fullyilly

Congrats to all involved, you've been doing a fantastic job for so long now, long may it continue!

Bravo and thanks for your coverage of Wulverblade 3yrs ago, it really made a difference to us!

Hey Everyone, just a quick thanks from me (Mike, creative director on Wulverblade) to a) Nintendo Life for the coverage! and b) all you lovely people for saying such kind words!

As some of my remember from my earlier comments here, this game is my baby and means the world to me. Getting a physical release has been the dream since day 1 and for it to be on the Switch is cherry on top.

I've given this physical release my all, I really have. I sunk countless days into that bespoke cover (reversible too!), even more into the bespoke colour manual/artbook and then went totally crazy with the printing techniques for the slip cover. Its printed on matt metallic with spot UV gloss highlights and WOW it POPS. I can't wait for you to see it, its a wonder to behold.

Anyway, I'm rambling, just a big thanks to everyone again, this site and its community have been our biggest supporters. THANK YOU!

I can’t stress JUST how good this game is. I’m a big retro gamer and this is one of very few modern ‘retro inspired’ games that’s actually more enjoyable than the originals that inspired it.

It’s the only driving game since the 90’s that I’ve played through twice and will happily buy again on Switch.

So good.

@maruse Power is definitely a start, I hope things get back on track soon! Good luck with everything.

@maruse Oh god that's awful, I'm SO sorry to hear that! I hope everyone you know is safe and that you can sort everything out. Damn, I'd send you a free code but we don't have any international codes left, only EU ones.

Best wishes to you and your family, I hope things pick up for you!

@maruse Sir, I have some good news for you! As of today, Wulverblade is now available IN JAPANESE!

http://wulverblade.com/wulverblade-is-now-available-in-japan/

When you asked last time we were in discussions with Kakehashi Games but hadn't finalised the details. But as of today, its complete and has just been released!

See, you didn't have to wait forever...just under a year ha haa.

Enjoy!

@santaglause We've heard this response quite a lot and its the response we always hoped for. There is a certain degree of satisfaction in finishing this beast. Thanks for sharing!!

@HAL9000 Fantastic, glad you're enjoying it

@maruse Thanks for the info, I'll pass that onto the guys. Something to bare in mind for sure.

@Paraka You learn something new every day, I didn't even know multiposting was a thing. I hope I do this right

@maruse we're speaking with people about it right now, its looking hopeful!

@RedMageLanakyn we expected higher sales of course, but not quite to this degree. Year 1 Steam sales being lower than Switch day 1 sales isn't something we could have ever expected.

@conman2012 Due to our gore level we have to go through some manual paperwork/application process which we haven't done yet. We need to look into it in more detail.

@JasmineDragon You're very welcome

@Moroboshi876 Getting a physical release would be a dream come true. Nothing lined up right now sadly but we're hoping it can happen one day.

@santaglause Thanks man!

@Paraka Fantastic, that was always the dream for us! This genre is both under appreciated and also rarely seen anymore. We wanted to make the game that we've been wanting to play for decades!

@Jokerwolf

@mauhlin12 Yey great reference! Golden Axe was one hell of an inspiration!

@MongolRaider Yeah we were surprised at how many people wanted this feature and it took some time to balance out, but when enough people ask, you have to listen

@HAL9000 Thanks! Remember to keep moving, movement is key. If you stand still for too long you'll get pummelled. Run, roll, double jump and counter. Those moves will see you through any situation once mastered

@parkinho Thank you very much! It certainly was a labour of love

@Kochambra Yey that's great to hear. The difficulty has been quite polarising. A lot of people told us how much they loved the challenge and how rewarding it was to complete the game, but in view of helping newcomers to the genre we thought it was best to add the easy mode.

I think were people get stuck is when they try to stand still and fight. The key in Wulverblade is movement, running, charging, rolling, double jumping and countering. Once you have those moves nailed, the game becomes very, very different

@Fake-E-Lee Thanks Lee, it was your comments along with many others both on here and online in general that spurred the easy mode. You asked, we delivered

@Kiz3000 Yey thanks for that. Once you get to the last level you're in for a real treat and then once you complete it, yet another

I know its madness but I designed the very best part of this game to be right at the end as it's all hinged around the story.

