Headup Games

First-Person Narrative Adventure ‘The Fabled Woods’ Announces for PC

Explore a Mysterious Forest Full of Strange Voices, and Experience an Unforgettable Journey

04 June 2020 Headup is thrilled to announce that the first-person mystery adventure from developer CyberPunch Studios, The Fabled Woods, will make its way to PC in Q4 2020!

Fans of games like Firewatch, Gone Home, or What Remains of Edith Finch will find themselves wandering around a thick beautiful forest, eager to find out which strange and brutal things happened here. Built using the Unreal Engine 4 engine, this dense, name-giving “fabled woods” will make you stop from time to time, just for enjoying a great vista combined with a relaxing audio atmosphere.

The Fabled Woods is a narrative adventure that puts the player at the center of nested mysteries within an expanse of beautiful woodland. Starting at a forsaken campsite, the player progresses through the story by exploring the forest and discovering clues, guided by unknown voices.

Watch the announcement trailer below:

Despite the picturesque beauty, ugly and terrible secrets lurk among the shifting boughs, a darkness that no amount of dappled sunlight can erase. The Fabled Woods will be available for PC in Q4 2020. Get ready to take the first step, and experience an unforgettable journey!

Features include:

Three intertwining narratives to be uncovered, piece by piece, as you hunt for clues as to what happened
Explore at your own pace in an experience built from the ground up for fans of the puzzle free, death free storytelling in games such as Gone Home and Firewatch
Fully voiced, hear the characters as they impart their tales of strange going ons and mystery to you, the player, all set in a living world built in Unreal Engine technology

A full press kit, including logos, key art, screenshots, and a trailer, can be found here: j.mp/TheFabledWoods_Presskit

Keep up to date by following Headup on Twitter or Discord, or by joining the official Twitter and Discord channels of The Fabled Woods.

‘The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters’ Arrives for PS4 and Nintendo Switch on June 19

Explore and Survive the Nightmarish Korean Shadow Realm in this Story-driven Horror Adventure

03 June 2020 Critically acclaimed Korean survival-horror adventure, The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters, arrives on June 19 for PlayStation®4 and Nintendo Switch, a version for Xbox One will follow later this year. Developed by Devespresso Games and published by Headup, The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters is an atmospheric, story-driven exploration in the shadow world with hand-illustrated manhwa (Korean manga) aesthetics. Don't miss the new console trailer.

Following a successful Early Access launch in November 2019, The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters has garnered an “Overwhelmingly Positive” Steam status with 97% of players posting positive reviews. The game has been critically lauded for its vibrant visuals, nightmare-fuelled narrative, and killer AI.

The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters continues the dark story introduced in The Coma: Recut with a new protagonist, Mina Park, a side-character from the first game. Players unfamiliar with the first game’s story will have no trouble diving in and must survive a sinister shadow realm while eluding the clutches of a relentless, psychotic slasher. While on the run, players must balance exploration and dangerous encounters to survive the night or suffer multiple endings and possible perma-damage. Distinctly Korean with lore going back for decades, the second installment explores the universal themes of friendship, bullying, and the pressures of academic achievement.

The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters will support 11 languages: English, Korean, French, German, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Ukrainian, Spanish, Thai, Portuguese, and Brazilian Portuguese.

Please find more about the game in here: https://headupgames.com/game/the-coma-2-vicious-sisters

Rogue-like Tactics Survival Game Dead Age 2 Postponed to July 16

COVID-19 work adjustments hold back the popular franchise

02 June 2020 Due to the necessary work adjustments during the COVID-19 lockdown which were necessary to keep everyone at good health, the current version of Dead Age 2 did not quite reach the technical quality standards that the studio and us have set and wanted to achieve for the Early Access Release on June 3rd – we are close but simply not 100% there yet…

As we strive for the highest quality even for an Early Access release and as we feel we also owe this to you, the players, we mutually decided to postpone the Early Access to July 16, 2020 to secure the best possible game experience.

We apologize to everyone who counted down the last couple of weeks. And please believe us: This decision was not easy for us. But striving for excellence, we humbly ask for your understanding in this matter. Thank you for your patience, and rest assured that we can’t wait for you all to get your hands on what has been created over the last three years.

