Morbid Metal started as a dream. Solo developer Felix Schade made the first playable prototype in 2017 as part of his university project, and it quickly went viral, catching the interest of many in the roguelite gaming community – including developers at Ubisoft. In the intervening years, Schade kept working Morbid Metal, founded the studio Screen Juice, and forged a partnership with Ubisoft to publish the game. Now, on April 8, Morbid Metal invites Steam players to participate in its early access.
Morbid Metal is a hack-and-slash action roguelite where you play as the last AI, created by the mysterious Operator and trapped in a post-apocalyptic simulation. Each run will bring you closer to transcendence while revealing hints of humanity’s downfall. Every time you die, you’ll need to start from the beginning, giving you the chance to refine your strategy and upgrade your skill tree in an infinitely replayable loop. Mid-run upgrades and challenges can help give you a boost along the way, and help ensure no two runs look the same.
The early access experience offers over 10 hours of content, is Steam Deck compatible, has Xbox and PlayStation controller support, and gives you a deeper look into the exciting world and gameplay of Morbid Metal. There’s already a robust roadmap in place to update the game with new content and game improvements, with flexibility built in to take player feedback into account. Schade and the developers at Screen Juice want to shape Morbid Metal alongside players, and suggestions, experiences, and ideas you have after launch will directly impact the game direction. Everyone who plays Morbid Metal in early access will receive all future updates for free, including the final version.
Early Access Gameplay
In Morbid Metal, you can seamlessly switch between three powerful characters – Flux, Ekku, and Vekta – at any point, whether you’re exploring vibrant ruined landscapes or mid-combat. Each character has a distinct fighting style and signature skills that you can chain together through shapeshifting for stylish and powerful combos. The more creative you are with your attack combos, the better style score you’ll get at the end of your run.
During early access, you’ll also experience unique interactions during runs to change up gameplay in exciting ways, including:
- Routines: mid-run upgrades
- Devil’s Bargains: temporary high-risk modifiers that grant powerful buffs – if you can survive
- Eden Blessings: upgraded Routines mid-run
- Operator’s Trial: high-stakes combat trials with valuable rewards
- Nano Chips: in-game currency found on runs
- The Emporium: the mid-run shop offering advantages like bonus health and upgrades
- Repositories: Chests filled with powerful new ways to attack and unique upgrades
In true roguelite fashion, you’ll be able to use Nano Chips to purchase permanent upgrades between runs, making you stronger than ever and enabling you to go farther on the next attempt. These include the Void Nexus to permanently power you up; Protocols which are your deadly attacks during combat; and unlocking new powerful Corpora that drop during your run.
Here’s what else you can expect in Morbid Metal early access:
- 2 biomes: Sublime Garden and Steel Sanctuary
- 10 enemy archetypes, including Elite Variants
- 2 bosses
- Void tutorial
- Void Hub
- Skill tree
- Engaging run progression
Morbid Metal Free Demo
You can also play Morbid Metal’s free demo on Steam, which will include:
- Section of the first biome
- 2 playable characters
- About 1 hour of content
Wishlist Morbid Metal on Steam today to play in early access on April 8! Buy the game in early access for $17.99 USD or £17.99, and get 25% off if you purchase between April 8-20.
