Steam News25 February 20265mo ago

[Dev Diary] How To Survive Here Comes The Swarm's Demo: A Deep Dive.

Hope everyone is having a great Steam Next Fest! With it in full swing, we wanted to take some time to dive into the deep end of our recently updated demo.

In this update9

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Full Here Comes The Swarm update

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changedHope everyone is having a great Steam Next Fest! With it in full swing, we wanted to take some time to dive into the deep end of our recently updated demo.

changedThe BIG FeaturesWe have built multiple game modes to ensure there’s always a different kind of challenge to tackle. What ties it all together are the Arcanum and Deity systems . These let you define your playstyle and shape how you confront the swarm.

changedNew Deity: Become Blessed by Karkadann.Karkadann stands out as our most aggressively oriented deity. Karkadann is primarily offensive and rewards exploration, forward momentum, and players who are not afraid of some risk.

changedSteam post imageSteam post imageThe Tunneler's danger comes from forcing the player to respond. They will emerge at strategic locations on the map and start applying sustained pressure from that location.

changedSteam post imageSteam post imageThe longer they remain active, the more powerful they become. However, after a while, they will retreat again. But there is hope, if they are killed before they retract, they will drop a reward. This creates an interesting risk-reward dynamic. So be fast when a Tunneler appears.

changedSurviving the Swarm: Best ways to keep yourself alive.And don’t forget the pause button!

Here Comes The Swarm changes

changedHope everyone is having a great Steam Next Fest! With it in full swing, we wanted to take some time to dive into the deep end of our recently updated demo.

changedWe have built multiple game modes to ensure there’s always a different kind of challenge to tackle. What ties it all together are the Arcanum and Deity systems . These let you define your playstyle and shape how you confront the swarm.

changedKarkadann stands out as our most aggressively oriented deity. Karkadann is primarily offensive and rewards exploration, forward momentum, and players who are not afraid of some risk.

changedThe Tunneler's danger comes from forcing the player to respond. They will emerge at strategic locations on the map and start applying sustained pressure from that location.

changedThe longer they remain active, the more powerful they become. However, after a while, they will retreat again. But there is hope, if they are killed before they retract, they will drop a reward. This creates an interesting risk-reward dynamic. So be fast when a Tunneler appears.

Hope everyone is having a great Steam Next Fest! With it in full swing, we wanted to take some time to dive into the deep end of our recently updated demo.

The BIG Features

One of the biggest things players can look forward to in Here Comes the Swarm is the variety of ways they can engage with the game.

We have built multiple game modes to ensure there’s always a different kind of challenge to tackle. What ties it all together are the Arcanum and Deity systems. These let you define your playstyle and shape how you confront the swarm.

In the demo, we are giving access to our most direct game mode: the Skirmish. This mode is perfect for experimenting with strategies, testing builds, or just jumping straight into the action.

Without the longer commitment of an Expedition in the full game, or the stress of an Endless mode arriving in an update after the Early Access launch.

New Deity: Become Blessed by Karkadann.

Karkadann stands out as our most aggressively oriented deity. Karkadann is primarily offensive and rewards exploration, forward momentum, and players who are not afraid of some risk.

Karkadann’s strength shines when you’re actively pushing back the swarm rather than merely trying to survive it. Because of that, Karkadann tends to resonate most with players who are already comfortable with the genre and the game.

If you enjoy high-impact builds, aggressive scaling, and making proactive decisions, Karkadann’s likely to feel incredibly satisfying.

New Enemy: Meet The Tunneler.

Steam post imageSteam post image

The Tunneler's danger comes from forcing the player to respond. They will emerge at strategic locations on the map and start applying sustained pressure from that location.

The longer they remain active, the more powerful they become. However, after a while, they will retreat again. But there is hope, if they are killed before they retract, they will drop a reward. This creates an interesting risk-reward dynamic. So be fast when a Tunneler appears.

Surviving the Swarm: Best ways to keep yourself alive.

What is the best way to keep your units alive? Experiment!

There are many ways to play Here Comes the Swarm. Find synergies and playstyles that suit you best. Start on a difficulty that suits you well based on your previous experience with strategy games.

And don’t forget the pause button!

The swarm is designed to feel intense, because of this, it's important not to panic when things get overwhelming. Survival comes down to controlled positioning and efficient resource use. It is easy to get flooded by even a small mistake, so create a strong defense or enough offense to hold back the Swarm.

Steam post image Spoilers: This Knight did not survive.

Thank you for reading this far!

This demo gives you the first taste of Here Comes the Swarm. We’ve spent a lot of time iterating on the core and making it feel good. The demo shows a snapshot of a game with a lot more options and variety.

Systems like the Arcanum, Deities, the Swarm, and our game modes are designed with long-term depth in mind. The demo shows the foundation of these systems that we are actively building on.

We are not developing Here Comes The Swarm alone either, our team is paying very close attention to feedback! Either written on Discord, reviews, or reported in-game. Seeing the community stress test our ideas, discover unexpected strategies, and share their thoughts is one of our favorite parts of developing Here Comes The Swarm. Check out our demo today because during this phase, it's players who help us shape the direction of the development going forward.

Enjoy the demo and see you in Ulora, - CableHook Games

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Source

Steam News / 25 February 2026

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