KNOW - Earlier this week, we announced Horace, a story-driven, pixel-platform adventure coming to Steam on July 18, 2019.
Horace comes packed with a wide range of mini games, many of which are inspired by classic games in pop culture history. Take a look at Anabolympics, just one of the mini games featured...
For more info and to wishlist Horace, head over to our Steam store page!
