Few Shall Return

A Big One (Mostly Because There's a Lot of It)Hey everyone,This update is large, not because any single change is massive, but because there's a lot packed in here. New relic, nameplates, item rarity rework, and a long list of smaller fixes and improvements. This one's a bit of a crazy update behind the scenes too: 24 bugs and features shipped, and at least two nights where the team was up until 4am to get it all done. Let's get into it.A New Relic: the Storm GlobeThere's a new relic in the dungeon: the Storm Globe. It gives the boss a unique ranged ability, and if you manage to find and pick it up, that power becomes yours too. As long as you're holding it, you're immune to that attack and you'll wreak havoc on anyone near you. Just be careful, because holding it also makes you a target.As part of this change, we've renamed what used to be called "Treasures" to "Relics." They're now extremely visible on the map, on the mini map, and in your inventory, so you'll always know when one is nearby.Oh, and one more thing: If no one's holding the Storm Globe things get bad fast. An unclaimed globe will target

Hey everyone,Smaller update this time around, but a few of these are things you've been asking for. Boss health bar, better item info, and the dungeon just got a little less predictable.Boss Health BarWhen you're in the boss room, you can now see how much health the boss has left. No more guessing whether you're about to finish the fight or whether you're still nowhere close.Item Rarities and Stats in the InventoryThe inventory bar now shows an item's rarity along with its full stats. No more guessing which item is actually the upgrade. Compare at a glance and make the call with real information instead of a hunch. We've also added a zoom highlight on the selected item, so it's much easier to see exactly which one you've got selected.Dead EndsNot every corridor leads somewhere anymore. Some corridors are now dead ends, and some rooms may have a wall where you'd normally expect a door. The dungeon layout is a little less predictable than it used to be, so keep an eye out.Smaller but Notable ChangesNew VFX for Sprout's bullets.New icons for certain actions.A new bot personality: the brawler. They're just looking to fight, all the

Hey everyone,This is a big one. Bots, smarter enemies, fog of war, and a full objectives overhaul. Let's get into it.Bots Have Joined the DungeonWe know the deal: Few Shall Return is built around player interaction, and it's just a better game with 3+ people in the room. But we also know that public matchmaking doesn't always cooperate, and sometimes you queue up and there just aren't enough players around to fill a run.That ends today. Bots will now automatically fill empty slots in public matchmaking whenever there aren't enough humans to go around, so you're never stuck waiting on a lobby that won't fill.Hosting a private match? You're in control. You can decide if bots join at all, and how many you want alongside your friends.These aren't filler AI standing around waiting to be shot. Each bot is built with its own personality, and that personality actually shapes how it plays: how aggressively it fights, how it handles loot, whether it sticks with the group or wanders off to explore on its own, how it reacts when things go bad. Run enough matches and you'll start to recognizing the friendly ones.A New Brain for EveryoneThe syste

We started working on Few Shall Return full time in November 2024. Back then we were hoping to release in August 2025. It's now almost a year later than we planned, but we're happy (and honestly a little relieved) to say that Few Shall Return is live in Early Access today.Ballard Games is three people: Joul on marketing, Solomon on design, and Victor on tech. But this game is not just three people's work. Lauri, Sarah, Cliff, Jason, Jessica, and Ethan all contributed code, design, or ideas at different points along the way, and we want to thank them here.Where things stand todayEarly Access isn't a finish line, it's a starting point. It means we've reached a place where we genuinely believe the game gives you enough to enjoy right now, and enough reason to stick around for what's coming.It also means something else: Few Shall Return is bootstrapped and self-published. There's no publisher covering our costs behind the scenes. If you buy the game today, you're not just getting access, you're directly supporting three people trying to build something we care about full time. That matters more than we can fully express here, and we don