So here it is! We're delighted today to bring you Evil Dead 2 x Phantom Halls, a massive free update that's available now to all owners of the game on Steam Early Access! Here, take a look...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zskmLpj9HAk
The Evil Dead 2 x Phantom Halls update includes:
New Evil Dead 2-themed quests, accessible when you select Ash as your playable character!
New enemy types and trap encounters: deadites, evil tree spirits, an angry necronomion, and more!
New environments and locations from Evil Dead 2, including the infamous
Evil Dead cabin, faithfully recreated in Phantom Halls' trademark papercraft style!
New gameplay mechanics including mini-boss battles: face off against the freakish Gooseneck and battle your way to an upgraded Evil Ash showdown!
EGX Birmingham
Meanwhile, just a reminder that we're heading to EGX in Birmingham, UK, later this week.
From Thursday until Sunday, we'll be there in the show's Rezzed area, showing off the Evil Dead 2 x Phantom Halls update. As with EGX Rezzed in London earlier this year, we've got a booth with four screens - so be sure to come check us out in the Rezzed Indie Area if you're attending.
And remember - the game's on-sale until after EGX!
Check out the update, and be sure to let us know what you think and leave a review! Your feedback is directly contributing to making Phantom Halls better!
RIP
Patch Notes! v0.10 is coming at 8am PST... Groovy!
"Step right up! Two cans of Whoopass for the price of one!" - Ash Williams
That's right folks, the Evil Dead 2 update is almost here - this is what you can expect to see in-game later today when we go live at 8am PST.
Added the Cursed Forest environment.
Added the Cabin, the first new structure to explore beyond the Phantom Halls mansion.
Added the quest "Read By Dawn" for Ash.
Added the quest "Dead Language" for the Nerd.
Added the quest "DIY Hard" for the Hillbilly.
Added reel 2 reel tape player, which unnerves characters that are nearby, reducing accuracy and slowing melee attack speed.
Added the possessed deer head, which can come to life and gore you.
Added the corrupted tree, which can crush unsuspecting bystanders.
Added Deadite enemies.
Added the ability to quickly switch to the next, usable weapon (The key is bound to Z by default, but will have to be manually bound if keybindings already exist)
Fixed erroneous Ash dialogue trigger (Spoke about machete when looted bat)
Fixed an issue where characters could "change directions" while busy.
Reduced cool down on Ash's chainsaw attack, revamped animation and extended duration of damage dealt, but it does need to rev up first!
Full polish pass on giblets and splatter. It's Evil Dead 2, we needed more gore!
There will be an additional update this week featuring the Gooseneck Deadite boss in another Ash quest with the Kandarian Dagger quest item and some other polish improvements.
RIP!
Introducing 'Evil Dead 2 x Phantom Halls', huge free update on 18 Sep!
Greetings, Slayers!
When we first launched Phantom Halls into Steam Early Access, complete with a playable Ash from the Evil Dead series, we were always keen to do more with one of our favourite horror IPs of all time. We've been scurrying away and having plenty of conversations, and we're delighted to announce that the result is Evil Dead 2 x Phantom Halls, a massive free update coming to Steam Early Access later this month!
On Monday 18 September, we'll be releasing Evil Dead 2 x Phantom Halls -- perhaps our most comprehensive update yet, and one focused squarely on Evil Dead 2! Read on to find out more...
The Evil Dead 2 x Phantom Halls update includes:
A range of Evil Dead 2-themed quests, accessible when you select Ash as your playable character!
New enemy types and trap encounters: deadites, evil tree spirits, an angry necronomion, and more!
New environments and locations from Evil Dead 2, including the infamous Evil Dead cabin, faithfully recreated in Phantom Halls' trademark papercraft style!
New gameplay mechanics including mini-boss battles: face off against the freakish Gooseneck and battle your way to an upgraded Evil Ash showdown!
We'll be showcasing plenty of work-in-progress images, screenshots and video over the coming weeks, so be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram to see more...
EGX Birmingham
Heading to EGX in Birmingham, UK, later in the month? So are we!
It was amazing to see so many of you at EGX Rezzed earlier in the year, so we thought we'd try to recreate that experience in Birmingham for this year's EGX, between 21 and 24 September. Once again we've got a booth with four screens, and this time out we'll be showcasing all we've been working on recently - including the Evil Dead 2 x Phantom Halls update!
