Steam News27 May 20261mo ago

SurviveSmith - Playtest #2 is now live!

Time for playtest #2! Hey there! We are back with the 2nd playtest for SurviveSmith (yes, I'm trying to call it that way now instead of SurviveSmith as a single word).

In this update5

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Full Survivesmith update

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What changed

0 fixes8 additions6 changes0 removals

Gameplay
Maps
UI and audio
Performance

addedTime for playtest #2!Hey there! We are back with the 2nd playtest for SurviveSmith (yes, I'm trying to call it that way now instead of SurviveSmith as a single word). There are a lot of changes this time compared to the demo vs playtest #1. It's mostly system changes, improvements, better tutorials and (hopefully) a lot less bugs. There are some new content as well but new content isn't our focus for this playtest.

changedState of the gameSurviveSmith is still early in development, too early to say that this is the final experience you will get. However, we're much closer to the Early Access release than anytime before and we're confident to say that you will get a very good understanding of what the final game would look like in this release. Most of the assets and gameplay mechanics are near-finalized now. But all of this is still in perspective to the Early Access release, not the actual final game.

changedChanges to the Biomes and how 'runs' workRuns, or as we call it in SurviveSmith, "Expeditions", now work a bit differently. Rather than putting you into a single region (like forest or desert), now you teleport into a single large biome of one of those regions. So now you don't have to remember where each biome is compared to the center or follow an arrow until you see the shift in color in the background. The level, is the biome!

addedChanges to the Biomes and how 'runs' workThe primary objective stays pretty much the same but without an Event at the end of it. We're reworking how events work and they won't be in this version of the game. But you still get to fight a mini-boss (inside a ring this time), and you now get to teleport on to a new biome after completing the first one. So this makes each run become 3 random stages with completely random biomes, with the option to choose out of 2 each time you jump.

addedChanges to the Biomes and how 'runs' workAs of now, the only differences it make when you select one biome rather than the other is your preference, the types of resources you get to craft new mods, and the biome hazards. There are plans for more reasons to pick a certain biome over the other, in the future. Consider this a framework for that.

addedChanges to the Biomes and how 'runs' workAt the end of stage 3, you SHOULD be getting to fight a Titan. But that's... not in the game yet. So instead, you fight another mini-boss and go home. We hope this new system works in the favor of the game.

Survivesmith changes

addedHey there! We are back with the 2nd playtest for SurviveSmith (yes, I'm trying to call it that way now instead of SurviveSmith as a single word). There are a lot of changes this time compared to the demo vs playtest #1. It's mostly system changes, improvements, better tutorials and (hopefully) a lot less bugs. There are some new content as well but new content isn't our focus for this playtest.

changedSurviveSmith is still early in development, too early to say that this is the final experience you will get. However, we're much closer to the Early Access release than anytime before and we're confident to say that you will get a very good understanding of what the final game would look like in this release. Most of the assets and gameplay mechanics are near-finalized now. But all of this is still in perspective to the Early Access release, not the actual final game.

changedRuns, or as we call it in SurviveSmith, "Expeditions", now work a bit differently. Rather than putting you into a single region (like forest or desert), now you teleport into a single large biome of one of those regions. So now you don't have to remember where each biome is compared to the center or follow an arrow until you see the shift in color in the background. The level, is the biome!

addedThe primary objective stays pretty much the same but without an Event at the end of it. We're reworking how events work and they won't be in this version of the game. But you still get to fight a mini-boss (inside a ring this time), and you now get to teleport on to a new biome after completing the first one. So this makes each run become 3 random stages with completely random biomes, with the option to choose out of 2 each time you jump.

addedAs of now, the only differences it make when you select one biome rather than the other is your preference, the types of resources you get to craft new mods, and the biome hazards. There are plans for more reasons to pick a certain biome over the other, in the future. Consider this a framework for that.

Time for playtest #2!

Hey there! We are back with the 2nd playtest for SurviveSmith (yes, I'm trying to call it that way now instead of SurviveSmith as a single word). There are a lot of changes this time compared to the demo vs playtest #1. It's mostly system changes, improvements, better tutorials and (hopefully) a lot less bugs. There are some new content as well but new content isn't our focus for this playtest.

Purpose of the playtest

The purpose of this playtest is as same as the last one, hearing from you about how much fun you can have with the game, if the game is easy to understand/to play, and about the difficulty. You can find all of the questions we have in the survey form and in the game as well.

