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That’s a good idea. I’m planning to add a short scripted segment at the beginning, and I think that would be a great time to give the player some simpler tracks. Thanks!

Yeah, I know, I'll turn it off in the next update

I've already uploaded a small QOL update. But there are no gameplay changes yet. By the way, you're in the credits now!

Hey! I’ve just published Wyrdway v0.0.2 alpha.

Wyrdway is a retro road-trip roguelite you can play in the browser (and download for Windows / macOS / Linux). You drive between strange POIs, grab what you can, extract, and try to survive the return pressure back to the garage.

This is not a huge gameplay update. It’s a smaller player-facing update focused on controls, readability, and overall feel before the next bigger gameplay milestone.

What’s new in this build:

- New intro/setup flow with campaign seed setup and better save handling

- Better controller support: button prompts, rumble/haptics, saved options, and vibration surviving reconnects

- UI/menu pass across the main menu, garage, region map, and result flow

- Clearer finish and road feedback: finish burst, finish gate FX, sparks, fading road tails, and more readable turn accents

If you’d like to try it:

https://etomarat.itch.io/wyrdway

Feedback I’d really love:

1. Does keyboard vs gamepad feel better now?

2. Is the rumble/haptics too weak, too strong, or distracting?

3. Are the finish / road FX easier to read during a fast run?

4. Did anything break?

Thanks for checking it out.

Wyrdway v0.0.2 alpha is live.

This is a smaller controls/UI/feedback update:

- new intro/setup flow

- gamepad prompts + rumble/haptics + saved options

- clearer finish and road FX

Play / download: https://etomarat.itch.io/wyrdway

If you try it, I’d love to know:

how do the controls and rumble feel now?

Thank you so much for the detailed feedback. I’m really glad the game was already able to keep you engaged for 1-1.5 hours at this stage. That honestly means a lot to me.

About the driving presets: in the next update I’m planning to simplify and rename them a bit:

• Hard = old normal
• Normal = old easy (slippy drift)
• Easy = old very easy

I agree that easy (slippy drift) currently feels like the most comfortable and enjoyable preset, so that’s probably the direction I want to build around.

About your notes:

• I’ve been thinking about giving the player more incentive to reach the POI faster. My current idea is to limit the total run time: drive to the POI + time spent looting. Once the looting layer is more developed, I think that could make faster and riskier driving feel more rewarding.
• I also like the idea of road width variation. I’ve been considering making roads vary more, and in the future I want the route map to show different road modifiers like length, danger level, night driving, and so on. Road width could definitely be one of them.
• For boosters, I was originally thinking of them more as part of the world than just a straightforward power-up. Sometimes they help, sometimes they make things more dangerous, and the player has to decide whether using them is worth it. But I’m still not fully decided on that. Do you think adding a minimum distance between boosters would be a better approach?
• Theseus will be tied to the story later on. It probably won’t have much direct gameplay impact. Right now it’s more of a mysterious placeholder.

I also have the next update almost ready, but right now it’s mostly focused on QoL, UX, and UI improvements. I’d prefer not to release it without at least some gameplay changes too, so hopefully I can squeeze in a bit more gameplay work before pushing it out.

Thanks again for taking the time to write all this. Feedback like this is genuinely super valuable to me.

I’m really happy the core loop and the atmosphere are working for you.

More environment variety and upgrades are definitely on the roadmap. Thanks for playing and feedback!

Yeah, I plan to improve the controls. 
Regarding straight roads, maybe on a low difficulty level. But I think that would make driving less interesting.
An open world is not planned yet, but there will be a global map with branches, objectives, and the possibility of obtaining more valuable loot.

Stay tuned for updates! Thank you!

Thank you! I think I should ease up on the "very easy" mode

Has anyone played it yet?

It’s a retro road-trip roguelite you can play in the browser (and download for Windows / macOS / Linux). You’re scavenging the backroads for scrap and fuel… and something is scavenging you. 

Hey! I’ve just published the first public pre-alpha build of Wyrdway.

Core loop: Drive → reach a POI → loot → extract → survive the return pressure → back to the garage → go again.

What’s in this build (prototype):

• Arcade top-down driving + drift/handbrake

• Return chase: a glitchy pursuer that bites your run loot and HP

• POI raids (prototype): simple timer + reward

• Garage loop (prototype) + simple route selection

Controls / tips:

• Keyboard: Arrow keys + X (handbrake)

• CRT filter: F6

Feedback I’d love (even 2–3 lines):

1. Which DRIVE physics preset did you pick?

2. Did the return chase feel fair / too punishing / too easy?

3. Does X as handbrake feel natural?

Game page: https://etomarat.itch.io/wyrdway
(Devlog with more details: https://etomarat.itch.io/wyrdway/devlog/1416134/first-public-pre-alpha-build)

Thanks for checking it out!