Genre: Fighting, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Indie, Arcade
Mayhem Brawler
Mayhem Brawler v2.3.1 Update Notes
Gather around, Brawlers!
Thanks to the huge interest in Mayhem Brawler following the Daily Deal, we've prepared an update addressing some reported issues.
Improvements:
Fixed occasional issues with Steam’s Remote Play Together feature.
(If you still encounter problems, the hosting player can resolve this by exiting and re-launching their Steam client.)
On the Hero Selection screen, new players now need to press [Start] instead of (A) on their controllers to join the game.
Added direct links to our Discord channel and Mailing List on the main menu.
Bug Fixes:
Resolved an issue where cinematics occasionally could not be skipped.
Fixed the issue causing the "Join" hint to disappear after three players join on the Character Selection screen
— Your friendly neighbourhood developers from Hero Concept
🚀 Final 48 Hours on Kickstarter – New Stretch Goal Revealed!
Brawlers, we’re down to the final 48 hours of our Kickstarter campaign! The support so far has been incredible, and we’re so close to unlocking the $50K Training Room Stretch Goal! 🏋️♂️
But that's not all—our $60K stretch goal is now revealed! 🎉
🔥 Car Smash Bonus Stage!
Ever wanted to wreck a villain’s ride like in classic beat ‘em ups? At $60K, we’re adding a Car Smash Bonus Stage, where you’ll unleash pure destruction in true retro style! 🚗💥
💡 Have you checked out our Combat Mechanics videos?
Every week, Creative Director Serkan Özay breaks down the game’s mechanics in a new video. If you haven’t seen them yet, now’s the perfect time to dive in!
Mayhem Brawler II: Best of Both Worlds Now Live on Kickstarter
The wait is over! The Kickstarter campaign for Mayhem Brawler II: Best of Both Worlds is officially live!
Now’s the time to back the project and help unlock stretch goals that will bring even more content and surprises to the game. As a backer, you’ll gain access to exclusive rewards, early updates, and behind-the-scenes content. Whether you're pledging for rewards or sharing the campaign with others, your support will help take Mayhem Brawler II to the next level!
Back the campaign now! Kickstarter page. Not sure yet? Try the Steam demo today and experience the dynamic time-transition mechanics firsthand!
Let’s make Mayhem City even more epic—together!
— Your friendly neighborhood Hero Concept
Mayhem Brawler II: Best of Both Worlds is Coming to Kickstarter
Hey there brawler!
We hope you’re doing great!
First, thank you for being part of the incredible journey of building the Mayhem Universe! What began with Mayhem Brawler—a beat ’em up game packed with a comic book art style and thrilling action—is now evolving into something even bigger with Mayhem Brawler II: Best of Both Worlds.
And we’re thrilled to share some fantastic news! Mayhem Brawler II is coming to Kickstarter with its full might! In the game, we’re leveling things up with:
8 heroes and more than 40 opponents
Exciting rogue-lite elements
Two Timelines to wreak havoc in
Online co-op gameplay
And so much more!
Follow us on Kickstarter to support our development and secure exclusive rewards before it’s too late! Curious? Check it out on our Kickstarter page.
Thank you for being part of this epic adventure!
Stay awesome, Hero Concept
Mayhem Brawler II: Best of Both Worlds - Demo Now Live!
The wait is over! The highly anticipated Mayhem Brawler 2: Best of Both Worlds demo is finally here! Now’s your chance to dive headfirst into the electrifying streets of Mayhem City, where you'll experience not only the classic beat 'em up gameplay of the ‘90s but also an entirely new, modern twist on the genre.
What’s Included in the Demo
First Level of the Game: Including opening cinematic, and Level Boss fights!
Four unique Heroes (two for each timeline): Choose to play in the past timeline as the legendary officer Stellar or the relentless Apex Hunter, or fight in the present timeline as the fierce She Wolf or the untamed Beastmaster.
Two-Player Co-Op Mode: Team up with a friend to tackle the dangers of Mayhem City together.
While this demo is just a teaser, it's packed with enough action to get your adrenaline pumping. We’re still hard at work developing the full game, so your feedback is crucial. Keep in mind that you might run into a few bugs here and there, but that’s all part of the process! Your input will help us fine-tune the game into something truly special. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNY_umihjrE
A Sneak Peek Into The World of Mayhem Brawler 2
With hand-drawn, comic book-inspired visuals and an energetic soundtrack, you'll be fully immersed in the world of Mayhem City as you journey through two distinct timelines. Expect time travel, epic battles, and surprises around every corner. Every playthrough brings something new to discover.
