SHYPIARD
CASE FILES — PUBLIC READING

Three real games.
Three public readings.

Astral Ascent, Selaco, Cassette Beasts. Three well-known indie launches, analysed from their public Steam pages. The case-file format below is exactly what a studio receives after a Shypiard diagnostic.

UNSOLICITED PUBLIC READING · STEAM DATA
Steam logo — Astral Ascent
CASE FILE · 01 — PUBLIC READING

Astral Ascent

Hibernian Workshop · Bordeaux, France

2D platformer roguelite

1.0 release — 14 November 2023 (after ~17 months of Early Access)

TEAM
Small, French indie
STEAM RATING
95% positive
REVIEWS TO DATE
1,763
FUNDING
Kickstarter
01 — CONTEXT

Hibernian Workshop is a French independent studio based in Bordeaux, built around a small team specialised in pixel art and platformer-roguelite. Astral Ascent — four heroes, twelve Zodiac bosses, fast and co-op combat — left early access on 14 November 2023 after about seventeen months of EA. The game is Kickstarter-funded and reached 1.0 with one of the highest Steam ratings in the roguelite genre. This public reading is unsolicited by the studio — it illustrates what a Shypiard case file could have proposed six months pre-launch, relying only on public data from the Steam page and Kickstarter.

02 — STARTING DIAGNOSTIC
  • 01Steam page: the long description introduces the Zodiacs before the player promise. For the roguelite genre, the pitch 'what happens when you fail then start again' converts better than 'what you fight'. Rewriting the first 300 characters recommended.
  • 02Steam tags: 'Roguelite' and 'Platformer' present. The 'Co-op' cluster is underused, whereas local co-op + Remote Play Together is a strong differentiator (few co-op roguelites on Steam).
  • 03Capsules: the main capsule is readable but could push the co-op dimension more, with two characters side by side rather than a lone hero.
  • 04Creator coverage: a successful Kickstarter indicates a pre-built community. The pre-launch lever to activate is the convertibility of that Kickstarter community into creator coverage — not ads.
03 — RECOMMENDED PLAN
PRIORITY 1

01 — STEAM PAGE (CO-OP ANGLE)

Rewrite the description with co-op as the angle of attack. Reposition tags to maximise the roguelite-coop cluster. Brief a '2 heroes side by side' capsule version.

PRIORITY 1

02 — ROGUELITE CREATOR MATCHING

Identify roguelite and co-op creators FR + EN. The daily-roguelite profile (cf. Northernlion on Vampire Survivors / Balatro) is the genre's key lever.

PRIORITY 2

03 — KICKSTARTER COMMUNITY ACTIVATION

The Kickstarter community is convertible into an army of wishlists if given a clear action channel (a sharing wave at D-90 and D-30 with a precise brief).

04 — CREATOR MATCHING · TARGETS
30K — 80K subscribers

Daily roguelite YouTuber

A daily format that turns a roguelite into an audience routine. It's the lever that made Balatro and Vampire Survivors.

15K — 40K combined

Co-op streamer duo

Local co-op in pixel art is rare. Audiences have a strong appetite for filmed co-op sessions between friends.

10K — 25K subscribers

Pixel art / metroidvania creator

A precise aesthetic niche. A small audience but one that buys games with polished art direction at full price.

05 — 90-DAY CALENDAR
  • W1 — W3

    Page rewrite + KS community activation

    New description, tags, capsule brief. Email to Kickstarter backers with a call to wishlist + share.

  • W4 — W8

    Roguelite creator outreach

    Contact the 3 archetypes. Send builds. Personalised briefs on co-op and the four heroes.

  • W9 — W20

    First video wave + Steam Next Fest

    Staggered coverage. Participation in the next Steam Next Fest with a calibrated co-op demo.

  • W21 — W24

    1.0 release + switch to tracking

    Release. Continuous post-1.0 outreach to maintain velocity through the first six months.

