Zeroth

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• Patch Notes·2 Sept 2026Official

  August 2026 Development Update

  Welcome to the sixth in a series of monthly development updates from Zeroth. These are the highlights from August 2026.Underwater RealmSlip on flippers, slap on a diver helmet and splash into the underwater realm. The physics of swimming is now implemented, opening up a whole new dimension of exploration. Take in the beautiful scenery while you search for lost treasures but watch out for what lurks below.YouTube short, so come on in - the water's fineFast RecoveryEating food now increases life and mana recovery. This is a substantial change to passive recovery and further rewards careful food management. This was inspired by observing playtesters who have clearly played a lot of Minecraft. That is, Minecraft-coded players seem to instinctively want to eat food when they have low health.Mountain ShrineClimb to the top of the mountain and pray at the lonely shrine. Meditation is rewarded with a powerful boost to your life and mana recovery. But don't expect anyone important to hear your prayers in the 0th Circle of Haell!Icy BurrowsThe cold biome now comes with burrows hidden beneath the snow. Enter through an igloo, navigate the winding tunnels and emerge somewhere on the other side. You will also discover icy lakes with towering icebergs rising from their frozen waters.PixelExpoZeroth was one of many local indie games exhibiting at PixelExpo, held here in Perth. It was a successful weekend for us and a fantastic turnout of over 13,000 people attending the event. Getting to see couples play together in co-op (and sometimes not so cooperatively) was a highlight. We also had lots of great conversations with streamers, content creators and fellow indie developers. Thanks to everyone who came by to play Zeroth!Instagram post with photos from our first ever PixelExpoGames over QualiaWay back in February, we signed up for game design analysis from the YouTube channel Games Over Qualia. It felt like we were waiting forever but August finally came and DeVaughn published a vi...
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• Patch Notes·1 Aug 2026Official

  July 2026 Development Update

  Welcome to the fifth in a series of monthly development updates from Zeroth. These are the highlights from July 2026.Elites & ArtifactsElite enemies are now found in special challenge rooms. They wield powerful artifacts, making them extremely dangerous but worth defeating to claim your prize. This update introduces 20 wild and unique artifacts including Vorpal, as shown in this scene. This ultra-sharp blade dismembers and decapitate your enemies. Many of the new artifacts are showcased throughout the scenes in this post. Goblin BlimpsThe goblins have been busy building airships for this update. Blimps are more than just aerial support, they drop goblin troopers, hurl slime flasks and fire explosive-tipped arrows. Learn to fly or climb a tree to get close enough to bring one down!Throwing BlocksIf you're strong enough, you can now throw boulders, barrels, crates and vases. It's a handy way for melee classes to improvise a ranged attack. Trigger traps, create quick platforms or just bust some heads. But watch out - enemies can throw them back at you as well!Gold ImpsYou wouldn't recklessly chase money to your untimely death... would you? Gold Imps are hubris in motion, these speedy coin piñatas teleport away just when you have them cornered. But if you can whack them enough times, they'll reward you with a satisfying shower of coins. Or maybe you'll misjudge that last jump...and it's all over for you.Penguins & PenkusWe've expanded our cold biome with cute penguins and anthromorphic penguins. Hailing from the cold wild west, Penkus have arrived in Zeroth, sporting colourful ponchos, riding boots and drifter hats. At the edge of the frozen frontier, high noon lasts all day.Sleepy TimeThere are many ways to fall asleep in Zeroth, from the bite of a homunculus to spells, wands and gas traps. This fun shut-eye animation was long overdue, so you can now enjoy falling asleep in even the most dangerous situations.Cast into ZerothWe're expanding the story and lore of the uni...
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• Patch Notes·2 Jul 2026Official

