Stay Dead

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• Community & Events·31 Aug 2026Official

  Devlog 8 – Infecting a community

  📣About this DevlogThis devlog is a little different.While the developers work on some very important, very unglamorous backend systems, Niko is taking us behind another part of building Stay Dead: our indie game community.From a chance encounter at GDC and a suspiciously effective prize wheel to detailed playtests and narrating these very devlogs, this is the story of how one player slowly became part of the rebellion.📺 What You’ll See in the VideoHow Niko first discovered Stay Dead at GDCThe extremely sophisticated recruitment strategy involving free pinsWhy seeing the messy side of game development kept him aroundHow playtesting turned into actively trying to break the gameWhat it’s like becoming part of an indie game community while the game is still being built
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• Announcements·10 Aug 2026Official

  Devlog July 2026 – Rebuilding the Boss Fight

  📢 About this DevlogThe first boss fight is one of the biggest moments in our current demo, so naturally… we rebuilt a good chunk of it.One of the biggest lessons from playtesting was that this encounter shouldn’t be about button mashing. It’s about learning the room. Every attack teaches you something. Every mechanic builds on the last. Once the pieces click into place, what first looked like chaos starts to make sense.Every redesign came back to the same goal: make the encounter clearer, smarter, and ultimately, more fun to play.📺 What You’ll See in the VideoWhy the first boss fight was rebuilt from the ground up.How community playtests helped improve the camera and encounter readability.Why the team chose to handle much of the boss logic directly through code.How gameplay and narrative now work together to create a stronger payoff.A behind-the-scenes look at game development (including one very enthusiastic bug!)💚 Thanks for WatchingEvery boss fight is the result of hundreds of tiny decisions. From redesigns and bug fixes to community feedback and countless playtests, every iteration helps us create a stronger boss fight and a better Stay Dead.If you’d like to help shape the game, join our Discord community, where we regularly host playtests and share development updates. And if you haven’t already, wishlist Stay Dead on Steam to follow our progress as we continue building Porto Morto.
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• Announcements·29 Jun 2026Official

  Devlog June 2026 – Building the Gameplay Loop

  📣 About this DevlogWith our first playable demo behind us, we entered a new stage of development. Instead of adding more mechanics, we focused on refining the gameplay loop through better level design, smarter encounters, and systems that teach players naturally as they explore.📺What You’ll See in the VideoHow we’re designing encounters around a single mechanicWhy the “Mario Formula” changed the way we build levelsThe surprising amount of physics behind our Pinball BotHow story and characters are making the game feel alive againOur latest community playtest in action
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• Announcements·9 Jun 2026Official

  Devlog May 2026 – Building the Bite

  📣 About this DevlogEver wondered what happens when you throw five passionate, (and slightly overworked) game developers into a game jam? Consider this month’s devlog our official case study.Earlier this year, we hit a point where progress started feeling slower even though everyone was working nonstop. We had combat ideas, prototypes, systems, experiments, and a whole pile of mechanics, but nothing fully clicking together yet. So we stripped things back and focused on one thing: the bite. What followed was a month of rebuilding systems, replayable rooms, accidental bugs, emergency fixes, late-night playtests, and the kind of chaotic energy that somehow reminds you why you love making games in the first place. Somewhere between emergency fixes and “okay just one more run,” the demo finally found its pulse, and that gave the whole team a massive second wind. 📺 What You’ll See in the VideoHow our latest game jam completely changed the way we’ve been developing Stay DeadWhy the bite mechanic slowly became the backbone of the demoSome of the less glamorous (but still important!) technical work that helped us move fasterA few of the cursed bugs we created along the wayWhat this latest demo proved to the team💛 Thanks for WatchingThere’s still plenty to rebuild, clean up, redesign, and probably completely break again next month. But after spending so much time experimenting, it finally feels like we’ve found a direction worth pushing harder toward.If you want to follow the journey, wishlist Stay Dead on Steam, join our Discord, and follow us on socials for more behind-the-scenes updates as development continues.
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• Announcements·29 Apr 2026Official

  El Luchador Enters the Ring!

  The Story — Where He Came FromThe Luchador actually started with a pretty practical problem.Early on, while the team was building out Porto Morto, we realized we needed a space where players could experiment: test combos, learn mechanics, and figure out how to not immediately get wrecked by CureBots. A classic “tutorial room”… but in our world, nothing gets to stay classic for long.A new environment opened the door for a new NPC. Someone who wouldn’t just teach you how to fight, but make it feel like fun. During a team brainstorm, someone said the magic words: “What if he’s a luchador?” Half the team being from Mexico probably had something to do with how fast that idea stuck.If you’ve ever been to a lucha match in Mexico City, you know—it’s not just wrestling. It’s performance. It’s chaos. It’s theatre! It’s grown men in masks throwing themselves off ropes like they’re immune to knee and back injuries.So I took that energy, ran with it, and started building out his backstory for Porto Morto.Before the outbreak, he was a small-league luchador. Never the headline act, but always the one the crowd loved. What he lacked in athleticism he made up with pure personality. Trash talk, crowd work, weird little improvised bits…half the time it felt like a comedy show that coincidentally turned into a fight. And when he won? Full dance number. Every time.The problem? He was fat as hell. Like… proudly, stubbornly fat. And his love of tripe tacos and carbonated beverages wasn’t exactly helping his stamina. Time passed. Injuries piled on, so did the pounds. The bookings slowed. Eventually, he was out of the ring and taking whatever work he could: teaching lucha to anyone who’d listen, performing wherever there was a crowd, even ending up on a discount cruise line as part of a questionable “luchador circus experience.”It was bleak. Until the world (and that ill-fated cruise ship) gets hit by the zombie virus.When the ship crash-lands in Porto Morto, the Luchador finds himself dead...
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