Be sure to come check us out in the Rezzed Indie Area if you're attending.
Until next time, RIP folks...
Brace Yourselves for Some Groovy News this Friday
In the darkness, somewhere beyond the Phantom Halls, something is stirring...
Greetings slayers!
Thanks for your continued support of the game! As a small token of our appreciation, we thought you might like to be among the first to know that we have a big update planned for later this summer, and we will be revealing all this Friday, the 1st of September.
We think you'll like it.
RIP
Mouse & Keyboard overhaul! Patch v0.09
To those who have been foolish enough to enter the mansion, but resourceful enough to live to tell us about it, we salute you!
We've heard your feedback and we've been reworking the controller input and keybindings to allow for primary and secondary attacks with the mouse. Now you can point and shoot to your hearts content, just remember - always aim for the head!
Patch notes for v0.09:
Added the ability to bind actions to the mouse buttons. (LMB to activate the leader's weapon, RMB to activate the leader's active ability, and MMB to interact by default)
Added new keybinds to activate active abilities (1, 2, and 3 by default)
Added new keybinds to toggle the leader character (Scroll wheel on mouse to scrub through or R and F to toggle to the next/previous character, respectively)
Players with existing keybinds will either have to manually rebind these keys, or restore their keybinds to the defaults via the main menu.
RIP
The Craft of Phantom Halls
Greetings, slayers!
It might be difficult to believe, but Phantom Halls didn't actually spring into existence, immaculately birthed out of the darkness. Instead, a team of hardworking talented folks spent a rather long time turning realising our vision of a playful yet sinister reality. Today, we wanted to share with you a little snapshot of what that entailed: the craft of Phantom Halls, from concept to (not-quite-)completion!
Early Prototype
It began, of course, with an idea: a squad based game in which assorted quirky characters, each with their own attacks and controls, battle their way through a haunted house to escape the evil within. Originally we were thinking about a tactical turn-based RPG, but then we took a turn off the beaten path... what if all these characters could be controlled in real time? What if the teen-monster-hunting-squad moved as a group commanded by a single controller? Would that be fun?
We spun up a very quick Unity prototype to see...
It turned out it was! Or at least, we felt it a strong enough experience to work with. So, alongside working on the core game loop and mechanics, we began to think about the environment in which the game would take place, and the style in which it would be rendered.
The Mansion
We always had a pretty good sense of what we wanted the mansion itself to look like - an off kilter structure, leaning with subsidence, the floors buckled, the windows shuttered - the ultimate creepy old house on the hill!
The image below shows our initial concept art on the left, through wireframing and texturing to the right.
Characters and Enemies
We knew we wanted the game to have a unique look and feel. We also wanted to create something that was accessible to the widest number of players, and which we could continue to iterate on rapidly. Finding an art style to meet those requirements was a challenge.
Our initial character and enemy sketches were more organic and natural-looking.
But over time we began to develop a papercraft style, with stylised character concept art that would suit low-poly models, allowing the game to run smoothly across a range of machines while looking - we like to think - pretty darn cool.
Putting the World Together
Each time you play Phantom Halls, the world is constructed on the fly as it loads. You'll no doubt have noticed that no two playthroughs of the same quest are the same.
As well as getting the art style right, it was important to us that we could create the feel of a smoothly flowing experience, while ensuring large amounts of variety each and every time.
The wireframe model above shows a single room 'block'. As you can see, it's an independent area - walls, floors, static objects, stairs and a door at each end, but nothing else contained within it.
We have an increasingly large number of these independent blocks, which the game pieces together based on various rules, then populates procedurally with the enemies, items, traps and characters that you see in the game.
___
Remember, Phantom Halls is continually evolving, with new content being added regularly - new characters, enemies, traps, quests and environments. We'll be sure to bring you more updates in the future as to how things are shaping up.
Until next time, RIP folks!
You're an All-Star! Patch v0.08
Time to bust some balls...
Added a new playable character, the All-Star. He comes with two abilities
-"Shot Caller" (a passive ability which increases accuracy with guns) -
- "Fadeaway" (an active ability that allows the All-Star to lob a basketball that explodes, dealing massive damage).
Added the new quest "Nothing To Fear."
