Sample pack: DEEPWARD

Choose three heroes from a roster of six and switch between them instantly mid-fight. Each has their own health, weapon and ability. A fast horror FPS roguelite set in an alternate 1920s, deep beneath a cursed Carpathian mansion. Hero death is permanent.

254 characters (Steam's limit is 300). Keeps the store page's own hook and closing line, and adds the setting from the studio's Aug 13 devlog.

Page tips

• Add a line above the fold: "Free demo, updated to 0.2.5: new basement level, new enemies, and Josef with his shotgun." Remove or update it after the next demo patch.
• Lead the screenshots with a mid-fight hero switch. It's the mechanic that sets DEEPWARD apart, and it's hard to see in a still. A 3-frame sequence or a GIF in the description helps.
• Name the heroes in the description (Bruno, Tony, Vireth, Josef...). Named characters with hand-drawn portraits give people someone to pick, which also makes good post material.
• Keep "Hero death is permanent" as the last line of the short description. It's the hook that makes the switching matter.

About This Game (draft, first sections)

Script 1: “Swap heroes mid-fight to survive” ~20s · 9:16

• 0–2s · Hero at critical HP, red screen edges, enemies closing in · On-screen: “1 HP.” · ♪ Heartbeat SFX
• 2–4s · Instant swap: a fresh hero with a different weapon · On-screen: “SWAP.” · ♪ Sharp swap SFX, music hits
• 4–14s · Clean fight sequence with 2 more swaps using different abilities · On-screen: “3 heroes · 1 squad · instant swap”
• 14–17s · Room cleared, squad portraits shown · On-screen: “Keep everyone alive.”
• 17–20s · End card · On-screen: “DEEPWARD · Play the demo at Steam Next Fest”

Caption: Swap heroes mid-fight. Keep the squad alive. Demo at Next Fest. #FPS #roguelite #horror

Script 2: “Hero death is permanent” ~18s · 9:16

• 0–3s · Hand-drawn portrait of a hero · On-screen: “Meet [hero name].” · ♪ Soft music
• 3–10s · Gameplay: that hero goes down in a fight
• 10–13s · Portrait greys out · On-screen: “Hero death is permanent.” · ♪ Silence, single low note
• 13–18s · Remaining squad pushes on deeper, end card · On-screen: “How far can you take them? · DEEPWARD demo · Next Fest” · ♪ Music returns

Caption: In DEEPWARD, you don't get them back. #horrorgame #roguelite #indiedev

Script 3: “Josef brought a shotgun to the basement” ~15s · 9:16

• 0–3s · Josef's portrait, slow push-in · On-screen: “Josef.”
• 3–5s · Shotgun pump close-up · On-screen: “And his shotgun.” · ♪ Pump SFX
• 5–12s · Josef clearing the basement level of 1920s horrors · On-screen: “In the demo since update 0.2.5”
• 12–15s · End card · On-screen: “DEEPWARD · Wishlist + play the demo”

Caption: Josef is in the demo. So is his shotgun. #FPS #indiegame

Title: In our 1920s horror FPS roguelite you control a 3-hero squad, switch between them instantly, and lose heroes permanently. Is that too punishing?

Hey all, we're [studio name] and we're making DEEPWARD.

You pick three of six heroes before a run. Each has their own health, weapon and ability, and you can swap between them instantly mid-fight. Pulling a wounded hero out of danger is part of the tactics. If a hero dies, they're gone for the rest of the run. [GIF: low-HP swap mid-fight]

Question for roguelite fans: does permanent hero death within a run feel tense in a good way, or would you want a way to revive at a cost?

Our demo (update 0.2.5) is free on Steam and we'd really value feedback from this community. Link in the comments if allowed.

Title: We're making a fast 1920s horror FPS where you switch between three heroes instantly mid-fight. Demo update 0.2.5 just added a shotgun hero

Hi all, we're [studio name], a small team making DEEPWARD.

It's a fast horror FPS roguelite set under a cursed 1920s mansion. Instead of switching weapons, you switch characters: three heroes, each with their own weapon, ability, health and stamina. Our latest demo update (0.2.5) added Josef, who carries a shotgun, plus a new basement level and new enemies. [GIF: Josef + a quick swap to Bruno's Gatling gun]

We'd love feedback from people who play a lot of fast shooters: does swapping characters mid-fight feel as quick as a weapon swap, or does it break the flow?

The demo is free on Steam. Link in the comments if that's allowed.

Demo 0.2.5 and Next Fest: what we learned

Steam Next Fest is over, and we want to thank everyone who played the DEEPWARD demo, left a review, or told us what felt wrong.

A quick recap of update 0.2.5, which went live just before the festival: a new basement level, new enemies down there, Josef (a new hero who carries a shotgun), a new Sanity screen effect and an improved Sanity system, plus optimized explosion effects and fixes for some of the stuttering.

[Your notes: 2–3 things players told you during the festival, and what you're changing because of them.]

What's next: we're working on bringing 3D hallucinations to the Sanity system, along with more improvements and new content. DEEPWARD is planned for Q1 2027.

If you enjoyed the demo, a Steam review or a wishlist really helps a small team like ours. Thanks for playing.