Can't wait for more people to experience this!

@DrJoson Thank you and fingers tightly crossed

@QwertyQwerty Yeah we did a timed Switch exclusive and then launched on the other platforms at the end of Jan. The Switch version took the limelight as its the one platform everyone chooses to buy games for if they have the option

@maruse Watch this space. Having our game out in Japan has always been a dream and its a dream we're actively exploring. Never say never

Just imagine a CPS1 and CPS2 collection bringing such beauties as Cadillac's and Dinsouar's, AVP and The Punisher to Switch. I would throw every last penny at that!

Super Mario World is, for me, the finest platform game for all time. It doesn't matter how many years pass by, it still feels as magical and wonderful every time I play it. I introduced my little ones to the game this year and its the one Mario game they ask for the most. Brings back so many incredible gaming memories too.

@Kiz3000 Thank you! Yeah we didn't want to take it down a visually realistic route as my goodness it would have been pretty horrific

@BulbasaurusRex Sorry you're not keen on the violence. Believe it or not it wasn't just violence for violence sakes though, it was to keep in theme with the setting. I went to vast lengths to keep things accurate to the time, right down to clothing details, wildlife and building materials. When you put thousands of warriors into a battle field with swords, it gets rather messy.

The reason for the lopping off of heads also has a meaning too. The ancient Britons used to collect the heads of the their fallen foes after battle, strap them to their horses and ride for home. Once home they would then embalm them and keep them in caskets to present to guests as a showing of their abilities in combat. A gruesome trophy rack if you will. Historians term this the cult of the head. We didn't want to go as far as embalming heads and added this feature as a nod to that part of our history.

We were a rather gruesome lot here in Britain

@Citsade I'll mention it to the guys.

Mapping on switch is SUPER complex as most consoles have 1 controller configuration...the joypad, whereas the Switch has (if I recall correctly) nine possible combinations, its crazy complex. You have to make the game listen for controller swaps, changes, docking, undocking, adding pro-controllers etc. Its bonkers

@sword_9mm Well we spent 1 whole year refining the core combat to make it 'feel' as meaty as the classics, so hopefully you'll feel it too when you get your hands on it. The combat feel has been everything to us. I said to the guys from the outset that if we can't get this feeling right, we don't continue.

@Kiz3000 Oh wow thanks...that means we chatted I should imagine! I tried to have a good chin wag with everyone that played. Thanks for playing and even more so for picking it up!

I dearly, dearly want to expand on this world and have lots of plans. I just need to get the word out so that more people can see it. Its so hard being a little indie so all the coverage we've got on here means the WORLD!

@Bidleinad Thanks for taking the interest in the first place, its me who needs to be thanking, not you

@invictus4000 I really appreciate that thanks!!!

@MadMaestroNole Yeah the only moves you can't counter are the telegraphed ones that each boss does. They flash white and you hear the sound 'chiiiiiing'. This is a warning to MOVE Once you land a counter and then unleash the special counter combo you'll feel like a boss! Follow that up with a heavy weapon combo and you'll slaughter the bosses in no time!

@Fake-E-Lee Cool! The big tip I've been I've been giving out is to just keep moving. Own that run button and keep your enemies on their toes. Stand still, hold your ground and you WILL be crushed

I chatted with the guys briefly over the weekend and we were talking about more health drops, checkpoints, reduced damage (from the enemies) etc. So we'll sort something! There'll be a bit of UI work to add in too to compensate for the extra mode but that shouldn't be too much.

@Bidleinad We're having a meeting today to discuss if we can get an easy mode added into patch 1. Watch this space

@Bidleinad We're having a meeting today to discuss if we can get an easy mode added into patch 1. Watch this space

@Bidleinad We're having a meeting today to discuss if we can get an easy mode added into patch 1. Watch this space

@ogo79 Mine too

@Fake-E-Lee Easy mode is being discussed over a meeting with the guys today The loose plan...get it into patch 1

In defence of the normal mode, what I'm seeing is that a great many players are making it further and further with each play and that people that said they were stuck on Thursday have either completed now or are close to. The combat is way more complex than most people initially realise and master counters, blocking, rolling, running and double jumping is crucial

Anyway yeah, easy mode is looking likely.