The new release date for Windows PC in Early Access via Steam and GOG is July 16, 2020. Players can wishlist the game on its official Steam store page. Also, keep up to date with Dead Age 2 by following its Discord channel and Headup on Twitter.

More about Dead Age 2

The newest game in developer Silent Dreams' fan-favorite franchise blends the survival, management, and role-playing game genres with elements of rogue-like gameplay and turn-based combat as players battle to survive the zombie nightmare while rebuilding society. Players will experience a brand new, stand-alone story and all-new features, as they once again brave a world infested with flesh-eating devastation.

Building on the strengths of the original Dead Age — which currently has a "Very Positive" rating on Steam by over 3000 user reviews — players can expect improvements across the board to the mechanics that drew thousands of players to the franchise. Dead Age 2 introduces a new, open world where players can explore unique indoor and outdoor environments, and additional exciting ways to reach over 80 locations including boats, trains, and other vehicles for faster travel. A new, advanced combat system will make the survivors a deadly match against enemies, and an upgradeable 3D base will provide players with the tools they need to survive and thrive, such as a crafting room for creating helpful items and a radio station to help them locate essential supplies.

Outbuddies DX Is Coming to Nintendo Switch and Xbox One Soon

A love letter to Metroidvania and otherworldly Lovecraftian adventure

28 May 2020 Headup is delighted to announce that Outbuddies DX, a 2D side-scrolling adventure game in the spirit of the classic ‘Metroid’, is coming soon to Nintendo Switch and Xbox One with the PS4 version planned for later this year. Developed by Julian Laufer over the course of seven years, and first released on Steam and GOG in October 2019, Outbuddies DX is a feature-packed otherworldly adventure with deadly enemies and an ever-trustworthy robot sidekick, Buddy.

Set deep in the Ocean and infested with hostile Lovecraftian creatures and lethal environmental hazards, players must dash, dodge, and blast through Bahlam, a danger-filled sunken fortress of the Old Gods. By deploying the Buddy unit to manipulate and scout the surroundings through hacking, scanning and telekinesis, the players will discover ancient weapon systems and gear upgrades to battle through a gigantic sunken labyrinth. Outbuddies DX’ local co-op mode allows a second player to control Buddy with an expanded tool set.

Outbuddies DX offers a nonlinear gear-based progression system for both combat and level-layouts. Selecting weapons from the four-tier upgradeable system, as well as split-second reflexes and memorization of attack patterns are essential for players to stand a chance against an onslaught of unforgiving bosses and to escape Bahlam’s hostile maze. Outbuddies‘ praised atmosphere is supported by OGRE’s thematic soundtrack written as an ode to the 16-bit Megadrive/Genesis era.

Based on the feedback from core-speedrunners and Metroid-enthusiasts since the game‘s PC release, Outbuddies DX now offers vastly improved visuals and a variety of new features added to the well-received original.

For more information, tune into Guerrilla Collective’s online session with Headup at www.guerrillacollective.com and follow them on Twitter for more details.

Features:

2D Side-scrolling ‘Metroid-like’ adventure
Explore an open Lovecraftian fantasy labyrinth with five huge distinct areas
Evolve characters with a non-linear gear-based progression system
Sandbox-like freedom to develop speed-techs
Unique drone ‘Buddy’ unit with local co-op option
Epic and creative boss battles that stand out within the genres
Original soundtrack by OGRE
Optimized performance for smooth gameplay with 60 FPS throughout
MS-DOS style pixel art with distortion-free adoptive scaling

Lynch-Esque First-Person Mystery Shooter INDUSTRIA Announced for PC

Experience a Surreal Journey from 80s East Berlin right into a Mystical Parallel Dimension!

28 May 2020

We are thrilled to announce the surreal mystery shooter INDUSTRIA for a release on PC in Q1 2021. Using Unreal Engine 4, the game is in development by Bleakmill, a small independent team located in Berlin and Glasgow.

Inspired by Source Engine classics like Half-Life 2 and Portal 2, INDUSTRIA is an atmospheric shooter that touches profound subjects concerning our past as well as our future. It questions our scientific responsibility, the nature of the universe's inner workings as well as how far we should go with artificial intelligence and self-learning algorithms. With storytelling being a huge focus in INDUSTRIA and leaning on the work of David Lynch, the game is a surreal journey into a familiar dimension.

