Genre: Shooter, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Indie, Arcade
Uragun
Roguelite beta
It’s finally here! The action roguelite version of Uragun is ready for beta testing. There’s an experimental branch on Steam (check details of how to access it here) in which you’ll be able to experience the whole new loop of the game. We’ll use this branch to collect your feedback, fix bugs, polish and balance the difficulty. Once it’s ready, it’ll become the main version of the game. That was the short story. You can now leave and have fun with it or stay for a longer explanation of what can be found in that beta and how we got there as a studio.
What happens to the original Early Access launch version?
It will be forever available. A new branch has been created, called Legacy, that can be accessed at will. We do this both for the players and for the development team. We thought it was important to preserve it because, even if incomplete, a lot of work and care went into its creation and many found it enjoyable.
Conversion process
We apologise for the long wait. Although the game may look very similar on the surface, we had to modify and rethink all the underlying systems to make it work as an action roguelite. And that is only half of it. At the same time, we were creating all the content needed for the game to be complete: enemies, boss fights, new levels, upgrades,... We are a small team and all this was a technical and design challenge that took us even longer than we anticipated.
The Result: Roguelite Uragun
The good news is that we’re very happy with the result! We feel that the game has become way more engaging, exciting and absorbing. We also believe that the new structure has elevated the existing combat gameplay that many of you already liked.
What to expect from the Experimental beta branch
Bugs, bugs everywhere! But also a whole playable version of the game with diverse runs full of upgrades, permanent progression, some narrative and even an ending. Some among you love getting to play the beta of a game as soon as possible to report bugs and contribute with constructive feedback. However, in this state, you can experience some frustrating and undesirable situations. You can also get invested in progression that will likely be wiped. So if you are the kind who prefers to wait until everything is more stable and ready for everyone, that’s understandable. It shouldn’t take too long!
Uragun’s new structure
The beginning of Uragun is very similar to what you played on its previous version. You’ll be introduced to the combat mechanics and the story while completing missions in Barcelona. However, soon you’ll start noticing the differences. The biggest of them all happens after the mech is defeated and transported to the Hub. These are some of the key elements of Uragun in its action roguelite form:
Randomised map
In every run, you’ll have to navigate through every region map. The rewards (often 2) that can be found in every mission will be seen from the map. Current health, weapon status and many other considerations will be relevant in order to choose the path forward. These maps (and the associated rewards) are different after every death and restart.
Scalable random encounters
We have combined the handcrafted approach to our level design with a randomization system. The type of enemies, the amount, the sequence and the timing will be different every time you play the same level. This way, instead of memorising, the player is asked to master the combat systems and react to every new situation.
Perks and weapon modifications
During a run, the mech unit can be improved in different ways. Plugins will add new skills or improve some of the stats. They can be levelled up for an even stronger effect. Additionally, weapon mods are special effects that can be equipped on weapons with available slots. Experiment with their effects on every weapon type and combine them to create your favorite build. More than one weapon mod of the same type can be stacked to increase the intensity of the effects.
Permanent upgrades and loadout
Once the Mech is defeated, it will be reprinted on the Orbital Station that acts as your main hub. Modifications for weapons and other perks will be gone. However, the Intel that you have collected will be useful here to acquire permanent upgrades from the Research Tree. These upgrades will increase your survivability, attack or add some nice extras for the run. However, not all of them can be equipped at once since your Memory capacity is limited. You’ll have to choose wisely based on your preferred playstyle and strategy. Luckily, Memory capacity can also be increased, giving you a chance of stacking more of these upgrades in the future.
Other stuff also persists from run to run. Every new weapon type and heat attack obtained will become part of the permanent inventory and can be chosen at the start of the run. Once you are ready, a new run can begin. The map generated will be new, with different rewards to obtain and missions to complete. The lessons learned, together with the new upgrades installed, should give you a better chance to get further this time.
How to access the Experimental Branch
Right click on Uragun on your Library and go to Properties.
Navigate to Betas and, in the box under “Enter beta access code to unlock private betas”, write the password: pilotmissing
Click on “Check Code”. Now, in the dropdown above, the option Experimental will be available.