Added the new quest "A Different Ballgame."
Renamed Neckbeard to LARPer, it just felt right!
RIP
The Thing...s you may have missed!
Greetings, slayers!
We’ve tried to make Phantom Halls a little deeper than first meets the eye. But have you been missing certain gameplay elements as a result?
Today we wanted to walk you through just a few of these less obvious components to the game, and how to better tackle the challenges found within the Phantom Halls!
Self-Defence
When using a melee weapon against one of the grotesque creatures of Phantom Halls, you can block their attacks with quick timing and spotting the quick visual cue that pops up when the enemy is about to strike.
As soon as you see the red exclamation point, quickly hit your character’s action button. If you time it just right, you’ll block the attack, leaving the enemy wide open for a nasty strike of your own. Just make sure you don’t miss!
Head Means Dead
When we first launched Phantom Halls into Early Access, a shot was a shot - it didn’t matter where it landed. But this didn’t quite seem right, so we’ve changed it. Now, shooting for the head does maximum damage - so make sure to hone your aim, and you’ll be rewarded with the nice crackle and pop of an enemy’s skull imploding.
There are few things better than exploding some zombie brains with a single pull of the trigger, don'tcha think?
Why Bring A Flashlight?
As we keep saying, it’s not a very bright idea to go into Phantom Halls without some light to guide you. But why is this exactly?
Giving a flashlight or a torch to one of your party members will not only allow you to see in the dark (which is a good starting point), but it also gives your party an accuracy and damage boost when using ranged weapons.
We have more plans for the flashlight in the months ahead, so watch this space!
Follow The Leader
Sometimes if someone isn’t getting the job done, you gotta do it yourself.
You can switch which character you’re using while in a mission by bringing up the inventory, then clicking on the crown of the character you’d like to switch to. Switching party leaders can allow you to lead with a melee weapon, save on health points, or protect your most important character!
We hope you’ve found these tips and tricks helpful. And remember, our V0.07 patch went live last week - take a look at what it includes!
Until next time, RIP folks!
Shroud of darkness, activate! V0.07 Patch Update, Active Abilities plus a trio of quests
Greetings Ghost Hunters!
We've just completed an overhaul of all playable characters which is getting us one step closer to realising our vision of Phantom Halls! Every playable character now has a unique active ability on a cool down which can affect the entire party! These are activated as an alt-fire by holding SHIFT when you attack with your character action keys - mix and match 3 of these abilities in a full squad and stack with existing passive abilities to unleash some awesome combos and unique strategies. There's also a few new quests to keep you ghouls busy...
Added Goth's active "Shrouded in Darkness", which drops enemy aggro and renders the party temporarily invisible (invisiblity is lost if a character deals damage).
Added Hillbilly's active "Now Git", which temporarily causes attacks not to expend ammo.
Added Metalhead's active "Moshpit", which causes the party to headbang, dealing damage and knockback to nearby enemies for 3 seconds.
Added Neckbeard's active "Roll 20", which grants everyone in the party to deal +200% attack damage on their next attack.
Added Nerd's active "Nerd Rage", which increases damage done by melee weapons and reduces damage taken for 10 seconds.
Added Writer's active "Chekhov's Gun", which restores ammunition to every equipped weapon.
Added the Neckbeard quest "Looking For Group".
Added the Jock quest "Sleepover"
Added the Goth quest "Music of the Night"
RIP
Hold the line! V0.06 Patch Update, defensive stance & spider webs...
Welcome to all newborn spirits, risen from the steam summer sale!
A quick patch update for you guys adding some new character & enemy abilities, here goes:
The Jock now has an active ability, "Defensive Line", which puts him in a defensive position which renders him invulnerable (but immobile), allowing him to act as a barrier between enemies and his teammates.
Spiders now have a web attack, which temporarily binds and blinds players, slowing down their attacks and movement, and drastically reducing accuracy.
Added "Written in Blood," a small quest for the Nerd.
Reworked how characters "push" one another, which should result in less instances where characters get caught in one another while trying to pass by one another. Airborne enemies (such as bats, ghosts, and jumping cockroaches) will no longer block player movement, which should make them less of a hassle to navigate past.
Fixed a visual issue where you could see through the backfaces of walls at certain angles/viewing points.