  June 2026 Development Update

  Welcome to the fourth in a series of monthly development updates from Zeroth. These are the highlights from June 2026.Elemental JelliesIntroducing gelatinous cubes that slurp you up and consume you with digestive juices. It's as disgusting as it sounds. Keep your distance or you'll find yourself struggling to escape. Beware the dangerous jellies of slime, acid, frost, shock and flame.Community TranslationsZeroth has been prepared for localisation, ready for our amazing community translators to get started. The initial languages supported are Japanese and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional). Currently, there are over 9,000 words for translation. To make things a little easier, ~20% has been preloaded using exact matches from the Pathos project. If you'd like to contribute to Zeroth translations in any language, please contact me via contrarygames@gmail.com.Simple TradingSpending coin should be fast and fun. However, feedback from playtesters revealed that trading with merchants worked well for experienced players but wasn't as straightforward for newcomers. To address this, trading has been simplified with dedicated buy and sell pages. The original trade page has been retained, so you can still buy and sell multiple items in a single transaction, with the difference settled in coins.Help IndexZeroth has a newly built help index with over 1,800 indexed records. You can explore and search across all the content, without needing to look up an external wiki. Searched terms are even highlighted in the preview section. Whether it's learning about the types of spells or finding out which corpses convey acid resistance, the help index is a great companion for your next adventure. Just one F1 press away.Steam AchievementsZeroth now has an initial set of 20 achievements, from the ubiquitous digging to the nearly impossible perfectionist. What's different about Zeroth is the achievements are tracked within each run and contribute to your fame score. This means it's worthwhile ...
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• Patch Notes·2 Jun 2026Official

  May 2026 Development Update

  Welcome to the third in a series of monthly development updates from Zeroth. These are the highlights from May 2026.Equipping CompanionsIn Zeroth, released prisoners become your loyal friends. They're quick to find something to wear and you can also (micro)manage their inventory and equipment. But don't abuse this trust because if you make them equip what turns out to be a cursed item, they will become upset and leave your party.Turn-based ModeIn the new turn-based mode, time runs forward when moving but automatically pauses when you stop. So take your time, rifling through the inventory, in situations that demand a careful decision. When time is stopped, white afterimages are rendered to indicate the speed and direction of enemies and objects.Watch this YouTube video where Time stops until you actWitches & CrowsWitches are bitter old crones, armed with powerful wands and accompanied by a murder of crows. They also have a penchant for polymorphing unsuspecting heroes into hideous creatures. Meanwhile, the crows peck at your flesh and steal precious gems before cawing loudly and flapping away. Becoming polymorphed has serious consequences as illustrated by the following short.Watch this YouTube short where it goes from From Bat to WorseTree DestructionSatisfying tree breaking animations have been added to terrain destruction. In this scene, the shaman blasts a digging wand at several trees, sending debris flying. In Zeroth, you can also chop down trees with an axe and explode them with bombs. Trees drop wood blocks that you can use for building.Dungeon TowersTowers are randomised dungeons that are a breath of fresh air, literally. Enjoy the change of scenery and use the balconies as alternate exits from dangerous situations. When the battle plan goes out the window, so should you! This next short is set on one fateful tower balcony.Watch with YouTube short about Yet another CATastropheMerchant HousesThe only thing better than finding a timely shop, is finding two sho...
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• Patch Notes·3 May 2026Official

  April 2026 Development Update

  Welcome to the second in a series of monthly development updates from Zeroth. These are the highlights from April 2026.Split-screen local co-opFinally, Zeroth can be played with a partner using two controllers on a big screen or dual monitor. Twice the chaos with split-screen local co-op! We've been having a blast playing with friends and family on the home TV.Watch the YouTube video showcasing split-screen modeDjinnisRub the lamp, make a wish and try to ignore the unsettling laughter from the djinni. To help mitigate the high difficulty of Zeroth, these occasional lamp rooms reward the player with the difficult choice of selecting from 1 of 10 enticing wishes.Watch the YouTube short on being careful what you wish forMimesMimes are silent, persistent and only move when you do. If you don't move, they'll put on a rather irritating show. Their weapon of choice is a stale baguette. However, a clever player can exploit their intense hatred of clowns to avoid them entirely.Watch the YouTube shortdocumentary on the Mime/Clown RivalryNagasNagas are snake-kin that spit a blinding venom. Don't be fooled by their lack of legs as they can move fast and jump high. Beware the matriarch who can summon guardians and hatchlings.Liquid animationWhat's more relaxing than looking across a calm pool of acid? Actually, anything is more relaxing, now that I think about it... so pools have been animated with a gentle wave to remind you that this is definitely a no swimming zone.100+ HintsOver one hundred gameplay hints have been added to help you on your journey. Released prisoners share these hints so pay close attention to their idle chatter.200+ IconsWith great complexity comes a great many number of icons. It was a big job but all the placeholder Unicode icons have now been updated with true vector graphics. Everything looks crisp and clean, as it should be.Thanks for reading and I'll be back next month with the May update.Only in Zeroth!Callan, Contrary Games
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