Select experimental, close the window and Uragun will update to this version. Ready to play! In the future, you’ll be able to switch to the main branch (or legacy) from the same menu.
Feedback
We sincerely hope that you enjoy it! We’re eager to hear what you have to say, so please share your feedback on the Steam Community or join our Discord and let us know what you think.
Kool2Play The Uragun Team
Going Rogue
TL;DR: We want to keep all the things that you love about Uragun while changing its structure to turn it into an Action Roguelite. We believe this new style will make the game more appealing and replayable.
It’s been a while since Uragun came out. A lot was going on internally and we didn’t want to write a post until we were sure about our plans. We apologize for the wait and we’ll commit to a more steady communication flow from now on. When we launched Uragun on Early Access, the team was very proud of what we had accomplished. We knew it was unfinished and missing many features, but we thought it was fun and that the passion we put into its development could be felt in every detail. Most of those among you who purchased it seemed to think the same. You have told us the action is very smooth and fun, you liked the visuals and can’t wait for more tracks of the cool soundtrack. However, we didn’t manage to capture a sufficiently big audience. For some reason, not many felt like giving our top-down shooter a try. We realized that, if we continued developing the game as it is, we would probably never attract enough players to sustain the project and the studio. That forced us to rethink our plans and goals After a period of consideration and restructuring (where we never stopped working on the game), we have decided that a change is needed. We’ve heard what you love from Uragun and we want to continue expanding and improving those aspects. But we think a new structure for the game could make us a more appealing proposal for potential new players and also keep those of you who liked it entertained for longer. We want to turn Uragun into an Action Roguelite. This might sound surprising (or even upsetting) for some of you. However, the reality is that we always intended to create some kind of infinitely replayable mode for Uragun. What has changed is that initially we wanted to wait until the end to construct such mode, but the situation has pushed us to reconsider our options and prioritise this approach from now on.
Uragun as a roguelite
Same action, different wrapping
A lot in Uragun will continue to be the same:
Satisfying, frantic top-down shooting with an arcade flavor.
Balanced encounters full of purposeful and enjoyable challenges.
Beautiful hand-crafted environments.
Some fun AI chatter.
What will change then?
Permadeath. Whenever you die, you’ll have to start a completely new run. Most of the things that you collected (weapons, mods, expansion cartridges, …) will be lost.
Randomized world map. The cool thing is that you will always be facing a different set of missions and rewards. While you are reconstructed, the evil AI will reconfigure the travel routes so your journey through every region will always be different.
Permanent progression. Although most items will be lost after death, there will be a skill tree for you to spend the collected Intel after every run and increase your chances of success. This will only help so much, of course, to succeed you’ll have to master the combat of Uragun.
Re-built upgrade system. To adapt to the new structure, but also to make it even deeper and more enjoyable, we’ll expand the types of gear that can be collected so you can create even more varied and lethal builds for your mech.
New Game Structure
A run of Uragun will consist of a set of missions (similar to the ones currently present in game) played consecutively and selected from a map with alternative paths. After every mission, you’ll be presented with a region map where you’ll choose your next destination. The main rewards and the kind of mission will be shown upfront, so you can strategize based on your current build and situation. Health will be persistent from mission to mission and not so easy to replenish, this will create many situations in which it’ll be up to you to decide if the reward is worth the risk. You’ll have to complete one region after another: Barcelona, Hong-Kong, North Cascades, and the brand new Nairobi’s Underground. If the mech is destroyed, the run will end and Ola will reconstruct it in a secret base. There, you can spend your Intel on new upgrades and perform other actions still to be determined. Once you are ready, you will start a new run. You’ll see a new map has been generated, offering you some different missions, with different paths connecting them and, most importantly, a different set of rewards awaiting. By mastering your arsenal and learning how to fight every enemy, each run will bring you further.
Why a Roguelite
Although the situation has precipitated our decision, we truly believe this is going to be the ultimate way to experience the action of Uragun. We always wanted to create a type of combat that feels great in every context and with enough depth to turn the learning process into a blast for the players. We also wanted to have a deep and playful upgrade system since we believe that’s what mech games are all about. The Roguelite structure simply enhances all these aspects. Permadeath raises the stakes asking you to really master the combat and learn its intricacies. Meanwhile, the random nature of the roguelite structure keeps the system fresh by pushing the players into different scenarios with distinct builds and synergies.