Berlin, 9th November 1989: The streets are full of people. After four decades of division, thousands of cars are rolling across the inner-German border. The Wall is finally open! At the same time, a man by the name Walter seemingly disappears in a secret research facility near East Berlin. His goodbye message reaches you too late and you are forced to track him down.

The search for Walter takes you deep into the facility – right into its center where time seems to stand still. A dark secret lurks – well hidden – behind the curtain. In the end, horrible insights make you dive deeper and deeper into a strange, surreal yet familiar world.

All these themes merge into one story for Nora, a woman searching for her loved one and constantly being confronted with the result of Walter’s past actions. This results in intense fights against an artificial intelligence which, like a cancer on the human body, has infested the city with technological tumors linked together by a network of sprawling cables. Emotional and supernatural confrontations will give the players a glimpse into a world they are not supposed to fully grasp.

Features include:

Profound story: Experience a classic story-driven first-person shooter with about four hours of gameplay
Tight atmosphere: Dive into a carefully designed world full of mystery and lynchesque surreality
Deadly danger: Enemies lurk around every corner - defend yourself with different weapons
Unique setting: Berlin at the time of the fall of the wall meets a surreal parallel dimension
Experimental soundtrack: Synthesizer, acoustic instruments and melancholic vocals create a unique and memorable experience

Rigid Force Redux, A Modern 3D Horizontal Shmup Arrives to Nintendo Switch and Xbox One Soon

Blast Away Swarms of Enemies in this Side-Scrolling R-Type-Inspired Space Action Adventure

26 May 2020 Headup is delighted to announce that Rigid Force Redux, a horizontal shoot ‘em up with modern 3D-Graphics, is coming to Nintendo Switch and Xbox One very soon.

Developed by com8com1, a studio led by Marcel Rebenstorf, who previously worked at Ubisoft Blue Byte on titles such as the ANNO series and Might and Magic Heroes Online, Rigid Force Redux breathes new life into the classic side-scrolling shooter genre with its lovingly hand-crafted 3D models, stunning environments, detailed effects, and an electrifying Synthwave soundtrack.

Rigid Force Redux is the vastly improved console version of Rigid Force Alpha, self-published by com8com1 on Steam in August 2018. Completely redeveloped in the Unity engine, Rigid Force Redux combines the acclaimed original gameplay with numerous improvements such as ultra smooth 60 FPS for fluid gameplay, vastly improved difficulty balancing and overhauled visuals, effects and user interfaces.

Get on board the spacecraft, Rigid Force Alpha, and navigate through various atmospheric levels and face an onslaught of enemies, from low level cannon fodder to sprawling bosses. Collect numerous weapons including an upgradeable missile system and ‘Force Shards’, adjustable supplemental units that let the players shoot in multiple directions and block incoming enemy fire. Capture Energy Orbs dropped by foes to boost Rigid Force Alpha’s power supply and unleash devastating blasts to wipe out enemies at critical times.

For more information, tune into Guerrilla Collective’s online session with Headup at guerrillacollective.com and follow them on Twitter for more details.

Apocalyptic Feature Video #1: The Past and Present

How the Dead Age Franchise Evolved Over the Years

20 May 2020 Back in 2016, Dead Age brought something new to the indie market: It combined turn-based combat with survival management, a nonlinear narrative with rogue-like elements like perma-death and all that in a sinister horror setting. The game was able to create a huge fan base on Steam that’s still active today.

3.5 years later we‘re coming back with Dead Age 2 which includes many, many new features. The combat system has become even more complex and strategic but still retains the advantage of speed over tactical role-playing games. With the new tactical options, Dead Age 2 can definitely stand the comparison to other well-known tactic rogue-likes. In our first Feature Video, we would like to give you a glimpse over the improvements from the first installment to the new one - check it out:

The combined thrill of survival and exploration has been greatly improved with a large map and over 80 locations, giving it an open world feel while being very compact. The new base remains the center of events; this time completely in 3D.

There are multiple factions to fight or trade with, or you can receive quests from, where their successful completion means improved standing with the faction leaders. Dead Age 2 therefore feels much more like an RPG with numerous quests and different consequences depending on your decisions.

The developers of Silent Dreams have been working for 3.5 years to increase the quality and re-define the vision of Dead Age 2 and we’re pretty sure that players will like it as much as they liked its predecessor! :)

Dead Age 2 will release on PC in Steam Early Access on June the 3rd. To stay up-to-date join the official Dead Age Discord Channel, follow Headup on Twitter and check out the game's Steam page.

