If you have already shopped with us, thank you! Everyone who played the demo already and gave feedback helped us to find bugs and tune up balancing.
If you haven't shopped with us before, welcome!
We’re Embers, the studio behind Murky Divers, and we’re back with our new game: Storebound. With Steam Next Fest, we’re happy to finally share the game with many new shoppers.
With this demo, we’re offering a glimpse into the mall — a fragment of the story within the larger experience of the full game. You can play solo, or together with up to 2 friends. Depending on how many times it takes you to venture through the mall, the demo generally has about thirty minutes to an hour of content.
Storebound is a 1-3 player co-op horror game. Play as ordinary shoppers trapped in an accursed megastore. Find the exit together at all costs before the employees catch you.
Team up with friends to escape a store that wants you to shop forever. Plan your next move using proximity voice chat and walkie-talkies. Piece together environmental clues and decode cryptic notes to find your next destination. Split up and look for whatever may help you escape. Search the mall for tools and items, and make sure you can slip away when danger comes. Solve puzzles to unlock new paths, hopefully guiding you to an exit.
When the lights go out, employees are on the look out for shoppers who need "assistance" after hours. Cut communications to stay silent, or risk getting caught. Hide in vents, progress without making noise, use flashlights to fight the darkness but be careful as the batteries are limited.
Avoid the mall's traps and aberrations, they will gnaw at your mind until you can't trust what you see or do. Every error might lead the store's abominations straight to you. Find fuses to turn the lights back on and hopefully start a new day.
If you're ready to start shopping, join the Discord now! There you can find others to shop with.
Storebound Discord
You can report bugs and leave feedback on Discord, or in this thread here on Steam. We'll be listening on Discord and Steam and looking for any issues that pop up, so please ask any questions you have! Here's a few we've received already many times and their answers.
Q: How many players is Storebound? Can I play solo?
A: Storebound is 1 to 3 players, and you can play solo!
Q: 3 is too low, will you add the option for 4 players or even larger teams?
A: We do not have plans currently to make the team size larger than 3. We've play tested before and decided that 3 was the optimal experience, and we prefer 3 people having fun rather than a larger group getting bored. That being said, we've gotten this request a lot. Down the line when the development team has time to add this, it is something we will consider. Q: Can I turn off the pixel/grain filter?
A: We know this filter can make some players woozy, so the team is working on a setting so you can lower and turn off the grainy filter entirely. It will not be available in the demo, but we will work on it for early access launch. Q: Is there a setting to increase FOV?
A: We are working on a setting for this one as well, and it will be implemented for early access launch. Q: Is Storebound going to have procedurally generated maps outside of the demo?
A: No, Storebound is more adventure and puzzle focused than our previous title Murky Divers. It plays closer to a game like Zort and we are planning different episodes that take you through different parts of the megastore. We think this is the best type of experience we can deliver. We prefer giving you an optimal linear experience rather than something not as fun. Q: How much will Storebound cost?
A: Under $10! Might even be in the $6-$8 range. Q: Will Storebound come to consoles?
A: We have no plans for this at this time. We will need a successful Steam launch for this to happen so we are doing all we can to make Storebound a great game!
We hope you enjoy playing the demo during Steam Next Fest! Once you play, please consider leaving a review on the demo page. Yes, you can leave reviews on demos now! Leave a Wishlist for Storebound as well. Both reviews and Wishlists really help Storebound grow it's audience on Steam. We look forward to shopping with you.
Nikko
Community Manager