Demo and Steam Next Fest
The public demo of no brake no gain launched at the start of May, and the response has been amazing. Huge thanks to everyone who jumped in, tore through the levels, and (sometimes reluctantly) shared feedback after getting obliterated by a spinning laser. The feedback has already resulted in multiple balance changes, UI tweaks, and bug fixes.
The demo features three areas and a fourth area, which is only available for the truly determined. And with Steam Next Fest kicking off, even more players will get to drive, crash, and rage their way through the chaos. Don’t forget: the demo will continue to receive updates throughout the event, including…
Multiplayer Minigames
All multiplayer cars are now built, tested, and fully tuned for chaos. Each comes with unique skins and visual loadouts to help players show off in the level. These aren’t just cosmetic, each car has a slightly different engine so choosing the best car sometimes means not picking the prettiest car.
Minigames are fully playable in the demo, and they’re built to be short, intense, and endlessly replayable. Here’s what’s included:
- Pass the Bomb – Classic “hot potato” mechanic with a ticking explosive twist. If you’re holding the bomb when the timer hits zero, you’re toast. Drive fast. Think faster. And maybe don’t get too close to anyone.
- Checkpoint – Race to collect checkpoints scattered around the level. First player to hit the score limit wins. Expect tight turns, brutal takeovers, and a lot of screaming.
- Capture the Flag – It’s exactly what you think – CTF, but in turbo-charged cars. Steal, chase, defend, repeat. Don’t drop the flag unless you’re ready to lose.
- Delivery – Race to grab briefcases and return them to the drop zone. But it’s never that easy. Getting the case is one thing, keeping it under pressure is another.
- Survive – Zombies in cars? Zombie cars? Who knows, just stay alive as long as you can. The longer you survive, the faster and more aggressive they get. This mode is pure adrenaline.
New Hazards
With the new batch of game modes came a fresh wave of hazards to challenge players in both singleplayer and multiplayer modes:
- Flame Burst – A circular, instant burst of fire. Step into the blast radius and say goodbye.
- Teleporter – Warp across the map… but where you end up could be safety or straight into a trap.
- Turret – Auto-targeting and quick-firing. Think you’re safe because you’re in a car? Think again.
- Moving Platform – Timing-based platforms that move on loops. Precision is everything.
- Conveyor Belt – Subtly sabotage your trajectory by dragging you in unintended directions.
These are designed not just for spectacle, but for gameplay variance. Every hazard has a unique trigger or timing logic.
Summary
This month’s update is fashionably late, but rather late than never. The demo is live, multiplayer minigames are fully functional, and hazards are ready to terrorize even the most seasoned players. From a dev perspective, having these systems in place means I now have all the tools I need to finish building out the final challenge content.
June will be all about content. My goal is to complete the remaining singleplayer challenges, balancing them based on data and feedback from the demo. Once that’s locked in, I’ll be shifting gears toward final polish, performance testing, and preparing the game for release later this year.
Until next time, happy gaming!