Few Shall Return in 2025 and what's next
By Victor Hurdugaci on Jan 25, 2026
It has been just over a year since we started working on Few Shall Return.
This is how the game looked in early 2025:
A few weeks later:
And how the game looks today:
Following a series of summer playtests, we released the public demo in September 2025 with a distinct strategy. Rather than entering a traditional Early Access period immediately, we chose to iterate on the demo through regular, feedback-driven patches. We have released 10 updates since September:
- Dec 23: No more AI-generated content) - Replaced temporary AI-generated assets with handcrafted art
- Dec 17: New Camera Angle & Visuals - A visual update introducing a new camera angle and improved visual effects
- Dec 10: Incapacitated Characters & Video Settings - Added character incapacitation mechanics, a new Roster Screen, Ambient Music, and a Video Settings menu
- Nov 26: The Graveyard & Settings) - Introduced the Graveyard room and a comprehensive Settings Menu for key bindings and volume
- Nov 19: Environmental Damage - Added environmental damage from crystals and improved dodge mechanics with invulnerability frames (iFrames)
- Nov 12: The Crystals Room
- Nov 05: Map markers - Important items and locations are visible on the minimap
- Oct 30: New Sound Engine
- Oct 20: Extraction Mechanic - The release of the extraction mechanic and default weapons for characters
- Sep 26: Weapon Icons and Breakable
- Sep 15: Demo Release
Our work is far from finished. We remain committed to creating the premier multiplayer top-down extraction experience. Our roadmap includes new characters, deeper customization, new biomes, and additional mechanics. We look forward to sharing our full plans for 2026; in the meantime, here is a sneak peek of something coming soon:
This article is part of The Tales of a Small Indie Studio series. Click here to check out out the other articles.
