We are thrilled to have Zenith chosen to take part in Realms Deep 2023! This project has always been rather niche. So having an event as prominent and well regarded as Realms Deep single us out is both incredibly flattering, and motivating!!

We fully intended to have a playable version available for this event. Our apologies to anyone who landed on this page from the "Games with Demos" category. I don't think there's any way to drop out of that list at this stage?? The why is a bit longer of a story...

Zenith is a standalone Prequel to They Speak From The Abyss. This isn't a glorified demo, uploaded as a "Prologue", which has become a rather common developer trick here on Steam. While Zenith features locations and character from the Main Game, it is fully it's own game and experience!

Our initial decision to make this Prequel available for Free was made when the game was a fraction of it's current size. Zenith was originally conceived 7 MONTHS ago!! The project has grown a LOT since then! As an example, the game now features over 50 unique monsters, and 30 originals tracks in the OST.

With a growing scope, a challenging move to a new city mid-development, followed by Unity fully melting down - we had to re-evaluate a lot of things. It was decided that development will continue in Unity (starting over would be too costly), but not after weeks spent agonizing over whether that was still feasible. Especially when Free releases could potentially end up costing money to release with Unity's new Runtime Fee. That situation is a mess...

It took quite some time to come to terms with it - but Zenith will now be a paid release. We promise the price tag on this game won't break the bank! It will likely be somewhere close to $5 at launch.

No release date is set - and unfortunately due to missing our original release target, we are unable to change it to anything other than the "Coming Soon" you currently see. A demo is in the works, and will be announced on Nikki's twitter as soon as it's available! And be sure to Wishlisht the full game so you are notified for it's full release!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2393290/They_Speak_From_The_Abyss_Zenith/

-Graeme
(2 Left Thumbs)

We regret to share that the game will not be releasing today. However, the Steam page is locked in at "July 17th", and we are unable update the date at this time. Steam stops you from doing so to avoid developers abusing the system, with their game continuously being promoted in an "Upcoming" release state.

The long and short of it is that Zenith is substantially larger now then when it was first planned. It has served as a sandbox of development: testing, altering, refining and generally experimenting with mechanics and concepts. But that doesn't mean we want to rush out a buggy build, with corners cut. You have all been so wonderfully supportive, and deserve the best!

This Free standalone title (it will remain Free!!) is our opportunity to refine the mechanics and vision that will serve as the foundations for the full THEY SPEAK. Nailing down combat has been the greatest challenge. This was always planned, but was never a part of the original Demo last year that jumpstarted this entire series. It's been a complicated beast to wrangle, and your feedback given for Zenith will be invaluable for enhancing the full game.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2075460/They_Speak_From_The_Abyss/
(Coming 2024. Don't forget to add it to your Wishlist!)

Thank you SO much for your patience! Zenith is being worked on each and every day. Follow Nikki on Twitter for teases and more regular updates. It's been a hard lesson for all of us, that the home stretch of development is always longer than it appears. We do not want to announce a new date yet, but we are nearing the end! The final scope of the game has been set, and the focus now is on polishing and enhancing that existing content.

Thank you again!
-Graeme (2 Left Thumbs)