06 — MEASURABLE GOALS
30K
target wishlists at D-0 of 1.0 release
8
creator videos published before release
5K
target positive reviews at 6 months post-1.0
PUBLIC SOURCES
Steam logo — Selaco
CASE FILE · 02 — PUBLIC READING

Selaco

Altered Orbit Studios · Small international team

Boomer shooter / F.E.A.R.-inspired FPS

Early Access — 31 May 2024 (~3 years of development)

TEAM
Small, ~3 years of dev
STEAM RATING
93% positive
REVIEWS TO DATE
4,048
ENGINE
GZDoom
01 — CONTEXT

Selaco is a cyberpunk FPS built on GZDoom (the 1993 Doom engine, modernised) by a small team under the name Altered Orbit Studios. The project had been in development for about three years by its Steam early-access release on 31 May 2024. The pitch — F.E.A.R. + Half-Life with smart enemies and ambitious level design — is niche but recognisable for boomer-shooter fans. This public reading is unsolicited. It shows what Shypiard could have proposed six months pre-EA, relying only on public data.

02 — STARTING DIAGNOSTIC
  • 01Steam page: excellent on GIF visuals and screenshots. The long description would gain from clarifying the engine ('modernised GZDoom') right in the pitch, to activate boomer-shooter nostalgia without surprise.
  • 02Steam tags: 'Boomer Shooter' and 'FPS' present. The 'Cyberpunk' cluster is an underused asset, while it's a strong visual differentiator versus competitors (Dusk, Cultic).
  • 03Trailer: shows the gameplay but undersells enemy AI and destructibility. These two elements are the most distinctive and should be at second 5 of the trailer.
  • 04Creator coverage: the boomer-shooter community has dedicated creators (Civvie 11, Decino, MrICELANDIC) who systematically cover genre releases. A structured approach at D-90 would guarantee coverage.
03 — RECOMMENDED PLAN
PRIORITY 1

01 — RE-CUT TRAILER + STEAM PAGE

Re-cut the trailer with destructibility and AI in the first half. Rewrite the description with the GZDoom engine as a nostalgia hook. Tag 'Cyberpunk' moved up to position 3.

PRIORITY 1

02 — BOOMER-SHOOTER CREATOR OUTREACH

Structured contact of the three reference boomer-shooter critics (Civvie, Decino, Gmanlives). Early-access build delivered from week 6 — their videos take 4 to 8 weeks to produce.

PRIORITY 2

03 — LEVERAGE THE DEVELOPMENT TIME

Three years on GZDoom is in itself a story the niche FPS press loves. Monthly public devlog + a longform pre-EA post at PC Gamer / Rock Paper Shotgun.

04 — CREATOR MATCHING · TARGETS
100K — 500K subscribers

Expert boomer-shooter critic

Civvie 11, Decino, MrICELANDIC — their long videos define an old-school FPS's reputation. Solid coverage unlocks the entire community.

20K — 60K subscribers

Old-school FPS streamer

An audience that buys niche FPS without hesitation. Live sessions of 2-3h, a small but 100% genre-qualified audience.

10K — 30K subscribers

Cyberpunk visual specialist

An aesthetic niche. An audience looking for cyberpunk visuals + solid gameplay — exactly the Selaco promise.

05 — 90-DAY CALENDAR
  • W1 — W3

    Trailer re-cut + page rewrite

    New 90-second trailer, destructibility + AI in the first half. Long description, tags, retouched capsule.

  • W4 — W10

    Boomer-shooter critic outreach

    The long videos take 4-8 weeks. Contact + build delivered at W4 for publication at W10-12.

  • W11 — W20

    Staggered coverage + niche press

    Staggered creator publications. Longform PC Gamer / RPS article on the 3 years of GZDoom development.

  • W21 — W24

    EA release + switch to tracking

    Release. Reactivate already-engaged creators. Outreach to the boomer-shooter Discord community.

