We're going to be at EGX again this year with Valfaris. It's taking place at Excel in London, and the show starts tomorrow, 17 October, and runs until 20 October. We'll be attending for the duration and can be found at booth RZ10.
The showfloor demo will give folks the chance to play through the first two levels i.e. Landing Pad and Eco-Dome. Thomas (Valfaris programmer and designer) will be on-hand at the booth to offer some expert playing tips and will be more than happy to answer any Valfaris-related questions.
We'll also be bringing along the Bringer of Mayhem weapon model – as seen below being wielded by Frankie during the PC Gaming Show at this year's E3 – so if you want a pic holding this impressive weapon, be sure to stop by the Valfaris booth!
Thank you all for the support and for playing Valfais. We are keeping our eye on the Bug Report thread and will be addressing as many bugs as possible in an upcoming patch.
For now, we are noticing some people are having issues with their controllers not working properly. There seems to be an issue communicating with the Steam API. We are currently investigating a permanent solution and will keep you posted. In the mean time, we have seen the following workaround restore controller input.
Disable Controller Configuration In Steam, please go to... Settings->Controller->General Controller Settings. From there, disable all configurations.
Hopefully this may relieve some. We are working on a permanent solution now.
Jakobsen | Big Sugar
Developer live-stream – details
Quick post to let everyone know that Thomas Jenns, one half of Valfaris developer Steel Mantis, will be live-streaming the game later today, Saturday, 12th October, at 4pm BST.
As the game's programmer and designer, it's safe to say Thomas knows Valfaris inside and out, so should be super interesting watching him play and hearing him talk about his work on the very first Steel Mantis title built from the ground-up.
You'll be able to watch live on the Valfaris Store page, but if you can't make it, don't worry – once the live-stream is finished, we'll rebroadcast it to the Store page on loop for an as-yet-undetermined amount of time, although I imagine we'll keep it going until the end of the weekend at the very least.
And if you want to find out a bit about Thomas ahead of the live-stream, feel free to give this Q&A with him a read.
The wait is over. The time to rip the galaxy a new wormhole is now! I am beyond thrilled and am pretty much bordering on delirious to confirm that Valfaris has launched. It's out there. It's real. You can buy it. You can play it. You can get metal AF on its ass.
If you want to live the dream and buy Valfaris right now, it's priced $24.99 and comes with a 10% launch discount for a limited time. You can part with your money at any of these places:
Before we get into some other details, let's have a quick, self-indulgent and shamelessly self-promotional look at what some of the reviewers and streamers have had to say about Valfaris so far:
In addition to the regular version and for anyone that wants to go maximum metal, a Valfaris: Digital Deluxe Edition is available to download for PC that includes the game, original soundtrack and digital art book.
Digital Art Book: From concept sketches to final in-game imagery, this collection showcases the work of Valfaris developer Steel Mantis. Get a closer look at weapon, enemy, and environment art, as well as previously unseen – and unused! – designs.
Original Soundtrack: Composed and recorded by former Celtic Frost guitarist Curt Victor Bryant, enjoy the savage sounds of Valfaris. The OST features 20 original tracks, including 'Extreme Vehemence' and 'Chronic Dissolution'.
Here's a sneaky snapshot of some of the Art Book pages:
The Valfaris: Digital Deluxe Edition is priced $35.97 and will be available with a 10% launch discount for a limited time.
And the good news doesn't stop there. No siree. Steel Mantis is currently working on a New Game+ mode for Valfaris called Full Metal Mode, which will be released as a free update at some as-yet-unconfirmed point in the near-ish future.
Full Metal Mode will unlock upon completion of the game, or will be unlocked straight away when installed if a 'Game Clear' file is present. Here's a brief summary of Full Metal Mode:
All weapons, upgrades, and upgrade items will be carried over
Enemies and bosses will be more aggressive
Player will take more damage
Players will have access to an additional Destroyer class weapon
As soon as I have more details about Full Metal Mode, I'll be sure to share them with you all here.
Aaaaaand, that's about everything for now. A huge heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported Valfaris along the way to its launch. It's been magical and, more importantly, very fucking metal. Enjoy Valfaris!
You can now add Valfaris to your Nintendo Switch 'Watch List'
Quick PSA for anyone interested in playing Valfaris on Switch – the game page is now live, which means you can find Valfaris in the eShop's 'Coming Soon' section and add it to your 'Watch List'.
Once added to your Watch List, you can then conveniently purchase it from there when available, rather than having to search or navigate the eShop for it again. I *think* Nintendo updated the Watch List function earlier this year so it alerts you when a game on your Watch List is released or if it goes on sale. But don't quote me on that – I've had games on my Watch List, but don't ever recall being sent an alert. So... not sure?