This is just the beginning, and we're thrilled to have you join us on this journey. Make sure to join our Discord channel to chat with us, share your thoughts, stay updated, and be a part of the game’s development process with your feedback!
You can add Mayhem Brawler II: Best of Both Worlds to your wishlist on Steam and PlayStation.
We Have New Bundles!
Four bundles from four different collaborations!
Alongside working on our next title Mayhem Brawler 2: Best of Both Worlds, we have been in contact with developers and publishers of other beat 'em up games to collaborate on some bundles for our first game, Mayhem Brawler. With these bundles, you can get Mayhem Brawler with an additional 10% discount on top of regular sales!
We are still working on more bundle collaborations, and we will do so as great beat 'em up games continue to release.
Mayhem Brawler 2: Best of Both Worlds is Announced!
...a Time Transition-themed Beat ’em Up with Modern Roguelite Mechanics and RPG elements!
Mayhem Brawler 2: Best of Both Worlds is a time transition-themed beat 'em up that incorporates modern roguelite mechanics and RPG elements into its gameplay.
Witness how the genre evolves as you defeat enemies and encounter bosses in this beat 'em up yourself or with your friends in a co-op setting!
https://youtu.be/ZNY_umihjrE After its predecessor, Mayhem Brawler 2: Best of Both Worlds also features excellent comic book-style art and even more kick-ass soundtracks!
From the moment we shared our first development diary for the game in 2022, we've been on an exciting journey. Today, we're happy to announce the game's upcoming release, a milestone we couldn't have reached without your long-lasting love and support!
The Steam, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox One|Series, and Nintendo Switch versions of the game will be available to gamers everywhere in 2025. In the meantime, you can add it to your wishlist to be notified of its release!
Mayhem Brawler 2: Best of Both Worlds
Witness the unfolding of parallel events in two time periods 20 years apart! On one side is the legendary Stronghold agent Stellar, while on the other is She Wolf, as fiery as ever, who is running a mayoral campaign. The two teams embark on an adventure to uncover one of Mayhem City's darkest secrets.
A Timeless Experience
Jump back and forth between characters from both timelines that you paired to challenge the opponents of the past and present simultaneously. Thanks to rogue-lite and RPG elements perfectly fused with classic beat 'em up mechanics, enjoy rich endgame content and a different gameplay experience with each new playthrough.
I've been part of the Hero Concept team, breathing life into the Mayhem universe for about four years. Initially, I was a painter who wanted to create 3D environments, but my journey in the industry began with coloring character animations for Mayhem Brawler. Back then, I had created backgrounds for the upcoming game, and now I'm one of the few individuals working on the backgrounds for Mayhem Brawler: Best of Both Worlds.
How It Started?
This was both exciting and frightening for me. Even though I had created small 3D models before, this time, I had to bring to life cities, shops, concert halls, and various concepts. After numerous brainstorming sessions, small experiments, and lengthy discussions about what we wanted to achieve, we started the practical aspect by preparing a template.
Unlike backgrounds in the previous game, we aimed to enhance the sense of depth with 3D environments while keeping characters in 2D. So, we can describe it as 2.5D. Achieving harmony between 3D backgrounds and 2D characters was about style and the camera angle. Therefore, we tilted the camera and characters by 10 degrees in the vertical plane to obtain a diagonal view.
Before
After
Capturing the Comic Book Style
We had an apparent reference for the style: the previous game. Therefore, it was evident from the beginning that we would present a story in a comic book style. After finding accurate references for each level and transforming them into 3D models, we adapted them to the style we defined in the texture part. Objects were generally in actual dimensions, but we also stylized some to capture a better essence. I can say that one of the most enjoyable parts of the job for me was texture painting.
To capture the comic book style during the texture stage, we progressed by layer upon layer. In the initial release of unfinished game visuals, we received feedback from players who were familiar with us. Parallel to the feedback we received, we also had our questions. In response, we returned to the sections we created and started the process of color correction again.
As we approached our desired look with more lines and scans, using an outline shader helped us establish a city in a comic book style. When the new visuals were released, they satisfied players who were following us and addressed the concerns we had received earlier.