06 — MEASURABLE GOALS
50K
target wishlists at D-0 of EA release
3
major critic coverages (Civvie / Decino / Gmanlives)
10K
target positive reviews at 6 months post-EA
PUBLIC SOURCES
Steam logo — Cassette Beasts
CASE FILE · 03 — PUBLIC READING

Cassette Beasts

Bytten Studio · United Kingdom

Monster RPG / Pokémon-like with fusion

1.0 release — 26 April 2023 (Raw Fury published)

TEAM
3 people
PUBLIC SALES
1.1M+ units
REVIEWS TO DATE
8,684
PUBLISHER
Raw Fury
01 — CONTEXT

Cassette Beasts is a monster-taming RPG developed by Bytten Studio (UK) — a three-person team — published by Raw Fury, released in 1.0 on Steam on 26 April 2023. Signature mechanic: fusing two monsters on the fly to create a unique form. Turn-based open world. Built on Godot 3. The game passed 1.1 million units sold and ranks among the indie monster-taming references alongside Coromon and Monster Sanctuary. This public reading is unsolicited — it illustrates the Shypiard case-file format applied to an indie Pokémon-like six months pre-1.0.

02 — STARTING DIAGNOSTIC
  • 01Steam page: the fusion mechanic is mentioned but arrives in the second half of the description. It's the major differentiator vs Coromon / Monster Sanctuary — it should be in the first 100 characters.
  • 02Steam tags: 'Monster Taming', 'JRPG', 'Open World' present. Missing 'Co-op' and 'PvP', which are strong wishlist clusters in the category.
  • 03Capsules: the main capsule shows creatures but not the act of transformation. A capsule with a visible fusion would be more telling.
  • 04Creator coverage: the monster-taming niche has a very active YouTube community (FunWithGuru, Sacred Heart, Monstr Tamer). At 6 months, you trigger a cumulative coverage cycle.
03 — RECOMMENDED PLAN
PRIORITY 1

01 — REPOSITION THE PAGE ON FUSION

Rewrite the description with fusion as the first hook. Brief an alternative capsule showing two monsters mid-fusion. Add 'Co-op' and 'PvP' tags.

PRIORITY 1

02 — MONSTER-TAMING NICHE MATCHING

3 creators specialised in monster-taming. Early-access build delivered from week 4. A coverage programme staggered over 12 weeks.

PRIORITY 2

03 — LEVERAGE GODOT + 3 PEOPLE

The 'Godot game made by three people' story is a recurring games-press angle. A longform pre-release post at Game Developer or GamesIndustry.biz amplifies authority.

04 — CREATOR MATCHING · TARGETS
50K — 200K subscribers

Monster-taming specialist

A hyper-active community on the genre. Coverage by a FunWithGuru triggers chain recommendations within the segment.

20K — 50K subscribers

JRPG / casual longform streamer

The turn-based open-world format is ideal for series of 20-30 videos. Guaranteed long tail.

10K — 25K subscribers

Pixel art / Godot creator

A technical + aesthetic niche. A dev-curious + pixel-art-player audience — a high wishlist-per-view rate.

05 — 90-DAY CALENDAR
  • W1 — W3

    Page rewrite (fusion as hook)

    New description, new main capsule. Co-op / PvP tags added. Immediate reposting.

  • W4 — W10

    Monster-taming creator outreach

    3 targets contacted, builds delivered. Personalised briefs on the fusion mechanic (the angle that makes people click).

  • W11 — W20

    Progressive coverage + Godot press

    Staggered videos. '3-person team on Godot' angle coverage on Game Developer / GamesIndustry.

  • W21 — W24

    1.0 release + switch to tracking

    Release. Steam peak triggered by the velocity built. Active monthly tracking for Discord, DLC, Switch.

06 — MEASURABLE GOALS
100K
target wishlists at D-0 of 1.0 release
5
major video coverages in the monster-taming niche
200K
target sales at 6 months post-release
PUBLIC SOURCES
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