As the announcement points out, the update essentially brings a fast-travel system to Gloomwood, despite the game not having any sort of in-game menu, HUD or UI once you start playing.

Along with the addition of The Mirror Realm, the update also brings with it improved lightmaps, as well as imporovements to various item and weapon textures throughout the game.

The update also brings with it completely optional new content celebrating Christmas in the form of levels with falling snow, where players can even pick up snowballs to throw. The update also adds festive hats to various creatures and enemies all over the game.

Released back in September 2022, Gloomwood is heavily inspired by classic immersive sims like Thief. The game features a hand-crafted city that allows for freeform exploration, including rooftops and even hidden passages.

Gloomwood is currently available on PC as an Early Access title.

“Once again, Iron Lung‘s price went up because the game is worth $8 so I want to charge $8, because I want to earn more money,” said Szymanski. “If you don’t agree with this price, I don’t want your money. Go pirate it or something idc.”

When a player accused him of “only doing this for the money”, Szymanksi responded affirmatively, stating that if he didn’t want to make money by making games, he would give them away for free.

“Yes, no f**king s**t, I make games for a living,” he said. “If I didn’t want to earn money from them I wouldn’t charge money for them. I like the business model of ‘I want money so I make something that I think is worth money, and you pay me that money and you get the thing, and we’re all happy’ That’s it. There’s nothing complicated or hidden here.”

“If you don’t think the things I make are worth the money I charge, that’s completely ok,” he continues. “Don’t buy them, or wait for a deep sale, or go the sneaky route and get them for free or whatever, and please tell me that so I can adjust the prices for whatever I release next.”

Szymanski originally announced the price increase all the way back in October, stating that the intent was to ensure that Iron Lung was priced competitively for the long haul. The announcement also stated that all future updates and content for Iron Lung would remain free for all owners of the game.

The most recent game Szymanski has worked on is indie immersive sim Gloomwood, which was released on Steam as an Early Access title back in September 2022.

Since people keep trying to gotcha me over this… once again, Iron Lung's price went up because the game is worth $8 so I want to charge $8, because I want to earn more money. If you don't agree with this price, I don't want your money. Go pirate it or something idc.

— David Szymanski (@DUSKdev) December 18, 2023

I like the business model of "I want money so I make something that I think is worth money, and you pay me that money and you get the thing, and we're all happy"

That's it. There's nothing complicated or hidden here.

— David Szymanski (@DUSKdev) December 18, 2023

Retro FPS Dusk may have released in 2018, but developer David Szymanski and publisher New Blood Interactive have never stopped working on it, and today, New Blood announced several updates that will be coming to the game this year (and beyond) in a post on the game’s Steam page.

The updates start with the game’s latest patch, which was just released. You can now delete your saves in-game from the main menu, and a new Continue option will allow you to go through the entire game without having to return to the main menu after every episode (Dusk was originally released episodically) . There’s also a new Max Loadout button that will allow you to begin every level with a full arsenal. These are all fairly small quality of life changes, but they do make a difference.

But still more is coming, though we don’t have an exact release date. Many of these changes revolve around the upcoming Nintendo Switch version, and will be added to the PC version “simultaneously.” The team has completely “completely redone the world map and loadout menus to be easier to read and navigate with a controller, keyboard, mouse and eyes,” and added a new weapon wheel to make the game easier to play on a controller. The best upcoming addition, though, is undoubtedly the Classic HUD, which looks like it was ripped straight out of Doom. It just needs a little Doomguy face.

The final version of Dusk will add co-op and Steam Workshop support sometime in the future, and the team has “basically rebuilt the entire game to be 100% moddable at this point.” Puzzle de-make Dusk ’82, which was initially revealed as a April Fool’s joke, is also apparently a real game with more than 30 levels and a level editor, and will be releasing “soon.” New Blood also said to “let us know if you’d buy a Game Boy Advance version. We’re not kidding.”

David Szymanski’s DUSK – a first person shooter inspired by old-school classics like Doom, Wolfenstein, and Hexen – has had a fairly solid run thus far. Having exited Steam Early Access in December 2018, it’s since gone on to sell 69,420 copies in total, out of which 40k were sold after its exit from Early Access. According to New Blood Interactive CEO Dave Oshry on Twitter, “We’ve since sold about 40k copies since our launch on December 10th.”

Keeping in mind the fact that the game is only available on Steam, these are some fairly good numbers. DUSK will also be coming to consoles, though which consoles in particular is yet to be confirmed. Current owners can also look forward to some nifty updates, like New Game Plus.

Co-op, new localization features, and Steam Workshop integration are also being worked on. Interestingly, DUSK will also have a “Big Box Physical Collector’s Edition” containing some named soap. And it smells like bacon. As far as sales pitches go, it’s definitely the strangest. Stay tuned for more information on DUSK’s console release in the coming months.

I was going to wait until we hit 100k to announce any sales numbers but…

DUSK has now sold 69,420 copies…

and that's about as ON BRAND for us as it gets ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) pic.twitter.com/mUx3EfSgCG

— John NewBlood (@DaveOshry) January 13, 2019

To expand on this:

DUSK sold 8,000 pre orders

We then sold another 22k copies in Early Access

We've since sold about 40k copies since our launch on December 10th

More importantly, with the exception of a 15% launch discount, DUSK has only been on Steam and never been on sale.

— John NewBlood (@DaveOshry) January 14, 2019

Depending on who you ask, 2018 wasn’t exactly the most cracking year for first person shooters. However, it was the year that David Szymanski’s DUSK finally launched out of Steam Early Access. Calling back to the old-school days of DOOM, Hexen, Quake, Blood, and Half-Life, DUSK scored strongly with players, currently holding an “Overwhelmingly Positive” score in Steam user reviews.

The developer isn’t done yet though. Producer Dave Oshry has confirmed that DUSK will be coming to consoles, along with Mac and Linux. While Xbox One and PS4 seem a given, it’s not confirmed whether a version for the Nintendo Switch is being considered.

Existing players will also have new features to look forward to. New Game Plus, Steam Workshop integration, co-op, and new localization features are currently in development. There will also be a “Big Box Physical Collector’s Edition”, which includes some DUSK soap that smells like bacon.

Don’t ask – we don’t know. Stay tuned for more information on future updates and console releases though.

It’s hard not to hanker for the good ol’ days, a time when when first person shooters like DOOM, Quake, Hexen and many more ruled the roost. Thankfully, David Szymanski’s DUSK offers a trip back in time, embodying the look and feel of old-school shooters while being entertaining in its own right. The game is out now after being initially available through Steam Early Access.

As the launch trailer below indicates, DUSK is all about moving quick and being extremely violent. The campaign sees players fighting against all kinds of monstrosities, from demons to cultists, while traveling down a rabbit hole of increasing creepiness. Three campaign chapters are available, along with 16 player deathmatch in the Duskworld mode.

DUSK is currently discounted on Steam, retailing for $16.66 until December 17th. If you’re a fan of old-school shooters and didn’t quite enjoy efforts like STRAFE, then this might be right up your alley. It’s also coming to Nintendo Switch if you prefer having it on the go, so stay tuned for more details.