What have we been working on
As I mentioned before, the studio never stopped working on Uragun after the hotfix period. First of all, we needed to do some technical groundwork like updating the engine and addressing some aspects that should significantly improve the game’s performance in the future. But I’m sure you care more about content, so let me share a few things we’ve been cooking.
New Region: Nairobi’s Underground
Kenya’s capital became a hyper advanced technological metropolis. Under its ever less habitable surface, due to the climate crisis, an endless labyrinth of tunnels and facilities was built. Our mech’s journey will lead us to this place that was once the home of a revolution and then a hideout for resistance against the AI corruption. Visually, we have worked hard to define a strong identity for this new region. Light and darkness play an important role and we are trying to convey the feeling of exploring an enormous and complex facility full of mystery.
But the additions won’t only be visual. Nairobi’s Underground will be inhabited by new enemy types with attacks and movement patterns that can’t be seen in the other regions. The shape and size of the arenas are also different to support the gameplay.
More enemy types
Populating Nairobi’s Underground made us realize that we want to push as much as possible the differences in terms of enemies among regions. With this in mind, we are redistributing our existing units, making many of them exclusive to only one region. But we are also creating new variants or entirely new enemies. New types of attacks, new ways of moving… all to make sure that you’ll be facing interesting and varied challenges. But, as always, we’re also making them very satisfying to destroy when you know how to fight them :)
Roguelite Systems: First Steps
We’re laying the groundwork for the roguelite structure to happen. Many systems have to be built at once: the logic for runs, generating random world maps, claiming rewards in levels, etc. There’s still plenty to do, but we’re internally playing the first rough iterations and we’re already excited about how it transforms the game. While the combat is the same (although we’re adjusting the level pacing to better fit the vision), the context makes everything feel different and more engaging.
Weapons, Mods, Heat Attacks, and much more
We know that every run should feel unique. We will keep creating new gear to make sure that the game is full of options and enjoyable playstyles. These new items are all in a conceptual phase and there’s not much to show yet. But we’re looking forward to creating new weapons, attacks, and mods. Let us know if you have any ideas and wishes for new ways to wreak havoc with your mech. In the meantime, this is one of the many concept art pieces that we're producing for possible future weapons.
Next Update
We need to rework many systems in order to get to a point in which the roguelite structure can be experienced cohesively. For this reason, we can’t really promise a specific date for the next update. Our intention is to do it as soon as we can because we want you to try it and let us know what you think. For a roguelite to be successful, balance, progression, pace and many other things are crucial. We want to build this one together with you. While the update may take a while, we’ll do our best to share the progress through Steam posts like this one and some casual talk on Discord if you like that. The good news is that it'll take sometime, but it'll arrive completely packed with content in addition to the new systems. We’re honestly just trying to make Uragun as good as it can be and we want to be very open. We’ll share the reasons behind many of the design decisions and integrate as much as your feedback as possible. Thanks for your patience and see you soon.
Grab Uragun -30% during Steam Summer Sale!
Gunners!
Steam Summer Sale is here with hottest deals!
Grab Uragun -30% and enjoy it wherever you want thanks to your saves being stored in Steam Cloud! Remember to take a breaks during gameplay and hydrate yourself!
For your entertainment we’ve teamed up with Star Drifters and 2Dynamic Games to bring you the new Action Bundle, all hardwired with goodies! We present you Lumencraft x Uragun bundle!!
We’ve met those amazing people at PAX East and for the very first moments something clicked. Now we’re here, creating Steam bundle with two great Early Access top-down shooter games for your entertainment!
Lumencraft
Desperate, outnumbered and with gun turrets as your only companion. Lumencraft is a top-down shooter with base-building elements. Drill through fully destructible environment to reach precious resources, and spend them on weapons and tools protecting the last bastion of humanity.
Uragun
Take control of a friendly-but-deadly Mech unit. Face endless hordes of corrupted machines, gear up, and improvise your way out of trouble in this action-packed, futuristic top-down shooter. Enjoy hours upon hours of action fun in a single package. Own it now, and override the system!