State of the game

SurviveSmith is still early in development, too early to say that this is the final experience you will get. However, we're much closer to the Early Access release than anytime before and we're confident to say that you will get a very good understanding of what the final game would look like in this release. Most of the assets and gameplay mechanics are near-finalized now. But all of this is still in perspective to the Early Access release, not the actual final game.

We did have a good amount of playtesters on the last one, but not enough responses to shape the game in any drastic way based on player feedback. We're hoping to have a lot more eyes on us this time, and a lot more responses from you. This is the last stretch before running towards the Early Access flag-post!

Here's a short trailer showing some of the things you can expect in this playtest build:

Since some of you might have already participated in the first playtest, here is some info on the most significant change we made to the game from the last version:

Changes to the Biomes and how 'runs' work

Runs, or as we call it in SurviveSmith, "Expeditions", now work a bit differently. Rather than putting you into a single region (like forest or desert), now you teleport into a single large biome of one of those regions. So now you don't have to remember where each biome is compared to the center or follow an arrow until you see the shift in color in the background. The level, is the biome!

The primary objective stays pretty much the same but without an Event at the end of it. We're reworking how events work and they won't be in this version of the game. But you still get to fight a mini-boss (inside a ring this time), and you now get to teleport on to a new biome after completing the first one. So this makes each run become 3 random stages with completely random biomes, with the option to choose out of 2 each time you jump.

As of now, the only differences it make when you select one biome rather than the other is your preference, the types of resources you get to craft new mods, and the biome hazards. There are plans for more reasons to pick a certain biome over the other, in the future. Consider this a framework for that.

At the end of stage 3, you SHOULD be getting to fight a Titan. But that's... not in the game yet. So instead, you fight another mini-boss and go home. We hope this new system works in the favor of the game.

Other changes from Playtest #1

Here's a list of the most notable changes from the previous playtest:

4 mod slots instead of 3There is a new type of weapon mods in the house! And with the addition, we also made changes to what each mod slot represents. The different slots should now work a lot more in coherence with each other.
Blossoms and Blooms: Seeds now have an actual use other than to summon lightning strikes onto a tree. You will find a lot of blossom flowers lying around that you can use your hard earned seeds to awaken. Once awaken, they will provide you many different permanent bonuses for the run, ranging from extra healing, boosts to your buddy's power and extra defense.
New enemy behaviors, enemy types and wave formationsWe have added some new enemies as well as update old ones. Enemies will hopefully feel more diverse this time. There are also some different wave formations that appear at certain intervals or milestones during a stage.
Primary Weapon UpgradesYou will now be able to upgrade your primary weapons using the resources you collected. The new 'Refabricator' will allow you to refine obtained resources into different forms for some of the upgrades.
New base layout, new machinesMike's base got a design overhaul! Now there's a more realistic layout with rooms and separate lighting while still not being too lengthy of a walk from terminal to terminal. Some previously locked machines will also be unlocked this time, most notably, the Refabricator , Weapon Workbench and the new Buddy Dorm. Buddy dorm is a place to manage your buddies and it has replaced the old crystal looking thing (we called it the 'Crystal Assimilator').
Level up upgrade changesThere are also some new additions to the stat upgrades you obtain by levelling up. We'll leave you to find them out on your own because there's a bunch of cool stuff.
The Journal & Info UIsThis update also introduces the journal, a read-at-your-own-pace tutorial UI where you unlock a new entry every time you discover something new. We hope to expand this to have entries on every single thing you find out in the biomes, but for now, it's only the basic and most important stuff. In addition, there are 2 new informative panels that you can access, using the same button by default (Press Tab and Hold Tab). These 2 UIs will enable you to see some extra info on the current run that were previously very well hidden (sorry about that).

Important notes

Please note that this is an early version of the game and may contain bugs and glitches. Performance may not be optimal at all times. Your progress won't be carried over once the game releases. Any critical issues will be patched during the playtest period and those changes may or may not break the game even more. Please be considerate of these things and we hope you give us your full assistance on making a better, more playable and more enjoyable experience.

We have also planned a Steam key giveaway for 50 of our top testers. This is not a contest by any means and is only to encourage players to give feedback. This will not be the only playtest for our game, and the keys will be given to our top testers throughout all the playtests, after the final playtest before early access release.

Hope you have fun!

-MaRK

Source

Steam News / 27 May 2026

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