A Classic Arcade Brawler
Dead Winter is an arcade beat-em-up that supports 1-4 players. Set in the same environments as the webcomic, players can pick from similar but unique playstyles, from mop-swingers to gunslingers, in order to tackle the threats of Harbor City! The undead may roam the streets, but many other factions stand in the way of our heroes as they try to navigate the city in search of supplies and other survivors. Some brawlers only have a few enemies on the screen at a time, but in Dead Winter, the shambling hordes can number in the dozens, so watch out!
Dead Winter bridges the gap between classic sprite art and modern comic styles by using detailed hand-drawn sprites that look great on high-definition screens. Players are also able to customize their character's appearance, choosing from separate palettes for hair/skin and clothing, allowing players to mix-and-match to create extensive combinations. The clothing palettes are unlockable throughout gameplay, but all hair/skin options are unlocked from the start. You'll be able to use whichever outfit colors you like best with the body colors you like the most.
The controls are simple enough for anyone to pick up, with the basic techniques of 3-hit combos and switching between both a ranged and melee attack providing a strong foundation for players new to brawler games. For those seeking more depth in the combat system, the 6-hit Rhythm Combos, dash/aerial attacks, throwing, and dodge mechanics create a rich and responsive combat loop where opponents can be juggled and defeated in a all sorts of ways! This is our plan to build a game that players of all skill levels can enjoy together, with no one feeling like they can't contribute or like they're being held back from expressing their own skill.
Planned Features
- 1-4 player cooperative gameplay, local and over netplay with rollback netcode
- Beginner-friendly gameplay with deeper combat techniques for advanced players
- Rhythm combos--time your attacks with your character's preferred weapon to unlock powerful 6-attack combos!
- All characters have melee and ranged options, with characters specializing in one or the other
- Clothing palettes are unlockable; all skin/hair palettes are available at the start
- High-definition, hand-drawn sprites and with smooth animations
Characters
All four of the playable characters in Dead Winter feature the same general movesets, and each are viable for single-player gameplay. When playing with others, the characters each have some unique traits and talents that synergize with your teammates.
Characters each have an affinity for either ranged or melee attacks, although everyone has both a ranged and melee option for when the situation calls for it. Some characters will fare better when sticking with their more powerful weapons, while others are more balanced when switching back and forth.
Give all of the crew a try, and see which playstyle suits you best!
LIZZIE is a former waitress with a power melee focus. Using her trusty mop, she's able to strike multiple nearby targets, flattening them with a powerful slam at the end of her combo. She has a handgun as her ranged option, but she prefers to keep it holstered except when circumstances call for it.
Her passive ability lets her move faster and jump higher, enabling her to reposition quickly and strike with aerial attacks as part of her combo strings.
Super: Lizzie's Poetry Slam will knock nearby opponents into the air--and if they crash into other enemies, they'll be knocked down too!
The team's cheerful medic, ALICE is a nurse as well as an accomplished sharpshooter, wielding a power ranged focus. With her trusty carbine, she's got not just the most powerful ranged attack combo, but the longest as well. She keeps a frying pan on her if enemies get too close for her rifle to be effective, but she prefers to keep her distance.
Alice's passive lets her gain more health from item pickups, allowing her to stay on her feet longer after taking damage.
Super: her Butterfly Stitches clears enemies from an area and then provides heals and buffs to all players who move near it!
The mysterious professional, MONDAY dual-wields his pistols for a fast ranged focus. Even if he's quick with his guns, he's nearly as effective with his butterfly knife melee attacks as well!
Monday's passive ability grants him an extra attack option--the weapon-switch animation does damage with the weapon he switches to, allowing for a quick transition between melee and ranged attacks for tons of combo possibilities.
Super: Monday pulls out his Bullhorn pistol and deals devastating damage to all opponents in a straight line!
LOU the plumber swings his plunger and pipe wrench for fast melee strikes. He also wields a shotgun when he needs a little extra range to his attacks, which he's still plenty proficient with. Lou is a good all-rounder for players looking for a balance between melee and ranged attacks, but with a close-range focus.
Lou's attacks can't be interrupted when he's attacking with his tools, allowing him to continue with his combos even when taking damage. A little armor goes a long way when you're elbow-deep fixing a problem.
Super: Lou throws down his Roamin' Sculpture, building a decoy out of random junk. Enemies will lose focus on other players and flock to it, allowing players to regroup for a counterattack!
In Development
Currently, Dead Winter is in active development, approaching our big milestone demo build with the main gameplay loop in 2024. We're really eager to get the demo with full color, sound effects, and music into the hands of patrons to start testing and enjoying soon! That first demo release should highlight all of the core elements of our gameplay, including a complete moveset for each character and three intro levels along with the arena challenge mode. Once that milestone is achieved and the core of the game is finalized, then we'll be adding more stages and enemies and pushing rapidly toward a Steam release! In the meantime, be sure to join our Discord and say hi, and catch up on updates as this game slowly comes together.
Since we started from absolute scratch on this project as our first attempt at making a game, we had to learn, relearn, and re-relearn game development concepts early on, so it's been a journey with setbacks and difficulties. But after a few years of working on this project in our spare time, we're finally approaching something that feels really robust and fun. Over on the Patreon, Allie has documented our progress from early development to now, including details about our techniques and processes for overcoming the challenges we encountered. If you're looking for gamedev journals and progress reports that highlight the gamedev process when truly starting from square one, the Patreon may be for you!
