Worldless cover
Worldless screenshot
Genre: Platform, Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Adventure

Worldless

Worldless - Press Accolades!

Our game Worldless has been available on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox & Nintendo Switch for over 10 days and we've seen a phenomenal amount of reviews and press articles covering the game. We're absolutely delighted with the reaction to Worldless and as of writing the game is sitting at 93% positive on Steam and 80+ on Metacritic on all platforms.

To celebrate this achievement we've made an accolades trailer featuring some of our favourite quotes:


We've had an incredible amount of feedback since the game's release - whether it's from all of you players out there, or from the press. We want to share our heartfelt thanks for this and we will continue fixing bugs and making more improvements to the game.

Thanks for playing and we'll see you in-game!

~ NoName Studios & Thunderful Games

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1898500/Worldless/

Update Notes For Nov 21st

Optional boss enemy issue fixed.

Worldless is OUT NOW - Your journey into a newborn universe begins… Now!

Brace yourselves for an unexpected surprise as Worldless, is coming to Steam ahead of schedule! Prepare to start your journey into a newborn universe trapped in an eternal conflict by the polarising nature of their attractions. And there is more! – An exclusive 10% launch discount for all purchases on Steam, starting today, November 20th for one whole week.


As you dive into Worldless, a stylised, 2D Adventure Platformer with Turn-Based Action Combat that explores a mysterious, abstract setting. Master your combat abilities, and uncover secrets that the universe holds. Upgrade your abilities through an intricate talent tree, and time your attacks perfectly to overcome challenges. The immersive experience is heightened further by an inspiring score that connects you to the very soul of the game.

As we launch into this exciting journey, we invite you to celebrate with us! Connect with fellow players on our Discord, the Steam Forums, and stay updated on the latest news by following us on Twitter and Instagram. We're keen to hear your thoughts and feedback, so join the conversation and share your experiences.

Thank you for following us on this incredible journey and we’ll see you in the universe of Worldless!

~ NoName Studios & Thunderful Games

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1898500/Worldless/

Worldless Launches November 21st!

Embark on an extraordinary journey in Worldless, a captivating 2D adventure platformer, prepares to launch on November 21 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Immerse yourself in a unique universe where the boundaries between the physical and astral planes blur, where light and dark polarities are trapped in eternal conflict. In order to best prepare you for your journey into Worldless, we’d like to share three pieces of advice.

Don’t Fear Exploration


Worldless unfolds as an interconnected world built around a central hub, offering players a plethora of diverse environments to explore. We encourage you to go out of your way and give in to your curiosity. There are no environmental hazards, fall damage, or loss of progress / game over screens. So follow your intuition and you will find that your curiosity will be rewarded with secrets, upgrades, and optional bonus encounters. In case you get lost there is a schematic map that will help you navigate and it will also point you in the direction of unexplored areas or secrets that remain.


Adapt and React


Worldless introduces an innovative combat system that blends 1v1 turn-based play with fast-paced action mechanics. As you face adversaries, strategic decision-making and dexterity become your allies. Each encounter is structured around a time limit, so make sure you understand the value of your actions for maximum effect.
Watch for visual cues signaling incoming attacks and adapt to their vulnerabilities. The combat in Worldless isn't just about defeating foes, you can also try to absorb them and gain valuable skill points making you stronger.


Create Creative Strategies


Creativity takes center stage in Worldless, where thoughtful and engaged gameplay triumphs over button mashing, and repeated actions are penalised. Every action has the potential to unlock the "Perfect Timing" skill, adding an extra layer of mastery.
Because Worldless doesn’t feature your traditional level-up scenario and failures aren’t met with a ‘game over’, you are free to try out various tactics without feeling punished and grow as a player as you get familiar with the encounter. Or if you feel like it, go in a different direction and return later.



Worldless is set to be released on all platforms on November 21st. To be one of the first to embark on this journey through a newborn universe filled with eternal conflict, we encourage you to pre-order now and wishlist the game.

~ The Worldless Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1898500/Worldless/

Wordless Launches November 21st!

Embark on an extraordinary journey in Worldless, a captivating 2D adventure platformer, prepares to launch on November 21 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Immerse yourself in a unique universe where the boundaries between the physical and astral planes blur, where light and dark polarities are trapped in eternal conflict. In order to best prepare you for your journey into Worldless, we’d like to share three pieces of advice.

Don’t Fear Exploration


Worldless unfolds as an interconnected world built around a central hub, offering players a plethora of diverse environments to explore. We encourage you to go out of your way and give in to your curiosity. There are no environmental hazards, fall damage, or loss of progress / game over screens. So follow your intuition and you will find that your curiosity will be rewarded with secrets, upgrades, and optional bonus encounters. In case you get lost there is a schematic map that will help you navigate and it will also point you in the direction of unexplored areas or secrets that remain.


