The fast-paced action rogueliteSoulstone Survivorsis preparing for its 1.0 release after a successful Early Access run on Steam. The game, which is one of the first from developer Game Smithing Limited, was showcased at Gamescom LATAM 2025.Soulstone Survivorsallows players to choose from a variety of characters as they face down the fearsome Lords of the Void with the goal of collecting their Soulstones and ultimately becoming a god themselves.
Game Rant spoke to Game Smithing CEO andSoulstone Survivorsdeveloper Allan Smith about the ongoing development ofSoulstone Survivorsand preparations for the game’s upcoming full release. Smith discussed the game’s focus on synergy, how the team worked to create a new and exciting product while also drawing inspiration from titles such asVampire SurvivorsandPath of Exile,and the plan to add more lore to the 1.0 version ofSoulstone Survivors.He also praised the game’s community and the helpful feedback they provided throughout the Early Access period.This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
The Early Access Journey Of Soulstone Survivors
Q: When you reflect on your Early Access journey, what jumps out at you the most?
A:I guess just working with the community has been really good, but really challenging as well. Like, we’ve had many moments duringEarly Accesswhere we thought we had the right plan, and then we started showing it to players, and we didn’t have the right plan, you know? So, they made it very clear.
But I think we were always trying a lot to listen to them. Trying to read between the lines. Okay, they hated this, but why? What are they trying to do? So, for us, Early Access really had a major impact on how the game was developed. Knowing just what the game became, if we didn’t do Early Access and just developed it behind closed doors, it would be a completely different game.
Q: When interacting with the community, are there certain instances of feedback that really stand out?
A:I guess what stands out is that the community can be brutal at times. It’s tough to read the feedback, but you kind of have to. I say that, but our reviews are pretty good. You know, the community is great. They’re super supportive. But it’s just the usual. I will spend so much time developing the game, and you’re like, “Oh man, they’re going to love this.” And when they don’t, it’s painful, but, at the same time, it’s super helpful.
I’m super thankful for all the community. Right now, we just released a major update, and we have somenew bosses. So we’re naming the creatures after the main players from the community, as a sort of thank you, because they’re really part of the game. You know, it’s crazy how much they influence our decisions over time.
Q: As you move toward full release, what are your current plans for that and beyond?
A:We are going to fully release on June 17, and this will be for consoles as well. So, we just announced this pretty much last week, but there is the whole last chapter of the game that’s coming out with the full release. It’s probably our biggest update so far. We are saving a lot of stuff for the full release. We want to see how players will react to it.
Even though we’ll beleaving Early Access, we want to keep this mentality of working with the community. We already have plans for at least a couple of updates after that. We already know what we’re doing. Some of it is already in the works. So just expanding the content, making sure there is enough depth. To be honest, I believe this is usually a problem - some players say it’s already too much. There is quite a lot. But yeah, it’s basically, keep supporting the game, for as long as the community wants it to last.
Making ASurvivors-Like With Character And Synergy Focus
Q: Talking about the depth of content, the thing that stands out to me is that there are a ton of builds inSoulstone Survivors.Can you talk about how you approach those builds in terms of keeping things balanced, but also intriguing and fun?
A:This has been our focus since day one, honestly: trying to make a"Survivors-like"where it’s really about your decisions and how you build your character, and offering you as many possible options, so you can be whatever power fantasy you want. With that in mind, we tried to develop a system where the synergies are not immediately obvious, but, once you play with them and start experimenting, suddenly you unlock what the game really is.
So, you’re getting it, you’re killing stuff, and it feels alright, you’re doing well. But suddenly, the game becomes a bit hard, and you’re like “Man, I don’t know what I’m doing.” And then you learn that by combining this negative effect with that buff, you suddenly do 10 times more damage. But if you get this other skill, it’s 100 times more damage. So, for us, there has been a big effort of trying to put enough tools into the game thatthose sorts of synergiesand how things play together are core to the experience. You know, that’s really what you should be aiming for in the game. And really, the fun in finding out those combinations is really “Oh wow, now I am really powerful.” That’s what the game has been about.
Q: What drew you to making a “Survivors-like"in the first place?
