Hey there, fellow Catz! Today I want to announce the start of ZpellCatz' closed beta. Want to know more about the beta or join the playtest yourself? Read on.

Closed Beta Start

The closed beta starts on September 1, 2023 at 16:00 CEST.

Living in another time zone? This might help: http://www.worldtimebuddy.com/event?lid=12%2C8%2C4673353&h=12&sts=28225320&sln=16-17&a=show (I'm not affiliated with worldtimebuddy).

How to Join?

I love itch.io, I really do. And I'll try my best to keep the versions provided here updated in a similar time frame as the Steam versions. But the closed beta / playtest will be a Steam-only feature. I decided to use it due to its access request feature. If you have a Steam account, feel free to join. Otherwise, the full version will be available here at itch.io once it's finished ^^ .

It's important to request beta access before September if you want to have a chance to play on Sept 1. Visit ZpellCatz' Steam page and click "Request Access". Feeling lost? Check out this screenshot:

Note: About 50% of the requesters will get access right away, the rest has to wait for the next beta patch. Why? Because playtesters are a very, very valuable resource. The beta will grow over the next few months and I would be really glad to receive feedback from fresh players every patch. Always grating access to about 50% of the requesters should result in a constant stream of new players (and hopefully new feedback ^^ ). Let's see if the plan works. So, if you weren't lucky on Sept 1, chances are good that you'll be able to join the beta with the next version.

What to Expect?

ZpellCatz isn't 100% finished yet, but there's enough content to play for some hours. Overview:

Available content:

• All hero classes (Mage, Druid, Shaman)
• All path classes (Fury, Tranquility, Twilight)
• Acts 1 - 3 (main quests, side quests, story, NPC dialogues)
• All craftable tier 1 and tier 2 epic items (about 120)
• 2 Familiars (Bashu & Loki - AI controlled only at the moment)

Currently missing (or locked) content:

• Acts 4 - 6 (story, NPC dialogues)
• A special dungeon + boss for the final main quest
• "End Game" system implementation (after the story / main quests)
• 3 Familiars (unlocked in later acts)
• Two player coop (Familiars can't be controlled by players yet)
• "Hardcore" (perma death) mode
• Stash / shared stash
• Digital Deluxe version content

Please Give Feedback!

I spend quite a bit of time playing ARPGs and I'm trying to add some of the interesting ideas to ZpellCatz. However, I'm just a solo game developer with a single perception and a single set of opinions. To be able to make ZpellCatz a great game, I need your perceptions of things and your opinions. So, please give feedback! :-)

Ways to give feedback:

• Join my Discord server: https://discord.gg/D6CkrUu
• ZpellCatz playtest Steam discussions: https://steamcommunity.com/app/2423250/discussions/
• There's a "Feedback" button ingame (main menu & pause menu beneath "System")

Thanks in advance!