5 days until full release!

Welcome, Survivors!

Time marches on, and the full release draws nearer…

On 20th of August, 11:00 AM UTC, version 1.0 of YAZS will be released!

In case you missed it, here's the release date announcement trailer:

In our last development news, we mentioned three things that we're adding with version 1.0, namely:

• New Survivor: Ranger
• New Arena: Bio Lab
• New Game Mode: Boss Rush

Today, I'd like to expand on that and let you know about some other cool things that are coming in 1.0!

Yet Another 1.0 Content Preview

In addition to Ranger, Bio Lab, and Boss Rush game mode, we'll be adding the following:

> The Camp

As promised, we are adding a new hub location consisting of four sub-locations. You will be able to visit it between runs to access both old and new interfaces, as well as some hidden details scattered throughout.

In the Camp, you can complete various missions (see below for more information), listen to radio transmissions (some of which only appear on certain days of the year) and eavesdrop on conversations between different survivors to learn more about them, their daily routines, and how they manage to get along with each other.

While the Camp serves as a starting location for your runs, we're thinking about every kind of player. To reduce any potential friction, we're adding a "Quick Run" option to the main menu so you can start playing immediately, as well as an option to restore all the old menu options with a simple toggle. We believe that you deserve the best experience no matter the type of player you are!

> Main Story & Survivors' Missions

The main storyline, a first-time addition to the series, is coming to YAZS! You'll be able to complete a total of 15 consecutive missions, which will reveal more about the world's lore and possibly finally explain the zombie virus that caused the apocalypse.

In addition to the main storyline, each of your unlocked Survivors will ask you for help with various tasks that are important to them. Each of the nine survivors will offer five missions, which will reveal their motivations and shed light on their past.

Once you have completed their missions, you will be able to receive repeatable quests for each Survivor, allowing you to grow your Friendship with them further. Oh, right! Friendship is a new system that increases as you complete missions and grants you a small but growing bonus to Cash and Specialization points gained. Less grind, more lore!

> New Items, Achievements & Torments

This update adds 21 new items, most of which will be unlocked by completing the new achievements. 5 of them will be awarded as a bonus from the main story missions, but all others will be obtainable from the good old meta-progression and challenge achievements.

Speaking of achievements, we're adding some more! Well, "some" might be an understatement, as there will be 88 new achievements, bringing the total to 229! While most of these relate to completing the main storyline and the Survivors' missions, none of them are missable, so don't worry and enjoy your road to 100% completion!

Torments are finally making their debut! These fully optional, extra-difficult challenges aren't connected to the achievement system and don't offer anything except bragging rights (you don't need them to 100% the game!). You can view these challenges in the Hall of Torments tab of the Achievements interface. If you find the base game's challenges too easy, give these a go… but be warned - there will be pain and struggle!

> 5th Rank Survivors & New Synergies

You want more synergies, we want more synergies, what else can we do but add more synergies? To start with, we're increasing the number of cross-Survivor synergies for each character to four! Three of these are tied to abilities, but the fourth will work independently of them, similarly to the current Ghost <-> Medic synergy.

We needed more space for the entire expansion, so we're introducing a fifth rank to the Survivors' skill trees. With 1.0, for each Survivor we're adding 2 new synergy nodes, 2 passive improvement nodes, and one passive node with a bonus for the whole team, provided the said Survivor is present.

We have plans to introduce deeper synergies, particularly between the various types of damage and their effects. However, this will have to wait for a future update - it's impossible to include so much content in a single update without angering the primordial powers that lie dormant in the depths. Better safe than sorry!

1.0 is just around the corner!

We can't wait to share everything with you, but you'll have to give us a few more days to ensure that everything is working correctly. Oh, who do I kid? There's always some weird glitch or two that will get past us, but we know you understand how it works, though - we'll fix and improve anything and everything that's required ASAP.

Did we mention the addition of Steam community items? Yes, those will be available with the full release, so get ready to drop some tasty cards. We'll also try to add some extra store items, such as avatar frames, animated avatars and animated profile backgrounds. However, there's a chance that these will be released at a later date (deadlines are a real thing and they're scary!).

Quick reminder: YAZS will release simultaneously on Steam, GOG, PlayStation 4 & 5, and Xbox One & Series. The Nintendo Switch version will follow soon after. The price of the game does not change. Also, your saved progression on each platform will transfer directly from the demo and early access versions of the game to the full version.

Although the Early Access period is coming to an end, we'll continue to improve and expand the game over time, so we hope you're looking forward to what's yet to come! With your help, we'll create an awesome game that we can all be proud of!

Thank you, everyone!

Stay awesome,
Kalafiorek @ Awesome Games Studio