Updated demo available today
DALLAS — 3 Oct 2023 — Below the Stone, a dwarf-themed extraction roguelike by developer Strollart and publisher Apogee Entertainment, digs up an Early Access release on Wednesday 17 November for Steam for PC and GOG ahead of its arrival on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S in 2024. Aspiring excavators can check out a new demo today.
Leave no stone unturned in this rocky roguelike where mining dwarves explore the Kingdom of Draggas. A top-three “favorite indie” at OTK Games Expo 2022, and voted top-two favorite indie games at TooManyGames of 2022 and 2023, Below the Stone invites explorers to dive into procedurally generated caves where unknown risks and rewards lie in wait.
Grab a hardhat, a pickaxe, and answer the Earthmother’s call while clearing pathways through the Kingdom’s increasingly-perilous layers filled with dozens of biomes. Hunt for treasure across stony hollows, magma-spouting volcanic depths and crystal-filled caverns, each with its own characters, local flora and area-specific enemies that call for different equipment and playstyles.
Each expedition requires careful calculation. Venture through naturally occurring pathways to complete mission objectives, or carve through fully destructible rock walls hiding secret dungeons and shortcuts. Be careful not to go too deep, as gear is forever lost in failed runs. Return in one piece by balancing progression, resource management and greed during every odyssey into the unknown, and deposit valuable loot and gear in above-ground banks for future cave dives.
Befriend the Blacksmith and deposit raw materials to craft upgraded weapons, armor and equipment for future runs. Combine raw materials with rare metals to progress from simple tin pickaxes and crossbows to mighty axes and Blunderbusses, and don material-matching armor sets for added stat bonuses.
Visit the bar to interact with a peculiar cast of fellow bearded brethren, off-duty dragon slayers and necromancers. Converse over a pint to unlock loot-bearing side quests. Stop by the alchemist to brew healing potions, and be careful not to overpay at the item shop! Excavate to underground tunes with more than an hour of original tracks, coming soon to Apogee Music.
“Below the Stone contains a surprising amount of depth, and is equally as charming as it is challenging,” said Scott Miller, founder of Apogee Entertainment. “The demo will give future miners a sneak peak of how compelling of an entry this is for the roguelike genre. Tons of content is on the way, keep an eye out for early access in a few weeks”
Below the Stone arrives on Steam Early Access on Wednesday 17 November. Check out gameplay footage of Below the Stone here. For more information on Strollart’s underground tale of dwarven expedition, check out the official website, and follow their Twitter, and Discord.
For more on Apogee Entertainment, please visit the Apogee website and follow @Apogee_Ent on Twitter.
About Strollart
Founded as a place for a group of friends to come together and express their love of indie games, Stollart looks to break the formula that’s pervasive within the AAA space and build something that can only be found within indie development. Michael Strollart, director, producer, and artist, is joined by Andrew, Karam, Eric, Dean, and Matt in the development of their debut game, Below the Stone, with an eye set on showing what a few friends in a metaphorical basement can build together.
About Apogee Entertainment
Apogee Software’s legendary journey began in 1987, when Scott Miller decided to split his new game, Kingdom of Kroz, into three episodes, with the first episode available as free shareware. The “Apogee model” of distribution would revolutionize PC gaming and catapult Apogee Software to global renown. As a publisher, Apogee (and its later incarnation, 3D Realms) would introduce the world to id Software, Remedy Entertainment, Parallax Software, and other video game superstars in the making. As a developer, Apogee would innovate and inspire in equal measure, creating treasured characters and franchises like Duke Nukem, Shadow Warrior, and Prey en route to earning over a billion dollars in commercial revenue.
The new Apogee Entertainment, with founder Scott Miller at the helm, will empower today’s incredibly talented indie developers, paving the way for their global success with innovative ideas, cutting-edge marketing, and the same fearlessness that changed the industry.