Time Transition
Locations also change their new forms by experiencing a leap of 20 years in two different time periods. At this point, there were some crucial aspects we needed to pay attention to. From a purely technical perspective, there was a necessity for objects to share the same space in terms of mass, and consequently, the walking areas for characters had to be the same in both time periods. Aesthetically, despite a complete transformation after 20 years, we tried to leave behind some visible, familiar structures. This way, even though the player navigates in a completely different time when experiencing time jumps, they can still see familiar traces. Observing these time transitions can be pretty exciting.
Turn on the Lights!
Lighting the levels is like the polishing stage for us. It's one of the moments that makes me most impatient for each level. At this point, I'd like to note that my favorite scenes are the night ones. I must say I enjoy seeing the lights we've lit up there. If it's an outdoor environment, our job is more straightforward; we add lights and modes that suit the predetermined time frame for that level.
But indoors, due to the game being 2.5D, we've encountered unexpected issues. Since the characters were cardboard, meaning they had no thickness, they lost their shadows when it came to lighting. When the light was in front of them, it changed the direction of the cloud, causing an unnatural movement due to their 2D nature. Despite not wanting to compromise on the design, prioritizing lights that cast shadows was the ideal solution. We decided the remaining lights would only illuminate the environment without casting shadows. This way, we achieved a smoother point for the shadows cast by 2D characters on the ground.
In this Dev Diary, I've tried explaining how we created and scaled Mayhem City and prepared the scenes. We are thrilled with where we've come from and the feedback we've received. We eagerly look forward to finishing the rest of the game and sharing it with you all!
Also, join our Discord Server to hear first about the updates & share your suggestions with us!
I've been part of the Hero Concept team, breathing life into the Mayhem universe for about four years. Initially, I was a painter who wanted to create 3D environments, but my journey in the industry began with coloring character animations for Mayhem Brawler. Back then, I had created backgrounds for the upcoming game, and now I'm one of the few individuals working on the backgrounds for Mayhem Brawler: Best of Both Worlds.
How It Started?
This was both exciting and frightening for me. Even though I had created small 3D models before, this time, I had to bring to life cities, shops, concert halls, and various concepts. After numerous brainstorming sessions, small experiments, and lengthy discussions about what we wanted to achieve, we started the practical aspect by preparing a template.
Unlike backgrounds in the previous game, we aimed to enhance the sense of depth with 3D environments while keeping characters in 2D. So, we can describe it as 2.5D. Achieving harmony between 3D backgrounds and 2D characters was about style and the camera angle. Therefore, we tilted the camera and characters by 10 degrees in the vertical plane to obtain a diagonal view.
Before
After
Capturing the Comic Book Style
We had an apparent reference for the style: the previous game. Therefore, it was evident from the beginning that we would present a story in a comic book style. After finding accurate references for each level and transforming them into 3D models, we adapted them to the style we defined in the texture part. Objects were generally in actual dimensions, but we also stylized some to capture a better essence. I can say that one of the most enjoyable parts of the job for me was texture painting.
To capture the comic book style during the texture stage, we progressed by layer upon layer. In the initial release of unfinished game visuals, we received feedback from players who were familiar with us. Parallel to the feedback we received, we also had our questions. In response, we returned to the sections we created and started the process of color correction again.
As we approached our desired look with more lines and scans, using an outline shader helped us establish a city in a comic book style. When the new visuals were released, they satisfied players who were following us and addressed the concerns we had received earlier.
Time Transition
Locations also change their new forms by experiencing a leap of 20 years in two different time periods. At this point, there were some crucial aspects we needed to pay attention to. From a purely technical perspective, there was a necessity for objects to share the same space in terms of mass, and consequently, the walking areas for characters had to be the same in both time periods. Aesthetically, despite a complete transformation after 20 years, we tried to leave behind some visible, familiar structures. This way, even though the player navigates in a completely different time when experiencing time jumps, they can still see familiar traces. Observing these time transitions can be pretty exciting.
Turn on the Lights!
Lighting the levels is like the polishing stage for us. It's one of the moments that makes me most impatient for each level. At this point, I'd like to note that my favorite scenes are the night ones. I must say I enjoy seeing the lights we've lit up there. If it's an outdoor environment, our job is more straightforward; we add lights and modes that suit the predetermined time frame for that level.