Last chance to grab Uragun x Riftbreaker bundle -20%!
Gunners!!
You've got last chance to grab two great games in one great price!
Our Uragun x Riftbreaker Steam bundle is slowly but surely coming to an end, so don't hesitate and buy it!
The Riftbreaker is a base-building, survival game with Action-RPG elements. You are an elite scientist/commando inside an advanced Mecha-Suit capable of dimensional rift travel. Hack & slash countless enemies. Build up your base, collect samples and research new inventions to survive.
Don’t wait – buy two great Mecha games and start blasting!
Uragun available now in -20% discount bundles with EXOR Studios games!
Gunners!
PAX East was a very special event where we were able to meet many of you, meet other developers and even make new friends. At the Indie Games Poland booth, our nearest neighbors were the fantastic team from EXOR Studios. If you're a fan of the top-down shooter, base-building games with powerful Mechs, you're definitely familiar with their great titles and what they've been contributing to these genres for many years.
We've teamed up with our great colleagues at EXOR Studios to bring you thrilling challenges with the most dangerous machines ever!
Starting today, you can buy Uragun with one of the excellent games from EXOR Studios: The Riftbreaker or X-Morph: Defence. What's more, you get a -20% discount on the purchase of each selected bundle!
The Riftbreaker is a bestselling base-building, survival game with Action-RPG elements. You are an elite scientist/commando inside an advanced Mecha-Suit capable of dimensional rift travel. Hack & slash countless enemies. Build up your base, collect samples and research new inventions to survive.
X-Morph: Defence is a unique fusion of a top-down shooter and tower defense strategy. You are the invader! Use destructive weapons or lead your enemies into a maze of towers. Strategize in the build mode by carefully selecting various types of alien towers or throw yourself right into the heat of the battle.
Both bundles are available starting today! Don’t wait – buy two great Mecha games and start blasting!
We also highly recommend the special Uragun stream on the Twich EXOR Studios channel. The stream will take place on Friday 13 May, at 15:00 CEST, on the https://www.twitch.tv/exorstudios
Uragun takes part in Digital Dragons Indie Showcase 2022
Gunners!
We are happy to announce that your favourite game - Uragun - was picked by Digital Dragons comitee to be part of Indie Showcase this year!
On that occasion you can check our new demo and vote for us in Community Voting here!
🚨 IMPORTANT NOTICE 🚨 You've played the demo and want to continue your fight against hostile AI in the full version of the game? We've got you covered. All your progress is going to be transferred. Keep fighting, don't stop!
Uragun: the NEW DEMO available now!
Gunners!
Surprise, a NEW DEMO appeared!
Starting today you can try a new demo of Uragun!
The new demo contains the tutorial and 4 missions taking place across two different biomes. You can familiarize yourself with the basic mechanics, learn how to control the Mech and be introduced to the narrative of the campaign.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: You've played the demo and want to continue your fight against hostile AI in the full version of the game? We've got you covered. All your progress is going to be transferred. Keep fighting, don't stop!
As always we count on your feedback so we encourage all of you who plan to play the demo to share your comments with us. The most convenient way to do it would be to jump to our Discord server and post it in the relevant channel.
Uragun: HOTFIX 2 is LIVE!
Early Access Release - Hotfix 2
🛠️ Hotfix 2 is now fully deployed! 🛠️ We've fixed the Plasma Disc, changed some things around the boss and its area, and more. Check out the patch notes below for the full list:
Fixes
During the fight with the Corrupted Swordfighter, the gate could be crossed by the player.
Plasma Disc will damage enemies on its way back (as it was always intended).
The Centipede boss was having some issues when burrowing while the player was down.
The laser pods of the Centipede fight were sometimes not connecting correctly.
Square mission in Barcelona was missing an Intel pick-up (oops).
Some map UI elements were not showing correctly if the player interacted with them before the end of their animations.
Improvements to address stability and crashes.
Improvements
Bigger button icons in tutorial messages and interaction prompts.
Audio
New sound plays as the score counters grow on the Mission Summary screen.
Localization
Tweaks to German translation.
Game on! If you find any more issues or simply want to let us know about something cool that could be an improvement to the game - reach out to us!
