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Hey!

Thanks a lot, Drake! I really appreciate the birthday wishes. Hitting 40 and releasing Alpha 0.4.0 on the same day made it one I'll definitely remember. 🤘

Thank you as well for taking the time to test every update and write such detailed feedback. It's genuinely helpful, and several of your suggestions have already influenced changes and ideas for future updates.

I really appreciate the support, and I hope you enjoy your time back in the Pit. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the new version that I'm planning now. 0.5.0 will have several hot fixes and some new additions to gameplay.

Hey!

Thank you so much for giving the game a try!

It's especially nice to hear that you enjoyed it even if this isn't a genre you've played before. As a solo developer, I've put a lot of time and effort into Shred the Horde, so feedback like this really means a lot.

There's still plenty more planned, including new enemies, weapons, balance improvements, and more content in future updates. Thanks again for playing and for taking the time to leave a comment. 🤘

Hey!

Thanks a lot for taking the time to write such a detailed review, it keeps me occupied for a while.😅

This is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping to get from the alpha releases. Endless Mode was the main feature of 0.4.0, and now that it's finally out in players' hands, balancing and progression are going to be a major focus for Alpha 0.5.0.

A lot of the points you mentioned, especially enemy scaling, upgrade balance, Endless pacing, and how some mechanics are introduced, are things I'll be reviewing over the next update cycle. The goal is to make the game more challenging and interesting in the later waves without making it feel unfair or turning enemies into damage sponges.

The Priest of the Damned and Endless Mode are both still very new additions, so feedback like this helps me figure out what needs tuning and what is already working well.

Thanks again for putting so much time into testing and sharing your thoughts. It's genuinely helpful, and I'll be keeping your notes in mind while working on 0.5.0.

See you in the pit 🤘

Hey!

Thanks! 🤘 Glad you caught the update. I've been working on a lot of improvements behind the scenes, and Alpha 0.4.0 is shaping up to be the biggest version of the game so far. See you in the Pit!

Hey!

Thanks for clarifying! I understood it as more of a future feature, but I wanted to make sure I didn't forget the idea.

I agree that Endless Mode would bring much more value to the game right now, so that's definitely higher on the priority list.

For the moment I'm focused on improving the core gameplay, balance, bosses, and other planned features before expanding into larger systems.

I appreciate all the feedback and ideas you've been sharing. They've been very helpful during development. 🤘💀

See you in the pit. 🤘

Hey!

Thanks for taking the time to write all that up!

I actually like Option 4 the most out of the ideas you listed. It feels like it could add some long-term progression and collection goals without adding too much complexity to individual runs or creating another system players feel obligated to manage every time they level up.

I also like the idea of unlocking them through milestones, achievements, character victories, bosses, and similar accomplishments. That gives players more reasons to keep playing while still keeping the focus on the core gameplay.

One thing that stands out to me is that a system like this might make more sense as a future expansion to Endless Mode, Challenges, or other long-term progression content rather than being a major part of Story Mode itself. Story Mode is currently focused on the core gameplay loop, while a pet collection system could give players additional goals to chase once more content and game modes are in place.

That said, I'm trying to stay disciplined with the current roadmap. There are still a few systems, bosses, enemy types, balance changes, and game modes that I want to complete before I start introducing entirely new progression features.

As a solo developer, I have to be careful about scope and prioritize features that will have the biggest impact on the game first. Between freelance work, family life, and development time, there's always a much longer wishlist than there are hours in the day. 😄

I've added the pet idea to my future feature list, though. It's definitely something I can see fitting into the game later on, potentially as a free content update once the core systems, Endless Mode, and other planned features are in a stronger place.

Thanks again for the suggestion and for continuing to test new versions and share ideas. Feedback like this helps a lot when planning future updates.

See you in The Pit 🤘

Hi again!

No worries, I didn't take your original comment negatively at all. 😄

Detailed feedback like this is exactly what helps during alpha development, so I appreciate you taking the time to keep testing new builds and sharing your thoughts.

Regarding The Maniac and The Wall, their character-specific progression is something I'm actively reviewing as part of the next update. The goal is for each character to lean more heavily into their own strengths and playstyle rather than relying entirely on the shared upgrade pool.

For The Maniac specifically, the rotating cat is intended to become a more important part of her identity, and I'm currently evaluating how those character-specific upgrade opportunities should appear during runs. The same applies to The Wall's ricochet-focused gameplay.