All the best and stay healthy!
The teams of Silent Dreams & Headup

The makers of Vambrace and The Coma: Recut provide a unique glimpse into the dark side of Korean culture with their new title

12 May 2020 The Korean survival-horror adventure The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters is coming soon to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation®4, and later this year, Xbox One. Today, we share some insights from the developers at Devespresso Games about the sequel’s development and what makes The Coma’s universe and its lore stand apart from other survival-horror games.

Tristan L. Riven, the narrative mastermind behind the sinister story of The Coma and Vambrace: Cold Soul, explains how the project came together:

“Devespresso Games finished developing our debut title for PC, The Coma: Cutting Class, in 2015. It soon came to consoles, with a content update, as The Coma: Recut. Over the course of developing Cutting Class, we often confronted lingering doubts about whether we would even finish the project. We never expected to have the privilege of releasing its sequel on consoles five years later.

As a team, we’ve learned a lot since the original game’s launch, but the fundamentals have remained the same; The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters’ Korean setting, survival-horror gameplay, and Lovecraftian themes frame a dark story. Players will explore the coming-of-age difficulties many high school students face through the eyes of new protagonist, Mina Park. This, within a culture that emphasizes an insatiable drive for success - often at the expense of the wellbeing of those who wish to maintain their competitive edge. The interpersonal struggles between the game’s characters are laid bare through this context.

Korea’s educational system is, arguably, the ultimate institutional representation of the nation’s obsession with high achievement. It was fitting that a high school would be the perfect setting for the story we wished to tell. Our initial developmental limitations kept us grounded at Sehwa High in Recut. When we approached Vicious Sisters, however, we decided to look beyond those school grounds. What stories could we tell if we journeyed into the surrounding district? As a studio based in Seoul, we’re blessed with an abundance of creative inspiration for The Coma’s universe, and we took full advantage of that.

Recut had players take on the role of Youngho Choi, a hapless student who finds himself trapped in a twisted version of his high school. A core theme in the first game is “success, but at what cost?” This current ripples through the narrative presented within the school setting; as Youngho searches for a way to escape, he begins to expose the tangled web of broken relationships between the students and teachers of Sehwa High. Vicious Sisters builds on this world through the journey of Youngho’s childhood friend, Mina Park. She’s a Sehwa student searching for answers about Youngho’s fate and, even more pressing, an escape from this shadow realm. She’s forced to leave her school in search of these answers while being hunted by a relentless slasher.

Vicious Sisters is bigger and more ambitious than Recut in every way. Free from the school, we were liberated to create more iconic Korean settings, like a subway station and traditional market. These spaces are familiar to anyone who has lived in Seoul for some time. Each provides a cultural glimpse, albeit a twisted one, of life in Korea and the daily struggles of the people who frequent those places. This larger world also gave us an opportunity to expand the universe with an expanded cast of characters, deeper lore, and more exciting story twists.

The Coma: Recut explored the well-known perils of stress and suicidal tendencies facing Korean high school students. Now, players navigate through the Shadow Realm through the lens of Mina’s personal experience. Doing justice to the portrayal of her intimate relationships and growth on this journey was a major priority. This had to be her story, and Mina contends with gossip, bullying, and reputation destruction.

Minho Kim’s distinct Manhwa (the Korean version of Manga) illustrations add new depth to the story. We’re sure players will enjoy the added immersion that’s offered by the dynamic comic panel scenes that shift based on player behavior. In fact, this is a key element of gameplay and several playthroughs are necessary to view all the game’s content and unlock its various endings.

Of course, a more dynamic story requires an expanded character roster, and Minho’s illustrative prowess is on full display. New cast members join the fray, like a traditional Korean shamaness (called "mudang") and a holy priest, both called forth to fight the powers of darkness. And, it wouldn’t be The Coma without the series’ iconic Dark Song stalking alleys and hallways. She’s more fearsome than ever now, and falling into her clutches could spell instant doom. Players must exercise great caution while exploring their surroundings."

The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters will hit Nintendo Switch and PS4 later this month. We’re excited to share the next step in what has been a very personal journey for us. It’s a small slice of interactive Korean culture that is, until now, generally lacking in the Western gaming scene.