But indoors, due to the game being 2.5D, we've encountered unexpected issues. Since the characters were cardboard, meaning they had no thickness, they lost their shadows when it came to lighting. When the light was in front of them, it changed the direction of the cloud, causing an unnatural movement due to their 2D nature. Despite not wanting to compromise on the design, prioritizing lights that cast shadows was the ideal solution. We decided the remaining lights would only illuminate the environment without casting shadows. This way, we achieved a smoother point for the shadows cast by 2D characters on the ground.
In this Dev Diary, I've tried explaining how we created and scaled Mayhem City and prepared the scenes. We are thrilled with where we've come from and the feedback we've received. We eagerly look forward to finishing the rest of the game and sharing it with you all!
Also, join our Discord Server to hear first about the updates & share your suggestions with us!
When designing a game's cover art, it's important to take a deep breath. The cover serves as the game's first introduction to the outside world and will remain so for months to come.
To be successful, it is not enough to have an impressive cover art and logo. The design should also be able to adjust to different frames quickly. When launching a game, the cover art is required in various sizes, including horizontal (16:9), vertical (9:16), or square (1:1). To ensure the best presentation of your cover, it is crucial to optimize it for each platform where it will be displayed.
The cover art should feature characters from two different timelines in the exact location.
All eight playable characters should be grouped and paired according to their respective timelines and pose together.
Past and present characters should be distinguishable in their poses. If one person faces one direction, the other should face the opposite.
Each character should be positioned symmetrically with their counterpart and be able to be paired together when needed, making them usable as promo art individually.
All of this should be centered on the background of Mayhem City, which is split in half by a time difference.
The environment should also be divided down the middle, showing two different timelines.
The design requires a cross-section of a suburban neighborhood from two different time periods to be in the foreground. In addition, in the background silhouette, there should be a district quarantined under a dome during a zombie outbreak that occurred 20 years ago, as stated in the story.
2 - Draft
After taking all of these criteria into consideration, I have created a draft that I believe meets the requirements.
At first, I intended to complete the cover on my own. However, later on, I wanted this to be a memorable experience for the art team, something they could remember even years later. After all, multiple people were putting effort into completing each and every art asset for the project. The cover was no different. So, I divided the work within the team before moving forward.
3 - Characters - Pencil
Dilailah, our character concept artist, took on the pencil stage. Since she prepared the model sheets for most of the heroes (except Stellar, She Wolf, and Apex Hunter), she was already familiar with the characters.
Using the draft as a reference, Dilailah organized the poses and enhanced the sense of depth. She remarkably succeeded in adjusting Voivoda's pose, located at the far right back, to better align with the briefing.
4 - Characters - Ink
For the ink stage, we decided to entrust it to Utku, one of our character animators, due to his passion for comic books.
Also, Utku corrected minor anatomy errors while adjusting the black balance.
5 - Background - Pencil & Ink
Background work was also progressing simultaneously with the characters. Kirman, our background concept artist, completed the task's pencil and ink stages.
In addition to the briefing, we included objects related to the game's story and gameplay, such as a patrol car, trash can, and shopping cart used by homeless people.
6 - Characters - Color
After the ink phase, our character animators Yasin and Musa took over the coloring as Yasin colored the present and Musa colored the past. Since Yasin's first character was She Wolf and Musa's was Stellar.
The progress of this stage was relatively quick as the character model sheets were already prepared.
7 - Mood
While the background coloring work was continuing, at some point, I had to step in again because they needed clarification, especially about the color palette of the background.
For this purpose, I first made a detailed source scan. Then, I determined the mood by blending my collected references and painting over the drawings.
8 - Background - Color
Emirhan, one of our character animators, completed the background painting as follows within the palette I determined in the previous stage:
Initially, we were uncertain about the level of detail in the rendering. However, we were relieved in the later stages when it became clear we were on the right track.
9 - Rendering
When it came time to merge the background with the characters, our 3D artist Rabia took charge.
While rendering the lighting and shadow relationships between the characters and the environment, Rabia ensured their placements were accurate.
10 - Final Touch
As we were nearing completion, we all came to an agreement that some final touches were necessary. I took on the task and added a rift between the two time periods and a CRT effect to the background. In conclusion, I made some color corrections and finished the job.
We are happy with the result. We hope you like it too. The only thing that remains is to finish the remainder of the game.
— Your friendly neighborhood developer, Serkan Özay