Adapt and React


Worldless introduces an innovative combat system that blends 1v1 turn-based play with fast-paced action mechanics. As you face adversaries, strategic decision-making and dexterity become your allies. Each encounter is structured around a time limit, so make sure you understand the value of your actions for maximum effect.
Watch for visual cues signaling incoming attacks and adapt to their vulnerabilities. The combat in Worldless isn't just about defeating foes, you can also try to absorb them and gain valuable skill points making you stronger.


Create Creative Strategies


Creativity takes center stage in Worldless, where thoughtful and engaged gameplay triumphs over button mashing, and repeated actions are penalised. Every action has the potential to unlock the "Perfect Timing" skill, adding an extra layer of mastery.
Because Worldless doesn’t feature your traditional level-up scenario and failures aren’t met with a ‘game over’, you are free to try out various tactics without feeling punished and grow as a player as you get familiar with the encounter. Or if you feel like it, go in a different direction and return later.



Worldless is set to be released on all platforms on November 21st. To be one of the first to embark on this journey through a newborn universe filled with eternal conflict, we encourage you to pre-order now and wishlist the game.

~ The Worldless Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1898500/Worldless/

The Animation of Worldless

Hey there, Joel here! Today will be the last developer blog before the launch of Worldless on the 21st of November! With the style and direction we took Worldless in, we knew it would be incredibly important to have strong animation in the game. Conveniently this has been my main discipline!

The Animation in Worldless has been a combination of hand-drawn sprites and interpolation animation, which we did in Unity. We believe to have created a unique visual style that stands out and catches the eye of anyone who sees it, while still allowing us to iterate frequently and allow for a fast production process.



We put a lot of focus on ensuring that the animation of the character matches the movements and the right visual state. Ensuring that the animations are clear and smooth is very important as they relay information to the player and will make the game more readable and improve the responsive control the player has.

It’s been a tough challenge, but we think we’ve found the right balance after a lot of testing. We wanted the game cues to be readable, but also fit within the minimalistic style that Worldless breathes throughout.



A key to making this a success has been the use of well-timed particles & visual effects, as they allowed us to reinforce the important game cues while maintaining the overall minimalistic style that we wanted for Worldless.

There is a strong cohesion between the animation, visual effects, and game design in Worldless and they really help you read and understand the game and immerse yourself in the game’s world.

It’s all about the balance between making things look incredible, and also ensuring the game reads well and visual design rules are followed. E.g. we want to telegraph to you that an attack is coming, or to feel the excitement and impact when you land a big hit.



We hope you’ve enjoyed this deep dive into the animation of Worldless and we can’t wait for you to experience the full game when it releases on November 21th!

~ Joel & the Worldless Team
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1898500/Worldless/

Worldless is now Steam Deck verified!

Hey there!

We're excited to announce that Worldless is now Steam Deck verified! Whether you're on a train, a plane, or simply lounging in your backyard, you can now continue your Worldless adventure wherever you are with your Steam Deck. There never has been a better time to embark on a journey into the 2D, active turn-based platforming world of Worldless filled with secrets and mysteries to uncover.



Wordless is set to be released on all platforms on November 21st. To be one of the first to embark on this journey through a newborn universe filled with eternal conflict, we encourage you to pre-order now and add Worldless to your wishlist.

~ Thunderful & The Worldless Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1898500/Worldless/

An Advanced Worldless Combat Breakdown Video by Game Director Joel

Hey there!

Today we’d like to share the second combat video in which we show and discuss the combat of Worldless in even more detail. Previously we’ve talked about the basics of combat. In today's video we continue talking about the combat in Worldless and dive deeper into some of the advanced combat mechanics the game has to offer.



Worldless will be released November 21st on all platforms! Pre-order & wishlist now to be notified when the game releases. We can’t wait to see our game in your hands!

~ Joel & The Worldless Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1898500/Worldless/

The Music of Worldless

Today we're diving into the enchanting audio world of Wordless! Before we immerse ourself in its ambient, dark, and melancholic soundtrack, we'd like to remind you that we've just announced a Deluxe Edition that comes with the soundtrack. Make sure to wishlist the game on Steam and enjoy the journey into Worldless' Audio!

Wordless - The audio team



We like to describe the Worldless soundtrack as an ambient, sometimes dark, and melancholic flux of sound. The soundtrack aims to elevate the atmosphere of each level and convey a particular mood or feeling to the player.

The Audio in Wordless is very important and the foundations of Wordless’ Audio have been a tight collaboration between Joel Roset (Game Director), Berlinist and BeGun (Music Producer from Barcelona), and Jaime Bermudez. With Jaime being responsible for the in-game sound effects and the integration of Wiise, the audio layer.



Concept - Floating above time and space



With the audio of Wordless, we’ve focused particularly on conveying emotion. Each area of the game is different and we found it incredibly important to match these with different emotions and feelings. Combining this with a minimalist approach and making the player feel like a particle in the universe has been the goal. In the end, we decided to compose music that was simultaneously static and flexible, epic and calm, electronic and organic.