Anyway, don't let my lack of Watch List knowledge detract from the exciting news that Valfaris is now viewable in the eShop, and the release is imminent, arriving on 10th October, just like the Steam (and GOG and Humble) version.
And no need to feel left out if you can't Watch List on Switch, you can still Wishlist on Steam by hitting the widget below :)
Extremely cosmic news everyone! Valfaris will be launching on Steam, GOG, and Humble on Thursday, 10th October. That means there's really not much longer to wait before you can boot-up, download, and blow your mind with a hedonistic concoction of uncompromising run-and-gun action and a powerful megaton of heavy-metal sounds!
To get you in the mood, here's a brand new trailer to beam into your eyes and blast into your ears:
[previewyoutube="6RdvuT30zUA;full"]
For those of you who can handle more than 'just' the game, there will also be a Digital Deluxe Edition available on launch day that includes the game, original soundtrack (composed and recorded by former Celtic Frost guitarist, Curt Victor Bryant), and digital artbook.
And if console is more your thing, or if you want to double dip and buy multiple copies (which we fully encourage), these are the release dates for gaming boxes:
10th Oct: Switch 5/6 Nov: PS4 NA/EU respectively (Digital Deluxe Edition will also be available at launch on PS4) 8 Nov: Xbox One
Thanks for your patience and for supporting Valfaris this far. We can't wait to get the game out there for you all to enjoy. And if you haven't added Valfaris to your Wishlist yet, go ahead and hit the widget below – all Wishlists really help us out and are greatly appreciated.
Physical Signature Edition now available to pre-order for Switch and PS4
The physical Valfaris Signature Edition is now available to pre-order for Switch and PS4. in addition to the game, the Signature Edition includes the soundtrack, artbook, digitally signed artwork, two metal pins, and an art card. Here's how it all looks:
For more info and to pre-order either the Signature Edition or standard physical lversion (just the game), check the links below:
The physical versions are expected to ship mid-November.
We will also have a release date for the Steam and other digital versions very soon, hopefully in the next week or so. We want to be sure the release date is fully locked down before we share what it's going to be. Thanks everyone for your patience!
In addition to being armed with light, heavy, and melee weapons, Therion is also equipped with a shield that can be utilised to your advantage in multiple ways.
Keeping the shield activated will protect you for a limited time – until its energy is fully depleted – from incoming projectiles and melee attacks. But there's more to the shield than it merely acting as a barrier.
Activating the shield just before a projectile hits Therion will cause the incoming missile to become held/trapped in its stasis field until the shield is deactivated, at which point the projectile is deflected back towards the enemy. Here's the shield counter-blast in action:
And here it is being used to rather smartly take down a couple of bombships:
Activating the shield earlier can send some projectiles bouncing off its protective field, which can be fun when using bombs to play catch with hounds, for example:
Finally, the shield can be used to stun enemies if activated at just the right moment. Here's a Valfaris guard attempting to rush Therion at close-quarters but becomes temporarily stunned when he collides with the shield, allowing Therion to riposte with a body slicing attack:
And this formidable sword master attempts to land a melee attack, only for Therion to activate the shield just before impact, pushing the enemy back and stunning him, leaving him vulnerable:
If you want to get some shield practice in, don't forget about the demo that's available to download for free right now from the Valfaris store page.
GIFs of metal: Eco Domes danger! Plus, closed beta is closing
The Eco Domes is Valfaris' second level and, as you can see above, it's a dangerous place full of things trying to kill you. Bubbling acid. Toxic pollen. Giant bloodsucking bugs. Spiky balls. It's definitely no walk in the park.
Luckily, you get to collect your second Destroyer class weapon – the Hellhammer – just before you start the Eco Domes. As you can see below, it's pretty nifty at turning enemies into chunks, even when it's being used one-handed while dangling from a vine.
In other news...
If you're one of the hundreds of players who has participated in the Valfaris closed beta, please be aware that it will officially end this Monday, 12 August, sometime in the AM (Pacific Time). A massive, MASSIVE thank you for all the feedback and bug finding. Really phenomenal stuff.
During the course of the beta, well over 100,000 enemies were slain, while total player deaths surpassed 10,000. That makes... a whole heap of carnage!
Good news for anyone who plays on PS4 and/or Switch, and likes boxed copies of games – physical versions of Valfaris are coming to both consoles later this year (exact release date still to be locked down), courtesy of Merge Games.
And if you're wondering about a release date for the Steam version, we'll be making an announcement in the coming weeks. Not too much longer – thanks for your patience!
