Hey everyone,

We've prepared another round of improvements for Impaler Gold, this time we focus again on localization improvements, but we're also bringing down Hornet's power, as they have felt a bit too strong.

• Further localization fixes
  
• Added some improvements to German language version (with the help from Till)
  
• Reduced Hornet's movement speed
  
• Improved Cage Explosion Effect

Hey everyone, we're following up yesterday's patch with a small hotfix

- Localization fixes

Hey everyone,

The Leaderboards for Collectathon are here! Be nimble, be quick, and be ruthless to claim the top spot on the Leaderboard. Update #7 also brings new achievements for our new game mode, along with some improvements, bug fixes, and support for 15 additional languages!

We have also reset the Campaign Leaderboard, since there were a lot of gameplay changes introduced since the original Leaderboard appeared in Impaler. Resetting it will enable fresh competition, on equal rules. Can't wait to see you all climb the ranks!

Here are the full patch notes for Update #7:

• 3 new achievements for Collectathon
  
• Collectathon leaderboards
  
• Reduced load times
  
• Various small bug fixes
  
• High scores and leaderboards have been reset
  
• New language support for:
  • Bulgarian
    
  • Czech
    
  • Danish
    
  • Dutch
    
  • Finnish
    
  • Hungarian
    
  • Italian
    
  • Norwegian
    
  • Polish
    
  • Portuguese (Portugal)
    
  • Romanian
    
  • Swedish
    
  • Turkish
    
  • Ukrainian
    
  • Greek

Make sure to let us know what you think about the changes and the Collectathon mode on Steam forums, or our official Discord server[discord.gg].

As always, please share Impaler with your friends and leave a Steam review if you’re enjoying the game to help us reach even more players.

See you in the next one!

Apptivus and Retrovibe

Hey everyone,

We'd like to let you know that the current Impaler Leaderboards will be reset with the upcoming patch on Thursday, September 12. The competition will start fresh in the Campaign arena, as well as in Collect-a-thon, which is getting its own, separate, leaderboard.

In addition, we have brand new achievements for Collect-a-thon coming with this patch along with some bug fixes.

Sharpen your spikes, get some practice runs done, screenshot your high-scores before the Leaderboard is wiped clean, and get ready to take the top spot in the Leaderboards on Thursday!

See you then!

The time has come, and Impaler Gold is now available worldwide! It is a completely free update for everyone who owns the game, and it will be integrated with the base game for everyone who purchases it from today onwards. Long story short: Impaler is now GOLD!

Impaler Gold represents the most significant milestone since the game's initial release. Over the past year, our team has worked hard to refine and expand Impaler, responding to player feedback and pushing Impaler to be the best game it can be.

This patch is packed with fresh content, enhanced graphics, improved audio, and a ton of gameplay tweaks, all designed to provide a richer, more engaging experience. Whether you’re a veteran player or just picking up the game, Impaler Gold offers something for you to enjoy.

Impaler Gold, however, isn't just another update. We're taking things to another level by making significant changes to the Steam Page, and even changing the game's title by enriching it with the "Gold" stamp. We've also prepared a brand new trailer to celebrate the launch of Impaler Gold.

Impaler Gold brings a completely new game mode to the game, Collectathon. This time-based challenge is set in a dynamic outdoor arena with 16 unique layouts that constantly shift and transform, introducing new obstacles and traps to test players' mettle. Collectathon emphasizes movement and verticality, offering a fresh and exhilarating way to experience our game.

Collectathon will have its own Leaderboard, it will be introduced in our next update in the coming weeks. At the same time we will also be resetting the original Leaderboard to ensure fair competition, taking into account all the gameplay changes which could impact high scores. We will do our best to make sure you are not taken by surprise by the Leaderboard reset, so you can screenshot your place for the eternal glory and bragging rights.

