From March 4th to 11th, Exophobia is joining more than 170 other games in a Steam event all about metroidvanias, hosted by Ravenage Games.
Here you will find discounts in the most iconic games of the genre, or play demos of upcoming gems!
Why is Exophobia considered a metroidvania? Most metroidvania fans will argue that a metroidvania (metroid + castlevania for those who don't know) needs to be a sidescroller. My idea with Exophobia was to mix metroidvania progression with a first person shooter and I think it fits pretty well! Let's see, for example, where a Metroid game and Wolfenstein 3d can meet in the middle:
Labyrinthic non-linear levels with gates that can only be opened with upgrades? check
Secrets around every corner or hidden wall that reward the player with powerups or easter eggs? check
Different biomes with different enemies and boss fights? check
Exophobia features all of this and more elements from both genres, like metroidvania checkpoints and fast paced shooter combat from first person shooters.
Let me know what you think! Meanwhile, play the demo and enjoy all the other available games in the event :) Happy exploration! Zarc
Exophobia at DreamHack Beyond Game Awards!
Hey, Zarc here! We are approaching the end of the year, with this time filled with many events and award cerimonies to celebrate this year in gaming!
This next week (15-21 Dec) Exophobia will be part of DreamHack Beyond Game Awards, which showcases upcoming and released indie games and awards them in different categories. No nomination for Exophobia though (the only category it could be nominated for was Most Antecipated Game), but it's an honor to be selected and among so many cool games!
To celebrate this and give you an early holiday gift I've updated the Steam page with shiny new graphics from the cover art and the demo with the latest code in the game! You'll find it has less bugs, is a little more forgiving than the past demo and even has a couple of new features like the map you can open anywhere!
Also, for all your fans waiting for the game, let me give you some good and bad news. Bad news is, you might have noticed that the release date has changed to 2024. I'm working hard with the publisher to release as early as possible in the next year as this year has been hard on all of us to work on a release. Good news is that the game is finished! And I'm very proud of the result. The game is fun and filled with cool stuff that will keep you playing for hours! The soundtrack is also finished and I can't wait for you all to listen to it. It's 1 and half hours of pumping jams! So right now, there's only background work to get ready for release. Thanks for sticking with me all this time on my first big game release!
Don't know if I'll have any more updates until the end of the year, so... Have a great holiday season! Zarc
Exophobia at The MIX Comic Con LA 2023!
Hey everyone! If you are at L.A. Comic Con this weekend, don't miss Exophobia at The MIX space, joining other awesome indies for you to discover!
You'll be able to play an extended version of the Infinite Mode, with 16 different arenas and 20 different enemies! What will be your highscore? Can you even beat the first 4 rooms? Give it a try! Learn more about The MIX here.
I'm very excited to have the game in your hands shortly. It shaped up to be something really cool. More news about release soon! Zarc
Portugal's Biggest Indie Festival - Indie X
Hey everyone!
This weekend Indie X is happening once again, and Exophobia is part of the portuguese selection! Indie X is Portugal's biggest indie festival and it celebrates and awards all indie games. Don't miss the Indie X Steam page, I'm pretty sure you'll find your next favorite indie game!
As part of Indie X, along the online showcase a physical showcase is also happening at DevGAMM Lisbon! I'm there showcasing the game and talking to other inspiring devs, which has been fun.
See you next time, Exophobia news are coming soon so hang thight and thanks for sticking with it! Best, Zarc
Exophobia at Realms Deep 2023!
Hey everyone, Realms Deep is back in 2023! This time going beyond retro FPS and showcasing a spetacular selection of badass looking games! Don't miss out on the sales and the livestream event, happening this weekend: https://www.realmsdeep.game/
Even though Exophobia will not be part of the livestream showcase, the folks at the Realms Deep team were kind enough to include past participants in their Steam page, that's why you see that cool looking banner on the Steam page! Check out all the games here: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/realmsdeep2023
Enjoy the show! Zarc
Save & Sound 2023 - A celebration of music in games!