A:Definitely a lot of inspiration fromVampire Survivors.It’s why we released, to be honest, not too long after. It was maybe eight months later. And, to be honest, I’ve made games like this before. It’s a type of genre I really love. Roguelikes in general,Diablo-likes-Path of Exileis a big inspiration for us.
And whileVampire Survivorspaved the way for us, we felt like we could explore more of this side of the field - the characters, bringing more depth to this side of the gameplay. Making it more dynamic in terms of gameplay. So we try to make our own thing, definitely with a lot of inspiration from them, but it came from a long-lasting passion for the genre.
We’ve been playing roguelikes since forever. I loveSlay the Spire.I love so many that are not the same but kind of are. You know, when you think about it, it’s about the builds, about the combinations. LikeBalatro,that just came out. That’s what we’re trying to make, pretty much.
Soulstone SurvivorsIs Preparing For Its 1.0 Release
Q: So, for the players who have been invested in Early Access so far, what would you say to them as they prepare for 1.0? What should they expect if they have tons of history with the game?
A:So, for full release, there is one main thing. Honestly, it’s a bit of a secret, but I want to share it with you. So far, the game has been very focused on the mechanics, onhow you build your character, and all that we were just talking about. But, for this last chapter, we’re actually bringing in some lore, some meaning to all of it. Because it always existed from our side. It’s something we’re always thinking about - why you’re doing what you’re doing - it just doesn’t show in the game at all.
So, with this last chapter, now you understand why you’re killing everyone. So it’s about bringing a little bit of this meaning to the game. It’s about bringing in the two last characters that we promised, and they are really, really cool. We’re kind of saving the best for last. Well, I hope so, but that’s the plan.
And there is a lot of other stuff that the community has been waiting for, likepower weapons. There is just a load of content that really wraps up everything and makes us really confident to say it is a finished experience. It’s not that we won’t add more to it, but I know, from this point on, if you play the game, you will have a good time. You can play from beginning to end and leave satisfied with what it did.
Q: And, the inverse of that, hopefully with the 1.0 release you’ll get lots of new players. What would you say to someone stepping intoSoulstone Survivorsfor the first time with the 1.0 release?
A:I think it will actually probably be the best time to start playing the game, for exactly the same reason I just mentioned. So, there will be a new initial experience in the game where you really get more familiar with the world - with the meaning, the reasoning and whatnot. This will lead back to where the game is right now. So, everything you had to do right now is there, but I think the way things will be connected will make for amuch more meaningful experiencein a way. Really makes the game more than it is just from the mechanics side, you know?
So I think it would be a really good time to get acquainted with the game, because not only are the systems a lot more mature than they were during Early Access, but you will actually get to experience things in a much more chronological order. Thegame changed so muchin Early Access, and we had a lot of players who played like two years ago and never played again, or maybe are waiting for the full release or something like that. When they come back, if they come back, the experience is totally different. Like a completely different game. And I think that really makes the experience easier to digest. More approachable.
Q: What have been the biggest lessons and learnings from Early Access that you are putting into the game’s 1.0 release?
A:I think that, honestly, we learned a lot from the players. To give a few examples, there were times when the game was super chaotic, right? And we got feedback from a few players that there were too many areas to dodge. Maybe it’s too hard in this area or that area. So, there are definitely points of contention where some players felt that the game is not for them. And during a big part of Early Access, we were trying to address that. Trying to make everything more approachable.
And I think we succeeded in some ways, but what we learned is that some of the feedback will always be counterproductive to what most players want from the game. I think we really learned why the players that loveSoulstone Survivorslove it. And we’re focusing on new content, giving them what they want. So, our last update introduced a new game mode [Titan Hunt], for example, and it’s really focused on expanding what the players want.
And it’s been really great seeing that we hit the mark. They’re really enjoying thenew bosses and maps and powersand how it changes the builds. So, I guess, in a way, we learned to really identify the key characteristics that players want in the game. And we’re trying to focus on that, laser-sharp, into what players want to see.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add aboutSoulstone Survivors?
A:It’s coming out for consoles on June 17. It’s going to be great. We’ve got a lot of content still in reserve - a few surprises. Stuff we haven’t really talked about with the players yet. And we’re always open for feedback. If you tried the game before, and you have any feedback, or think something’s missing or something can improve, reach out to us. We’re super approachable onDiscordand forums. You will be talking to me directly. So reach out, because we would love to hear from you.
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