Apocalypse Cow DevBlog

Hello dear fan! I know you have questions. Let’s get the most obvious thing out of the way:

Τhe game is NOT canceled. We’re still working on it exclusively and full time. We are trying to make something amazing and that's not easy.

The project we’re currently making is different from what we started with. It used to be a cool, fun little platformer. We’ve expanded that to a beautiful metroidvania with an immersive world to explore. I guess building a universe takes time, especially when you're both inexperienced and trying to create something awesome.

 

_{Work in progress screenshot without vfx and post-processing.}
 

Regarding the radio silence, it was simply easier. The game still has a ways to go, we're facing many difficult decisions and I was focusing exclusively on them and my team. But this isn't good enough.

My new year’s resolution is to write up a small update at the end of every month, even if it’s just a short sentence telling you we’re alive. Oh, and maybe get the project closer to the finish line. We'd like that!

You see, the game we’re making right now is our dream project. I know we’ll have to work hard to win back your attention but I believe the game will do it for us.

Thank you for your awesome patience. I wish you're safe and happy, wherever you are!  

John K - Game Developer

In case the "#1" in the title wasn't indicative enough, this is the first in a series of blog posts, its ingenius purpose: maintaining your interest in Apocalypse Cow. Devious!

A few months ago, in a moment of complete craziness we decided to follow an amazing idea and started a complete story rewrite, which obviously halted production and pushed the release date to 2019.

We recently hit a very important milestone. The story rewrite is 100% done!!!

I don't want to give out any spoilers but it is an epic storyline that plays out through several years!

In the process of creating the story we wrote lore going back millennia (which we might release as a short story or comic before launch), we designed many new characters and even created a written and spoken language, complete with phonology and grammar rules!

These days Alex is trying out ideas for the various new weapons, boss fights and abilities that we're adding to the game. Elias is working on optimizing performance and John is writing the script/dialogues for our voice actors.

We're also bringing in a great concept artist to enrich the worlds with the lore, for that sweet environmental storytelling!

Keep your faith in us and in Apocalypse Cow. I know the delay has been substantial but the game is becoming something very unique and interesting. It will be worth the wait.

Last weekend we were at the Athens Games Festival, showing off Apocalypse Cow. We had a very busy booth and even though it exhausted us we really enjoyed the event. Plus it gave us the opportunity to see Alex, our animator, trying to explain Apocalypse Cow to our Minister of Telecommunications while behind him people beheaded enemies. Priceless!

So, it's official. The cover for Apocalypse Cow is ready! What a time to be alive!! We hope it communicates an invitation to a buddy adventure, in a damaged, digital world.

Last weekend we were honored to be invited on the show USERS. It is a new show focused on all things gaming. We were there to talk about Monsters, the state of Apocalypse Cow and our future plans. Check it out but be warned, it might sound Greek to you!

September was a very good month and it ended in the best possible way. We were already one of the official selections for the Strasbourg Festival 2015 (which was humbling to say the least) but we were recently informed that our game was the winner of this wonderful event! The Octopix award is ours! Jaw, meet the floor. A big hurrah for Penny and our evil cow for making it possible! Well done sprites, well done!

Apocalypse Cow is a Finalist in the 2015 Strasbourg European Film Festival! The Festival takes place from 18 to 27 September at Le Shadok, in Strasbourg France. Apocalypse Cow, being an official selection, will have a playable demo for the duration of the festival. If you are there during that week be sure to try it out!

It feels forever since we last talked about Apocalypse Cow, partly because it's exactly how long it has been (scientifically speaking).

Finishing a game is no piece of cake, let me tell you. While developing, you often say "okay, this sort of works so let's move on and we'll finalize it later". Apparently we said that a lot! But it is slowly getting under control, thank god.

To celebrate I decided to let you in on a semi-hidden feature, the cos-play. You see, Penny, our leading girl (who I feel you will perfectly embody) is a core gamer. She is also a pop culture fanatic. A Comic Con aficionado. A badass nerd (with a gun)! And she loves costumes, which you can unlock via quests/achievements!

Part of the achievement system screen. You'll get used to it!

The achievement system is pretty straight-forward but in a complex way. There are the regular achievements which are level specific. Then we have the Epic Quests. Quests that transcend levels and require the perfect amount of effort. These are the ones that give you a new costume when completed. Introducing the first one, The Crazy Dragonlady!

Now between bloodbaths you get to dress up like a little girl. Talk about dreams coming true!! Make sure to leave us a comment if you have cool ideas for other costumes!

The core gameplay of Apocalypse Cow is pretty much centered around an awesome ability that results in some pretty cool stuff. For now we are calling it Quicksilver Ability but that might change.

Slow the world down, outrun bullets, tip the tides and overcome the world's fiercest mushroom mob army. It's serious business.