Making a game is never simple, but few releases feel as brutally unlucky as Katanaut — a cosmic-horror‑tinged action title with a Roguevania sensibility reminiscent of Dead Cells. Created by a solo developer, Eugene of Voidmaw, Katanaut describes itself as a “Metroidvania‑inspired action roguelite.” After more than three years in development it launched on Steam on September 10. That timing put it between the reveal of Hollow Knight: Silksong and the 1.0 release of Hades 2 — a crowded moment for both Metroidvania and roguelike fans.
Silksong’s sudden date reveal in particular generated debate; some industry figures, including Hell is Us creative director Jonathan Jacques‑Belletête, described the move as “a little callous” when compared to the way smaller teams plan their launches. With 2025’s packed release calendar, it’s increasingly difficult for indies to avoid running up against a much larger title’s announcement or launch.
It’s worth noting that many games are eclipsed on Steam each year for a variety of reasons — not solely because of big-name competition. Still, it’s uncommon to see multiple high-profile releases that overlap so closely in both Metroidvania and roguelike space, which made Katanaut’s timing especially unfortunate after three years of solo development.
Eugene appears philosophical about the outcome: he’s glad to have released his debut and to be receiving favorable reviews. His X thread may have helped a bit post-launch, and Katanaut saw a lift on its SteamDB chart after going on sale at a 25% discount. It presents as a compact, well-crafted experience — tempting for players who prefer shorter, focused titles. See the SteamDB chart.
“1 week ago we had 3 players”: Steam alerted a surprised developer that their demo was among the most‑played during Steam Next Fest.
Source: gamesradar.com
