Ao Norte's new game, Die or Die!, has a demo: check it out here!

Hello, fellow gardeners!

Ever since the release of Tiny Garden, we have been working on a new project at Ao Norte. Something completely different from this cozy, gardening game. Die or Die! is a top-down roguelite shooter with dice management elements and we’re happy to announce that its demo is now available! 

In Die or Die, luck and skill are equally important. Before every level, you roll a set of dice, and based on the outcome, you decide how the level will unfold. You can spend your dice to deactivate “bummers”, handicaps that make levels incrementally harder, or to acquire new skills and weapons that would make survival easier. 

Let us show an example, which should give you a clearer picture. Before each level, bummers will appear exponentially (first 1, then 2, 3 and so on) and you need to meet certain conditions to deactivate them: get a fixed value (let’s say, a 5) or a higher number meaning you have to expend more than one dice. Sometimes you will be able to deactivate all the bummers. Others, you will have to choose between the lesser evil. Luckily for you, you can also get weapons and skills that will help you through the level.

What do bummers look like?

• Bigger, stronger enemies

• Inverted controls

• Invisible HUD

• Shooting crazy (and inoffensive) chickens

• A grim reaper that follows you. RUN!

• Dead enemies that come back as ghosts to slow you down

• Monsters chasing you because an overexcited fan won’t stop following you

You get the idea. It’s not going to be a walk in the park.

On the other hand, you might equip yourself with bigger, meaner weapons, ignite enemies just by touching them, or summon a pair of heavily armed twins to fight at your side. How you survive each level is up to you.

We're releasing the demo right now but this is just the beginning. We will be joining the Steam Next Fest (October 13-20) and our roadmap includes an Early Access release. We will share more details soon, but for now, let’s just say we want your feedback before we ship the final game. Now is the best moment to start playing Die or Die. Just remember, luck won't always be on your side, so prepare to die. A lot.