Hey everyone!
If you haven't noticed yet, Save and Sound 2023 is happening and I highly recomend you watch the livestreams happening there. Lots of content from your favorite games and audio teasers for your most antecipated ones!
If you remember last year, we did an OST preview DJ mix, which you can check here if you missed it. That's why Exophobia has that cool banner on the top of the page and is part of the 2022 selection.
So, rock on and have fun! Zarc
Exophobia at DreamHack Beyond 2023!
Hey, Zarc here, long time no see!
Just a heads up, I've been very focused on the development of the game to make sure I deliver it this year. Still no promises or release date, but you can be sure it is getting there and looking more and more awesome! So I haven't had much time to market the game and it's been getting hard to get into festivals lately.
But starting today, Exophobia is part of DreamHack Beyond 2023, bringing a week of showcase of indie games, filled with demos, discounts and releases! I'm beyond excited for a new event like this :)
I don't have anything new to show to comemorate this, but if you haven't yet, try the Exophobia demo and give your feedback in the Steam forums or join our Zarc Attack discord! I have been sharing a lot of stuff there from the final game.
Enjoy your week, Zarc
PAX East 2023 Demo Update
Hey everyone! As I'm packing for a long trip to get to PAX East, I couldn't leave the rest of you without any new stuff. So I uploaded a new version of the demo that has been available for quite a while. This new version just adds the general polish I've been working on lately for the conclusion of development, so no new features of course. But go ahead and replay it, maybe you'll find hidden things ;) Also, let me know of any bugs, as my testing has not been extensive ahah.
See you at PAX, and if not, have fun with the demo! Zarc
Meet the dev at PAX East 2023!
Hey there, it's been a while!
PAX East 2023
I'm super excited to share the news that I will be traveling from Portugal to Boston next week for PAX East 2023!! All this wouldn't be possible without PM Studios, so I'm very thankful for the opportunity to get to personally experience another video game event and of course, showcase my own game!
Let's meet at the PM Studios booth, kiosk number 15055. I will be showcasing the first ever additional content for the game, Infinite Mode, which is an endless arcade run. Full health bar, full weapon upgrade, how long can you survive and what will your highscore be? Be the first to try it!
If you can't attend, I will be uploading an improved Steam demo version online, which fixes some nasty bugs (they have been there for a long while now, sorry!) and polishes some bits. Please say hi online either way!
Development Update
IT'S BEEN 5 MONTHS SINCE I POSTED HERE?? Time sure flies and it always feels there's something left to do... I'll give you a status update. The game is in its last stages of development, which everyone says its the longest. Testing and fixing bugs, finishing quality of life stuff, tweaking level layouts (level design is really hard sometimes!), working together with the audio team to make sure everything *sounds* perfect (those guys can hear things I can't, I swear). So basically tying everything together, and it's taking more time than expected (I'm always afraid of leaving something behind!). But I'm finally seeing an end line and it's getting closer, so thank you so much for sticking there. Let's hang on Discord through this last stage: https://discord.gg/Qb5Kd3p
So, hope you are still there waiting for the release, I'm counting on your support, which I am super grateful to have! And if you're attending PAX East don't miss the PM Studios booth! See you soon, Zarc
Exophobia at Day of the Devs 10th anniversary!
How you going? Zarc here.
This is huge news, I'm super excited to announce that Exophobia is part of the next edition of Day of the Devs, which is celebrating it's 10 year anniversary! Double Fine and iam8bit bring you a selection of amazing indie games for a digital AND in-person event, happening at The Midway in San Francisco, on November 5th, and everyone can join for free! So if you are around, don't miss out this event. If you are not, you can still catch it live online!
Anyway, I'm super excited to have Exophobia among all these great games and be invited to such an important event for indie games. Wish I could go to San Francisco, but it's a big trip, so my friends at PM Studios will enjoy the event for me (I'm jealous!). Check out the past edition here, looks fun!