Check out the full patch notes for Impaler Gold:

• NEW Collectathon game mode
  
• NEW Dynamic outdoor arena (with 16 layouts)
  
• NEW Pickups & game entities

• NEW Art for jump pads, shrines, wall ornaments, and others
  
• Material rendering (light, reflections, etc)
  
• Better height fog
  
• Ambient occlusion
  
• Decals
  
• Particle effects
  
• Visual enhancements to the original arena

• Text / font consistency enhancements across HUD and menus
  
• Improved visuals of “how to play” menus
  
• Made back button / escape navigation behavior more consistent
  
• Improved spike placement crosshair
  
• Fixed some inconsistencies with how HUD element would show & hide
  
• Simplified HUD elements
  
• Various menu improvements

• NEW Music
  
• NEW Sounds
  
• Mixing improvements
  
• Enhancements to existing audio

• Homing rockets from rocket enemies don’t get stuck in a loop
  
• Enemy rockets have a bigger explosion
  
• Monster sprites better align with hitboxes (easier to shoot from above)
  
• Projectiles from stomp attacks & pig turrets will bounce at shallow angles
  
• Improved feel/responsiveness of wall jumping
  
• Gun projectiles are less bouncy (too bouncy in previous patch)
  
• All weapons have slightly increased overheat thresholds (~10%)
  
• Slight damage reduction for hazards (Laser & Saw)
  
• All weapons are about 30% more accurate
  
• Rebalanced weapon overheat mechanics - generally, more friendly now
  
• Improvements to recoil animations
  
• Slimes can now jump

• Performance optimizations
  
• Fixed a rare gameplay crash
  
• Fix bugs relating to spawning (monsters getting flung into the air etc)
  
• Fixed an issue causing the game to crash after being suspended in the background for long periods
  
• Fixed rendering issues with the laser sight
  
• Stomping on a Hornet will now count towards achievements

We're eager to hear what you think about Impaler Gold, and we look forward to your feedback. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, the Steam Forums, or our Discord server[discord.com]

Happy Impaling, and see you in the arena(s)!

Hey everyone,

Ever since launching Impaler, we wanted to do more with the game, add more features, and, simply, make it the best game it can be. Over the past year, we’ve released regular updates, allowing you to compete in the Leaderboards, expanding the number of stages, adding Sword, reworking Shotguns, introducing a handful of new enemies, such as the Hive and Pigmen, and much more.

Now is the time to take a step further. We’ve been working on this for quite some time now, and we’re finally excited to share more details with you.


Impaler Gold is the most significant game update since Impaler’s initial launch. All aspects of the game have been improved and the patch contains 100s of enhancements alongside new content.

This update marks a certain milestone in the development of Impaler, and we’re celebrating it with a complete overhaul of the Steam Page, and the game’s key assets. We want to keep it familiar, and at the same time make it feel… fresh and exciting.

Collectathon is a brand new, unique time-based game mode coming to Impaler in the Gold update. It is set in a dynamic outdoor arena that emphasizes movement & verticality. As you progress, the world shifts and transforms around you. Each transition reveals new challenges to overcome.

Collectathon will launch with 16 different layouts and will have its own, separate Leaderboard, which will be introduced at a later date. You might want to get a few test runs in, to stay ahead of the competition in the future.


We want to take a moment to thank you all for all the support you’ve shown Impaler over the past year and a half. Your feedback brought us here, and we can’t wait to show you what we have in store for Impaler Gold.

See you Monday!

Hello!

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been over a year since we launched Impaler and introduced you to the arena filled with fast-paced action, relentless challenges, and retro-inspired aesthetics. In the most recent updates we’ve laid some groundwork for future updates, and we’re finally ready to share more details. However, before we spill the tea, we’d like to share a small summary of what Impaler went through these last twelve months.

From the very beginning, our goal with Impaler has been to deliver adrenaline-fueled playthroughs that keep you on the edge of your seat. Throughout the past year, we've continuously refined and enhanced the game's core mechanics to ensure that each run in the arena is as intense and satisfying as possible.

Ever since the release, we’ve been seeing messages that players wanted more. More of Impaler. So we delivered. Over the last year, we increased the number of stages from 11 to 20, introduced new obstacles and map hazards to the game, and also tinkered with all the level layouts to make sure they are as challenging as they can be. We’ve added 2 unlockable game difficulty levels in combination with the Leaderboards system, where players from all over the world can compete and see who can get the best score inside the arena. We’ve also increased air-movement capabilities by reducing the overall gravity in-game, and we also added the wall jump ability that opens the way to completely new playstyles.