It has been a huge challenge and came with an incredible amount of work but seeing the music come together and going through concept, initial score and finishing touches have been incredibly rewarding in our eyes, every track fits the needs of the area in-game perfectly.

The direction from Joel and his vision for Instrument choice & various sounds have been an integral part of this and made it a smooth experience, we could lean on his insights and ideas. When combined with our taste & personality we were able to give the Soundtrack the distinct Worldless flavour that we intended.

Shapes - Two sound environments colliding



The Worldless soundtrack has to provide a chill exploration of each part of its universe and we want it to boost the adrenaline for the player at certain moments. To achieve this we have divided the OST into two categories of tracks:

  • Ambient tracks, related musically to the calmness of the cosmos, will appear stretched and have a slower tempo.

  • Boss Tracks, require a specific sound to appear both intimidating and disruptive. Intimidating to the player but also disruptive to the stretched continuous time of each level.

It’s worth noting that bosses are what we usually call the explosions in-game, moments in which the player is hit by a wall of sound. Along with the boss battles we tried to convey a different musical narrative with each enemy. The boss tracks should match the appearance, moveset, and story background of each boss. It is something we found very important and we want you to experience this for yourself in-game.

Because the sound environments are completely different from each other, we shaped the soundtrack to be heard separately. We want you to experience the ambiances related to the peaceful moments of gameplay first and then the pieces connected to the more difficult moments.

Soundscape: sci-fi without the sci-fi touch



One thing that was apparent to us from day one was that Worldless’ soundscape should avoid the frenetic style expected from the sci-fi soundtrack of a combat game. During its platforming and exploration phases, we have decided to keep the tempo and soundscape low: no fast arpeggios, no square-waves, no fast rhythm/percussion (even during the encounters).

Instead of looking after synth waves or sharpened synthesizers, which could be perceived as a razor to the ear, we’ve researched a wider sound, that could be perceived as a breath, with simple and regular movements. We used the synth pad massively. In some tracks we also used organic sounds such as strings and pizzicato/percussion strings.

There are few exceptions, in some music tracks such as Opaque Heights (one of the game’s levels) we have used some bass-synth with a little distortion to convey a sense of bewilderment and desolation. We also used piano and strings (even pizzicatos) in some moments as percussion during the boss fights, particularly in The First Iteration and Plea for an End.



Focus on the player: avoiding emotional rollercoasters



It’s been important for us to make the soundscape not only to fill the Worldless universe but also to guide the player. We tried to design a soundtrack that could help (and not stress) the player in each phase. Bosses are the only exception in which we went full power. But…

…In the middle between bosses, there’s a lot more to explore and many encounters to fight. Worldless is a complex game, especially due to its innovative turn-based fighting system. To help the player we needed the tracks to aid the players during the combat encounters, encouraging them to try again and, most importantly, allowing them to focus on the SFX. These are crucial in combat and will help with the timings to parry or execute special attacks.

The final soundtrack: minimalism and maximalism



Composing the soundtrack to Worldless has been a fun challenge for us. We have wanted to compose something sci-fi, with a minimalistic and melancholic touch since we started playing Another World in our Amiga 500. So when we were proposed to score Worldless we were thrilled and our excitement grew as the scoring process went on.

We were able to use a lot of creative freedom while designing each track. We were able to develop and work on different ideas and then define and polish each of them with guidance from Joel, who helped us create a sound that could be described as a constant subtraction aimed to reduce everything to minimalism, but also - when necessary - expand it brutally to a sort of minimalistic maximalism

The scoring process involved several people with different perspectives for each track, resulting in a mix of personalities that was enriching for both the soundtrack and the people involved. Often a track evolved naturally and spontaneously from the sketch to the final production through a great collaboration of everyone involved.

A key factor in making the Worldless score a success has been the involvement throughout the whole game development process. This has been incredibly valuable and something we want to highlight. Often a musician works under tight deadlines & time restraints. In Worldless we had plenty of time to play and interpret the game, understand Joel’s vision, and translate it to the music score worthy of Worldless.

~ The Worldless Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1898500/Worldless/

Worldless Pre-Orders Available & Soundtrack Announcement

We're thrilled to share some exciting news ahead of Worldless' launch November 21st!

Worldless is now available for pre-order on Xbox, PlayStation & Switch and comes with a 10% discount.

Furthermore, a Deluxe Edition of Worldless is coming soon. The Deluxe Edition includes the game & Soundtrack featuring 12 songs crafted by Berlinist, BeGun & Jamie Bermudez!



Worldless is a stylised 2D platformer with a unique, active, turn-based combat system, and a mind-bending interpretative narrative. Players embark on a journey of self-growth and understanding, pushing the limits of their nature in a newly born and abstract universe.

For more information, checkout the Worldless Website.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1898500/Worldless/