We are incredibly excited to announce our release date for Flashlight is now set for October 26th!
The Journey
It’s been over a year and a half since this project first began. It’s been a life-long dream of our team to create and release a video game. There were some previous solo attempts with individuals on our team, but they never made it far beyond the initial sparks of enthusiasm. Aside from the many technical skillsets it takes to complete a game, it also requires will, determination, and some grind. In our experience, those things are a lot easier to maintain if you have at least one or two others who can help maintain the excitement and enthusiasm. Fortunately, we had that this time around.
The initial concept of our game was inspired, in large part, by an old game called “Armor Critical” (a.k.a. ARC). This was a major childhood favorite of our developer Rich Muhlenkamp and his friends. It was mainly a top-down multiplayer capture the flag game. The simple fun mechanics were incredibly easy to pickup and enjoy but took a surprising amount of skill to master. Rich wanted to bring some of those experiences back to life with a new flavor: a co-op experience, and the ability to play solo if desired.
Flashlight
Flashlight is multiplayer at its core. With both PvP and Co-op, Flashlight allows friends to join up and either compete head-to-head or cooperate together within its procedurally-generated levels and terrain in story mode. Both can be played solo (bots available in Pv P modes), but we believe it shines most when played with friends.
PVP
Players can join rooms of up to 12 players to battle it out in Capture the Flag or Team Deathmatch modes. It will initially be released with 9 different PVP maps; 5 maps supporting 4 simultaneous teams and 4 maps supporting 2 simultaneous teams. Teams will fight it out to either capture enough flags to win the round, or be the first to reach 25 kills in Team Deathmatch. More game modes and maps hopefully to come after release!
COOP
The story mode in Flashlight allows for up to 4 players to journey together along the procedurally-generated terrain fighting hordes of zombies and enemy mercenaries to uncover the secrets of the infection. There are 4 playable mercenary groups. Each group has a different set of perks that can be selected as you rank up along the way, giving a variety of builds and a different flavor on each play through. This mode is a rogue-lite type of experience. You will probably die a lot and don’t expect to beat it the first time!
Final Thoughts
We are thrilled to finally release Flashlight to the world! It’s a life-long dream borne into reality after two years of hard, but fun and rewarding, work. Thanks to everybody who helped and supported us, and to those who wishlisted our game. We hope everybody enjoys it. Your feedback is always appreciated and we will try to make improvements, and hopefully additional features, based on that feedback.
And again, stay safe and keep the lights on!
Flashlight Gameplay Dev Stream Campaign Runs!
Come watch the dev play and chat with them!
Flashlight Gameplay Dev Stream Campaign Runs!
Come watch the dev play and chat with them!
Gameplay Dev Stream
A quick gameplay stream from the devs.
Also check out Sterner's official stream on twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/axeymcaxestuff
New Gameplay Trailer!
Just dropping a second trailer highlighting the gameplay improvements made since the first trailer. We've got much more frantic gameplay along with more interesting ways to blow up zombie bits! Check out the Steam page for the new trailer.
We're quickly progressing toward announcing a release date, and we thank all of you who have wishlisted us so far!
Steam Next Fest Demo Stream
Come play with the SouthWater Games developers and enjoy the free demo available during Next Fest. Join forces with the devs or rally against them with your friends. If you want to sit back and watch the action, feel free to check out our stream and see us frag the masses!
Have fun and leave comments or any useful feedback that you want, and don't forget to wishlist our game!
Steam Next Fest Demo Stream
Come play with the SouthWater Games developers and enjoy the free demo available during Next Fest. Join forces with the devs or rally against them with your friends. If you want to sit back and watch the action, feel free to check out our stream and see us frag the masses!
Have fun and leave comments or any useful feedback that you want, and don't forget to wishlist our game!
Flashlight Demo Available for Download!
Hey mercs! In anticipation of the live stream event this evening, we have released the Flashlight demo for free download. The demo is a pared down version of the full game. In this free version of the game, there are two PVP maps available, and both support Capture the Flag and Team Deathmatch modes. Bot players can be added to augment a multiplayer game or can be used to help you play solo. Occasional zombie spawns can also be turned on to make each fight a little more tense.
Simply click the download button and launch the game! Go to the lobby to create a new match or enter an existing one. Help build the community! Feel free to give feedback and suggestions on the Flashlight Community Hub. Constructive comments can help improve the full game before release. Hope to see you in a game soon!
- The SouthWater Games Devs
Steam Next Fest Demo Stream
Come play with the SouthWater Games developers and enjoy the free demo available during Next Fest. Join forces with the devs or rally against them with your friends. If you want to sit back and watch the action, feel free to check out our stream and see us frag the masses!
Have fun and leave comments or any useful feedback that you want, and don't forget to wishlist our game!
Flashlight Development Progress - April 2021
Sound off mercs!
Broadcasting from Ground Zero
We're looking for brave recruits to join us for demos and live streams during Steam Next Fest! Mark your calendars and synchronize your watches to get boots on the ground with us.
The Best Defense...
SouthWater Games has been refining mechanics to support various playing styles through our story mode. Jump in and focus on running and gunning and pick perks that add bonuses to those abilities.
Alternatively, plunder for resources and pick perks that support your need to craft barriers and turrets for strong defenses.
Mix and match for a balanced skillset and ravage the wastes as a jack-of-all-trades.
I have no memory of this place...
In addition to the player based mechanics, the story mode will feature procedurally generated maps. But we're not stopping at just keeping the environment fresh on each playthrough. You'll also be presented with different challenges and gametypes while discovering the world in the Flashlight Era.