We also couldn’t help adding new weapons and enemies to the game. Since the release, we’ve been getting requests about adding a melee weapon and while it took its time in testing, we’ve finally landed on a Sword. Impaler’s sword is a combination of melee and ranged weapons that also gives you more air control. Apart from the Sword, we introduced both Shotguns as separate weapons, instead of the Harvester being a reskin of the Pump Shotgun. The Demonesses from Project Warlock also became a separate enemy type. The roster of monsters also grew with the addition of Pigman, Hornet, and Hive, as well as stronger, elite variants of all enemies.

Around Fall last year we concluded that we still wanted to add more things to Impaler. However the original arena was getting a little crowded, and adding another game mode to the original arena wouldn’t feel as new as we’d like, so…we built a second arena.

---

The changes we’ve introduced over the last year doubled the length of Impaler’s gameplay loops. While we’re happy with the amount of added features and improvements to the game, we’ve noticed that some players enjoyed the shorter arena runs, where you launched the game, played for 15 minutes, and were able to defeat the boss, finishing a run in the span of a few minutes.

We want to use the new arena as an opportunity to bring this feeling back. So with the new arena, comes a brand new game mode, codename: Collect-a-thon. This game mode will be time-based, and gameplay loops will be shorter than the ones currently available in Arena 1.

Your objective will be to complete the run in the shortest amount of time possible. This game mode will also have a separate leaderboard, where completion time, rather than score, will determine your position on the board. Don’t worry though, the levels in Arena 2 will have consistent layouts with less randomness, which makes it easier to compete with other players.

The new mode is focused on verticality, movement, and an interruption-free gameplay loop that you can enjoy in small doses. To beat the new mode with a competitive time, you will need to find the right balance between combat and movement. Players who master Impaler’s movement mechanics will have a natural advantage.

Arena 2 will also feature more environment variety, and more importantly - more verticality and movement. It’s built on a grid, which allows us to create various layouts, as opposed to the arena being locked inside castle walls, like in the original Impaler game mode.

New arena and game mode aren’t the only things we’ve been working on. Aaron, the mastermind behind the custom engine of Impaler, rewrote the renderer, making everything look better. These visual changes will apply to both arenas.

Apart from the visual changes, we’re also bringing gunplay improvements. The guns will have less bullet spread, slightly more recoil, and will overheat less. We’re confident it will reduce the frustration of your guns getting overheated, and produce more friendly and relaxed gameplay loops.

While we don’t have an exact date for the Collect-a-thon release, we’re currently working on a version that will be suitable for playtests, allowing you to play through a few demo levels and provide feedback on the new game mode. We’re aiming to hold the playtest session over March 22-25. Join our Discord[discord.com] to stay updated on the Playtest status.

---

We firmly believe that Impaler today is much richer in content than on the day of its release, and will only keep growing with the addition of Arena 2 and beyond. We’ve made the decision to increase the price of Impaler to $4.99 based on past and planned content additions. This change will take effect on April 30. It means that you will be able to get Impaler on sale during the Spring Sale and Steam FPS Sale before the price bump and still reap the benefits of the new updates at no additional cost.

As always, we’d like to thank you all for the feedback you’ve provided over the last year, and invite you to our Discord server,[discord.com] where you can let us know what you think about the upcoming update! A sincere thank you to the players who have provided feedback and helped improve the game. It would not be what it is without you.

Until next time!

Hey everyone!

In the last update we've laid the groundwork for introducing exciting new content to Impaler. This time around, we are thrilled to introduce NEW MONSTER CLASS - Hornet and Hive, alongside some balance adjustments, gameplay tweaks and bug fixes.

