Below the Stone is a pixel-art roguelike about dwarves on the quest for the deepest depths. A place where each and every descent will lead to new adventures -- and where only the most determined dwarves with many lost lives will be rewarded by the hidden world lying below the stone.

Discover the lore of dwarves, the treasures they die for, and the secrets they rarely speak of. Within the stone below lies the adventure everyone seeks, but there's always a price. Often death.

Mine rare gems that grant magical buffs and can be socketed to your weapons and armor. When you have enough of one type of gem merge them together to make a more powerful version! This can be done over and over.

Each level deeper pits you against more cunning creatures and more dangerous biomes. But also greater rewards to mine and uncover. No pain no gain. (And some pain can be relieved with a pint of Dwarven brew.)

With each descent, you'll explore and find many unique ores, gems, and ancient treasures that have been buried before time -- all which will help you delve deeper in future descents...but only if you craft the right gear to survive.

With over 25 uniquely dangerous and graphically beautiful biomes, there's no lack of new environments and resources to find -- but tread carefully, as each has its own distinct threats as well.

Prepare each dive below the stone by crafting new equipment, socketing new gems, and brewing new potions with all the resources you've harvested from your previous journeys ... But beware, when you die, anything lost below the stone ... will remain forever buried below the stone.

Developer Strollart and publisher Apogee Entertainment announced that Below the Stone is now available through Steam Early Access.

“Below the Stone combines a retro presentation with surprisingly deep gameplay, pun intended!” said Scott Miller, founder of Apogee Entertainment. “We’re very thankful for the feedback given by those who played the demo which led to various community-requested changes. The journey to 1.0 continues with even more surprises on the way, and we look forward to sharing even more in the near-future.” 

The Current state of Early Access is the foundation of Below the Stone. The game currently does not include all the the cave layers we intend on adding, or the full list of creatures, crafting recipes, armor sets, class sets, etc. Early Access will include the early cavern layers of the game, several NPCs you can interact with in the kingdom, which has many hours of content that we hope to build more on.

• Early/midgame content.
• Multiple equipment tiers to progress through
• Singleplayer
• Basic crafting/trading NPCs
• Procedurally generated caverns to explore with many unique biomes and resources
• Many enemies and creatures to find and battle
• Melee and ranged combat.
• Keyboard & Mouse / Partial Controller + Steam Deck support

We have several big features that we intend on releasing in our big content updates:

• A plethora of new biomes to explore
• New resources to mine and collect
• New monsters to battle with
• New bosses to encounter
• Additional NPCs to assist you on your runs
• MANY new crafting recipes
• Lore to dig into
• Additional features based on community feedback”

Dwarves will be sent below the surface to collect metal and precious gems that your kin request of you. However, you can keep any extra you gain-- make a new pickaxe, a sword, some armor. Whatever increases your odds of coming back on your next trip! Store them safely at the dwarven kingdom, your hub area for crafting, storying items safely for your next expedition, and picking up new missions from your kin. But we warned! If you die Below the Stone, everything you carried on you will be lost under the surface forever.

With each descent you can also decide whether or not you are prepared to go deeper in your journey. Each layer's entrance will be held within a dungeon as a final challenge to see if you are capable and prepared enough to descend further. Once you go down, you will face a bevy of new biomes, creatures, resources, and environments to explore. Each layer is will contain 8-12 unique biomes that will challenge a dwarf's resourcefulness and grit.

The Dwarven kingdom is your place for crafting, preparation, and most importantly storing loot for later expeditions. You have full control over what items you bring with you, what equipment you craft, and what items you choose to keep at home safe and sound. The only catch is if you die, you will lose all the items you took down into the caves on your dwarf - such is the cost of progress! Additionally, your stay in the dwarven kingdom will yield an ever-growing cast of allies to aid you on your adventures below the surface. For example...

A dwarf's best friend is someone who can turn shiny things into useful tools. The Blacksmith is the reliable friend you can return home to when you're in need of proper weaponry, armor, and equipment for your future descents. His skills will aid in crafting your newly found ores into fresh new equipment to help you on your next trip into the depths, arming yourself for the dangerous realms below...

Some characters may be encountered underground and are in need of rescue; these folk will be welcomed to the dwarven kingdom as new companions to help you on your future journeys. You may bump into anything at all, from elven witches who brew potions to legendary dragon-slayers - and even necromancers! We plan on the kingdom having at least 10 - 12 important mainline characters you will be able to save and bring back to help your future adventures. Each of them will add a unique flavor to the kingdom and your journeys downward as they give you better chances, modifiers, and even change your playstyle.

Keeping goblins from scalping that freshly trimmed beard of yours is a top priority for a dwarf - not to mention a mark on their honor to keep their hair intact - so make sure to do anything you can to increase your odds of coming back on your next trip! Brand new armor, weapons, and tools do make your missions easier, but be warned: if you die in Below The Stone, everything remains buried Below The Stone. Forever. So calculate your risks and use your resources wisely, starting with the banker - your trusted ally to make sure your items are safe when you decide not to bring certain equipment! This will let smart and experienced players plan out their future runs well ahead of time, and let you decide if this is the moment you decide to risk it all on and go deeper than you've ever gone before in the name of dwarven progress...

Key Features:

• Procedurally generated cave complexes which lead to a new adventure in every descent.
• Plans on releasing 50+ biomes to explore with unique creatures, fauna, and resources to explore.
• 5 planned layers to explore.
• Multiple dungeons on each layer to test your mettle.
• Full character customization (Your equipment determines your stats and abilities).
• A Dwarven Kingdom with many important characters to meet, save, and aid!
• Custom Cave missions for every descent.
• Roguelike experience (If you die, you lose everything you brought with you!)
• Tough, but Fair! Safely store extra loot and resources at the Dwarven Kingdom.
• An hour long+ soundtrack to immerse yourself into a fantasy spelunking experience.
• Release on all consoles (Including Nintendo Switch and PC!)
• Dwarves, blunderbusses, and fresh shiny things!
• Digging holes (diggy diggy holes)!

Below the Stone is coming to PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam/GOG) in 2024.