At the moment, all characters still share most of the same upgrade pool, but as development continues, you'll likely start seeing more upgrades that are tailored to individual characters alongside the shared upgrades available to everyone.

And don't worry, I understood what you meant by "Welp, it's something, I guess." 😄 Written comments don't always carry tone perfectly, and I didn't read it as criticism of the update itself.

Thanks again for continuing to play, test, and provide feedback. Having someone compare builds and point out things that stand out is incredibly valuable while the game is still evolving.

See you in The Pit 🤘

Hi!

Thanks again for taking the time to play through v0.3.0 and write such detailed feedback.

A lot of the changes introduced in this update were already planned for v0.3.0, but your previous feedback definitely helped me prioritize and refine several of them, so I appreciate you continuing to test new versions and share your thoughts.

Regarding The Maniac, the rotating cat attack is actually intended to work differently from her main attack. It has its own character-specific upgrade path that can appear in the upgrade pool and increase its damage and speed over the course of a run. That said, if the attack still feels weak or unreliable compared to the rest of her kit, that's something I'll continue monitoring and balancing.

At this point in development, the characters already have their own strengths and weaknesses, but the upgrade pool introduced in v0.3.0 is still largely shared between all characters. One of my goals moving forward is to further differentiate the roster by introducing more character-specific upgrades alongside the shared upgrade pool, allowing each character to develop their own playstyle while still giving players meaningful build choices during a run.

The feedback about boss variety after the first boss is especially useful. One of the main goals for the next update is adding more variety to the mid and late game so runs don't become a waiting game after the first boss encounter.

The comments about boss attack readability are also valuable. I'd rather improve visual and audio telegraphs so attacks are easier to react to than simply make bosses easier, so that's something I'll be investigating for future updates.

Regarding caps and balance, I'm still gathering data and player feedback during alpha development, so those values will likely continue to be adjusted as the game evolves. The goal is to keep meaningful build choices while avoiding situations where one strategy becomes the only correct option.

Thanks again for sticking with the project and helping test new builds. Detailed feedback like this is extremely helpful while the game is still in active development, and I've already added several of these points to my investigation list for Alpha 0.4.0.

See you in the Pit 🤘

Hey,

Thank you for taking the time to play and leave feedback, especially since this isn't normally your type of game!

I'm glad the theme, art direction, and boss stood out. The heavy metal atmosphere is one of the main things I'm aiming for with Shred the Horde.

The animation and boss music feedback is definitely fair. I'm still early in development and polishing those areas as I go. More visual effects, improved presentation, and additional audio improvements are already planned.

I also understand what you mean about having more area to explore. The current arena is intentionally simple while I focus on gameplay systems, but I have ideas for making future stages feel more interesting and unique.

A new update is coming soon with a number of hotfixes, balance changes, and gameplay improvements based on player feedback.

Thanks again for checking it out and for the honest feedback. 

See you in the pit. 🤘💀

Hi! I'm currently working on the upgrade system to improve balance, including reviewing upgrade caps and progression, so hopefully it will feel much better in the next update, which I plan to release soon.

Endless Mode is also on the roadmap. In the current version it's listed as "Coming Soon", along with a Challenge Mode that I want to add in a future update.

Thank you for the support and detailed feedback. I'm actively fixing bugs, improving balance, and adding new features so the game stays fun and fresh as development continues.

I'll see you in the pit. 🤘💀

Hi, thanks a lot for taking the time to write such a detailed review and for playing enough to test all three characters. Feedback like this is incredibly valuable, especially at this early stage of development.

You've pointed out several issues that I've already added to my development notes, particularly the attack speed cap, progression balance, and the lack of meaningful choices in some upgrade paths. I also really like some of your suggestions regarding additional enemy types, alternate bosses, achievements, cosmetics, and improvements to the UI.

Shred the Horde is still very much an early alpha, and I'm building it while learning game development, so detailed feedback helps me prioritize what needs attention the most. My current focus is on fixing bugs, improving balance, expanding progression, and making each run feel more rewarding and varied.

I can't promise every suggestion will make it into the game, but I can promise they've all been read and considered.

Thanks again for giving the game a chance and for the encouragement. I'm glad you had fun with it, and hopefully, future updates will give you a better reason to keep shredding hordes. 🤘💀

Thank you for taking the time to try my little game. It helps a lot to improve.

It looks really cool, the pixel art is very nice and vibrant.