Here are the full patch notes:

• New monster class - Hornet and Hive

[/b]

• Has a melee and ranged attack
  
• Includes both a large and small variation
  
• Spawns from hives which can be destroyed before hornets hatch
  
• Adds some nice variety to the monster lineup

[/list]

• Reduced delay between monsters spawning and attacking
  
• Rockets from monsters now create shrapnel making them more dangerous
  
• Slightly increased speed of grenade enemies
  
• Improved teleport logic for the large stoics

• Fixed missing particle effect on permanent jump pads
  
• Stakes no longer stick to objects and monsters (didn't look good)
  
• Overheat sounds is no longer interrupted when switching weapons

• Some minor improvements to the choose upgrade menu

• Fixed some weirdness with harvester projectiles (sometime would bounce off of monsters in previous version)
  
• Fixed ambient monster sounds continuing to play after death in some cases
  
• Fixed monsters sometime moving while playing a non-walk animation
  
• Fixed monsters melee attacking when stuck behind non-destructible objects
  
• Fixed a bug preventing players from accumulating bullet time for certain monster attacks
  
• Fixed a missing localization in the upgrades UI

That would be all for this patch. We hope you enjoy fighting new monsters, while waiting for a bigger and chunkier update. It's coming, but we want to make sure we hit all the right spots with it, so if you have any ideas or suggestions of what would you like to see in the game, feel free to share them on Steam forums, or our official Discord server[discord.gg].

As always, please share Impaler with your friends and leave a Steam review if you’re enjoying the game to help us reach even more players.

See you in the next one!

Apptivus and Retrovibe

Hey everyone!

It's been a while, but welcome to Update #5.6! While we are working on future Impaler content, we thought it would be cool to release a rather ligher patch on the content side, but at the same time introduce a handful of QOL changes and squash some bugs, so you can squash demons without any issues popping up!

Here are the full patch notes:

• Sweeping improvements to the game’s visuals
  
• Numerous fixes and QOL improvements
  
• Preparations for future updates

• Harvester projectiles are now more bouncy
  
• Pig monsters are now slightly more accurate
  
• Enemy grenades detonate slightly sooner

• Improved numerous textures, materials, and sprites
  
• Improved lighting and material rendering
  
• Blood and bullet impacts decals now stick to vertical surfaces
  
• Improved blob shadow rendering
  
• Improved soft particle rendering - less clipping / z fighting between sprites
  
• Improved many particle effects (explosions, blood, projectile impacts, etc)
  
• Retracting obstacles and wardens have a soft shadow where they enter the ground
  
• Grenades have a new glow effect for increased visibility
  
• Cannon projectiles have an improved trail
  
• Saw blades have a visible track that makes them easier to see
  
• New and improved blood decals
  
• Added lighting to blood particles and decals

• New performance & quality settings:
  
  • Enable / disable decals
    
  • Enable / disable soft particles
• Removed “Light Glows” graphics setting
  
• Reduced icon sizing on leaderboard buttons

• Fixed “skip upgrade” button not being disabled for the first 1s to avoid accidental clicks
  
• Fixed monsters gibbing when softly running into offering (still happens at speed though)
  
• Fixed accuracy of pig turret (was previously shooting at the ground too often)
  
• Fixed issue where sometimes you dont get credit for bullet time upon taking damage
  
• Fixed bug that prevents a small % of users from unlocking the Boomstick when beating the game on hard and nightmare.
  
• Fixed bug with muzzle flash rendering when looking straight up / down
  
• Fixed z layering issues related to decals
  
• Fixed two rare crashes
  
• Fixed potential issue that would get a player stuck in the loading screen
  
• Fixed some bugs related to inconsistent map lighting / coloring
  
• Fixed movement of flying monsters so they dont get pushed to the ceiling or floor as easily
  
• Minor load time improvements
  
• Minor rendering optimizations
  
• Improvements to the game engine to support future updates :)

That would be all for this patch. Same as last time, we can only say that we are currently working on future updates, that would introduce larger features and new content. If you have any ideas or suggestions of what would you like to see in the game, feel free to share them on Steam forums, or our official Discord server[discord.gg].

As always, please share Impaler with your friends and leave a Steam review if you’re enjoying the game to help us reach even more players.

See you in the next one!

Apptivus and Retrovibe