YAZS 1.0 Release Date Announcement!

Welcome, Survivor!

This is not a drill! We're announcing the release date of the game!

Check out the trailer below for the date & teasers of upcoming content:

This means the release of the long-awaited update 1.0 with so much additional content it could easily fit three to four major updates we've been making in the past is coming soon!

In case you haven't checked the video above or can't watch it for one reason or another, here's the super-secret date reveal: August 20, 2026. Nintendo Switch version will follow shortly after!

But that's not all!

1.0 Content Preview!

If you haven't yet watched the above trailer, be sure to do so, as we're teasing some of the upcoming content there!

Among other additions, the 1.0 update will contain a new Survivor, a new map, and a new game mode. Let's have a better look at those:

> New Survivor - Ranger

Dog barks? Bird cries? A combat-ready veteran marches into the fray with her trusted companions, ready to face any foe, no matter their size!

The ninth Survivor has been a park ranger in the past, and with great experience of handling enemies with the use of her crossbow and her closeness with her beloved animal friends, she makes a great team on her own. Still, when joined by other Survivors, she shines further with her ability to boost all Survivors' Critical and Luck stats, as well as ways to heal her allies!

She might have a steep learning curve for her to really shine, but don't underestimate her skills. Especially, as she's also the first Survivor that can bring into the battlefield a new status effect: fear, planted deep into the cold, undead hearts of her enemies.

> New Map - Bio Lab

Finally, the place it all started. Explore the facility, experiments of which are said to be the core reason for the apocalypse.

Here, you'll face high-tech experiments and some of the most powerful foes yet. This new map is shaped differently than any other before, being a circle, the borders of which are filled with toxic fumes. Watch out for the decontamination process, as it'll keep you on your toes; you don't want to be caught stuck inside the red danger zone!

The question remains: Is the virus the reason it all went wrong, or was it human greed all along?

> New Game Mode - Boss Rush

Remember the old one? Awesome Games Studio remembers, and we're repurposing it to bring you a REAL boss fight game mode, in which you'll face the toughest of foes so far!

You start your run as usual, but you're actually racing the clock to get as powerful as you can before the 10'th minute mark, at which point the Final Boss spawns! Face the most powerful enemy of each area to prove that no zombie can threaten you.

But that's not all! We hope you're looking forward to experience the full release when it finally drops in the matter of few short weeks!

Bullet Heaven Tag Is Live!

We did it!

Valve has officially recognized this game genre as "Bullet Heaven", which you've voted for as a majority in our past surveys!

Here's the official announcement from Valve:

https://steamcommunity.com/games/593110/announcements/detail/673994309884707519

From this point on, you can easily search and recognize the titles similar to YAZS in the Steam store as well as in your Steam library. With the recent changes to how third-party events work, there might not be another Bullet Heaven Fest in the future, but its name will live on thanks to our shared efforts!

Thank you for being a part of gaming history!

Speaking of surveys…

Gameplay Survey Results!

A whopping number of 2,362 of you have filled out the latest survey about the YAZS future - thank you!

Here are the highlights of the results:

Q: Your stance on us adding more achievements after the full release (versions 1.1+) of the game.

The vast majority of you have voted for the addition of new achievements after its full release, and so, we will honor your decision. 52% (1218) of you have nothing against new achievements being tied to potential DLC content, while 35% (837) would prefer for them to be added as free updates. 7% (164) of you don't want more achievements, while 6% (143) have no issue with them being in-game only.

We'll be exploring both methods to see which is better, but all-in-all we're happy that you don't mind us expanding the game in this way - we also didn't want to be limited by the 1.0 number and have a way of adding more challenges with updates.

Q: Which of these would be of highest priority for you? (select up to 3)

Two answers were leading toe-to-toe, with more synergies receiving 54% (1276) and more meta-progression getting 53% (1258). At third and fourth place there was an item upgrade system (40%, 938) and team leader passives (39%, 924). Fifth place was taken by the prestige system (32%, 749).

These mark the important steps we'll be addressing in the future updates of the game. Naturally, there are also other things we'd like to add or overhaul in time, but these results inform us what things would you prefer for us to prioritize going forward, which is extra helpful.

The additional comments, suggestions, and feedback you've left for us are also very important, so thank you for that as well. What's great is that most of the things you've asked for in these are either already being added to the game or are planned for the future updates.

YAZD HD 100% FREE for a limited time!

To celebrate the upcoming release of YAZS, we'll be giving away the latest game in the "Yet Another Zombie" series prior to Survivors!

Starting at 10am Pacific on July 23rd until July 30th, you'll be able to add Yet Another Zombie Defense HD to your Steam library for free:

In short, YAZD HD is a zombie shooter game similar to YAZS, but instead of being a bullet heaven auto-shooter, it's a tower defense twin-stick shooter. It also has a local & online multiplayer co-op for up to 4 players! There are different game modes and lots of challenges to tackle, but no meta-progression. Give it a go, and let us know: How long can YOU survive?

YAZD HD isn't a big game by any means; it's pretty bite-sized in comparison to YAZS, but it's THE original, and we hope it'll sweeten your time waiting for the big guns.

Don't forget to add it to your library and tell your friends about it!

See you very soon!

The full release is coming very soon, and we're taking each moment to apply the finishing touches to the game content. The upcoming month will be really hectic for us, as we do our best to support all of you across every platform at the time of release.

As such, we ask you for your patience and understanding. We're here to deliver an awesome game to all of you, and we won't be taking vacation until this task is done. In the meantime, please share the word and let your friends know that the game is coming soon.

Oh, also, as promised last year, we WON'T be changing the price of the game on full release, and we plan to continue running discounts as often as we can. Naturally, we want all of you to be able to get to play our labor of love ❤️

Thank you all for your support so far! See you soon!

Stay awesome,
Kalafiorek @ Awesome Games Studio