Hello!
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been over a year since we launched Impaler and introduced you to the arena filled with fast-paced action, relentless challenges, and retro-inspired aesthetics. In the most recent updates we’ve laid some groundwork for future updates, and we’re finally ready to share more details. However, before we spill the tea, we’d like to share a small summary of what Impaler went through these last twelve months.
From the very beginning, our goal with Impaler has been to deliver adrenaline-fueled playthroughs that keep you on the edge of your seat. Throughout the past year, we've continuously refined and enhanced the game's core mechanics to ensure that each run in the arena is as intense and satisfying as possible.
Ever since the release, we’ve been seeing messages that players wanted more. More of Impaler. So we delivered. Over the last year, we increased the number of stages from 11 to 20, introduced new obstacles and map hazards to the game, and also tinkered with all the level layouts to make sure they are as challenging as they can be. We’ve added 2 unlockable game difficulty levels in combination with the Leaderboards system, where players from all over the world can compete and see who can get the best score inside the arena. We’ve also increased air-movement capabilities by reducing the overall gravity in-game, and we also added the wall jump ability that opens the way to completely new playstyles.
We also couldn’t help adding new weapons and enemies to the game. Since the release, we’ve been getting requests about adding a melee weapon and while it took its time in testing, we’ve finally landed on a Sword. Impaler’s sword is a combination of melee and ranged weapons that also gives you more air control. Apart from the Sword, we introduced both Shotguns as separate weapons, instead of the Harvester being a reskin of the Pump Shotgun. The Demonesses from Project Warlock also became a separate enemy type. The roster of monsters also grew with the addition of Pigman, Hornet, and Hive, as well as stronger, elite variants of all enemies.
Around Fall last year we concluded that we still wanted to add more things to Impaler. However the original arena was getting a little crowded, and adding another game mode to the original arena wouldn’t feel as new as we’d like, so…we built a second arena.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The changes we’ve introduced over the last year doubled the length of Impaler’s gameplay loops. While we’re happy with the amount of added features and improvements to the game, we’ve noticed that some players enjoyed the shorter arena runs, where you launched the game, played for 15 minutes, and were able to defeat the boss, finishing a run in the span of a few minutes.
We want to use the new arena as an opportunity to bring this feeling back. So with the new arena, comes a brand new game mode, codename: Collect-a-thon. This game mode will be time-based, and gameplay loops will be shorter than the ones currently available in Arena 1.
Your objective will be to complete the run in the shortest amount of time possible. This game mode will also have a separate leaderboard, where completion time, rather than score, will determine your position on the board. Don’t worry though, the levels in Arena 2 will have consistent layouts with less randomness, which makes it easier to compete with other players.
The new mode is focused on verticality, movement, and an interruption-free gameplay loop that you can enjoy in small doses. To beat the new mode with a competitive time, you will need to find the right balance between combat and movement. Players who master Impaler’s movement mechanics will have a natural advantage.
Arena 2 will also feature more environment variety, and more importantly - more verticality and movement. It’s built on a grid, which allows us to create various layouts, as opposed to the arena being locked inside castle walls, like in the original Impaler game mode.
New arena and game mode aren’t the only things we’ve been working on. Aaron, the mastermind behind the custom engine of Impaler, rewrote the renderer, making everything look better. These visual changes will apply to both arenas.
Apart from the visual changes, we’re also bringing gunplay improvements. The guns will have less bullet spread, slightly more recoil, and will overheat less. We’re confident it will reduce the frustration of your guns getting overheated, and produce more friendly and relaxed gameplay loops.
While we don’t have an exact date for the Collect-a-thon release, we’re currently working on a version that will be suitable for playtests, allowing you to play through a few demo levels and provide feedback on the new game mode. We’re aiming to hold the playtest session over March 22-25. Join our Discord to stay updated on the Playtest status.
Price bump
We firmly believe that Impaler today is much richer in content than on the day of its release, and will only keep growing with the addition of Arena 2 and beyond. We’ve made the decision to increase the price of Impaler to $4.99 based on past and planned content additions. This change will take effect on April 30. It means that you will be able to get Impaler on sale during the Spring Sale and Steam FPS Sale before the price bump and still reap the benefits of the new updates at no additional cost.
As always, we’d like to thank you all for the feedback you’ve provided over the last year, and invite you to our Discord server, where you can let us know what you think about the upcoming update! A sincere thank you to the players who have provided feedback and helped improve the game. It would not be what it is without you.
Until next time!