Thanks again!!!

@needmorecowbell I absolutely LOOOOOOOOVE the fact that you read this conten I put over a year's worth of work into this element alone, partly for my own gratification as I love it, but I did hope players would enjoy it too!

@MadMaestroNole Thanks for playing and for the feedback! Yeah to stun enemies you have to block at the right time. Once you've learnt when an enemy is about to hit you, you block...BOOM, you get momentary slow down and can initiate a counter combo. Once the counter combo is over you can also then add in a heavy weapon combo if you're carrying one. The counter system is devastating and can topple standard enemies in one go if used right. Its also VERY useful against bosses, as bar their power attacks (the ones that flash white and have the chiiiiing sound effect) you can pretty much counter ever attack they have. Great for opening up tough bosses.

@carlos82 I'm in the same situation, I have two young kids too and getting play time is always tough!

What's looking more and more apparent from what I'm reading across the web is that people are getting through the game, but its taking some time and skill. To say that it launched on Thursday afternoon and people are getting from halfway through right the way through to completing it on by the end of the weekend does say to me that the challenge, whilst steep, is appearing achievable.

Needless to say though, we're looking into an easy mode update too

@sword_9mm We're looking into adding an easy mode

Its really, really tough as a developer knowing which way to go as we've had a real split. We've had loads of social media responses from folks finishing the game in 4-5hrs and an equal amount of responses from people getting stuck. An easy mode would fix this so we're having a get together today to talk through what we need to do to get it into the first patch

What I have seen though is lots of people contacting me on Thursday/Friday saying they're stuck and on Sunday getting messages saying either they've done it or they're at the last level. In many ways, that's great as it means you guys are getting some good play length and a good, but achievable challenge out of the game, but for those that prefer less of a challenge its seeming to be a barrier.

Rest assured we're going to listen and respond

@invictus4000 Thanks for that, much appreciated! Yeah Wulverblade has slipped under the radar for most folks over the past 5 years during development ha haa. Its SO hard to get your game noticed without a big publisher or great marketing company and deep pockets. We're hoping that our choice to self publish doesn't kill us off entirely

@Lroy We (being old school gamers) love the local co-op angle especially as so many new games are starting to drop that feature, but yeah we'd love on-line too. Financially...boy oh boy is online co-op a bigger deal that it looks from the outside. The amount of work and testing required to get it stable is crazy. We've sunk everything we have into this game money wise and taking a step into online co-op is just, sadly, out of reach to us. Pitfalls of self publishing. Who knows, maybe if the game does super well and soaks up our colossal spending on this dream project we might be able to do it ha haaa.

@Fake-E-Lee Thanks man!

@Starbuster Awesome, thanks, hope you love it!

@Fake-E-Lee One BIG tip I'm giving everyone. Keep moving! Run, roll, double jump, block and parry. These are key in Wulverblade. Think of your standard walk as a tool for precise movement and adjustment. Also if you can, save a full rage bar and wolves for the bosses, that always helps a boat load when you're first starting out

@Fake-E-Lee You sir are a legend!

@Powerballad Ace, thanks, hope you enjoy it!!!

@carlos82 Thanks Carlos! We're already considering putting in an easy mode which would essentially equal more food drops, lower enemy damage rates etc. Its been a mixed 24hrs as we've had (in pretty equal amounts) people saying 'hey, loved it, completed it in just over 4hrs' and then 'I can't get off level 2 its hard!'. We'll be keeping a close eye on player feedback and responding accordingly

I'm SOOOO happy that you love the story and unlocks. I swear I spent as much time putting all that together as the game itself. In all honesty it was rather a selfish endeavour as it became like a special personal diary of the last 5 years. What's in the game is about 10% of what I originally collated too. I started a set of documentaries travelling to and exploring each location but I thought that they may have been a bit too much for people and left those out. You can see an early one I posted years ago here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boYDQr-ZQHk

I may one day finish those off, even if its just for me

Thanks again!