Astro Burn news & patch notes

This update is packed with some of the biggest gameplay improvements we’ve made so far, all inspired by your feedback. Thank you to everyone who has been playing, streaming, sharing screenshots, and telling us what you’d love to see next. 🐾

NEW: Competitive Co-op Mode

Think you’re the better pilot? Our brand-new Competitive Co-op Mode is now live!

Every match randomly spins through the game’s levels, so you’ll never know which battlefield is coming next. To keep things fair and balanced, we've stripped it down to the basics:

• No weapon pickups

• No health or shield pickups

• Pure skill, quick reflexes, and a little bit of luck

The last cat still flying wins! 🐈‍⬛

Major Visual Polish & Gameplay Readability

One of the most common pieces of feedback we’ve received has been around gameplay readability, especially during the game's more intense moments.

We’ve gone through every single stage and carefully rebalanced the visual depth, making it much easier to distinguish between:

• Backgrounds & foreground elements

• Enemies & incoming projectiles

Alongside this, we’ve added extra polish across every level to make the cosmic action clearer, cleaner, and even more satisfying to play.

Introducing Meowchromatic Edition

One of the biggest surprises during development has been just how much everyone loved our original Mono Mode. What began as a simple accessibility feature has grown into something much bigger.

Instead of hiding it away as a menu toggle, we’ve turned it into its own distinct way to experience Astro Burn. Now, when you launch the game, you’ll choose between two editions:

• Purrismatic Edition - The colourful, vibrant adventure you know and love.

• Meowchromatic Edition - A beautifully handcrafted monochrome version with its own unique atmosphere.

The inspiration came from the Mad Max: Fury Road - Black & Chrome Edition, which proved that shifting the visual presentation can completely transform the experience. That’s exactly what happened here - Meowchromatic Edition genuinely feels like a fresh way to play. Sometimes the best ideas come from solving an entirely different problem!

Kickstarter Pet Gallery

Finally, we’ve added our brand-new Pet Gallery! Thanks to our amazing Kickstarter backers, you can now browse a growing gallery of the wonderful pets that helped bring Astro Burn to life. Every portrait is a huge thank you to the incredible community that has supported this game from day one.

As always, thank you for helping shape Astro Burn. Every piece of feedback, bug report, and suggestion genuinely helps us make the game better. We can’t wait to hear what you think of this update... and to find out who is crowned the ultimate Competitive Co-op champion! 🐾

Shmups are known for being visually intense, fast-paced, and packed with flashing colors. But for many color-blind and visually impaired players, that beautiful cosmic chaos can make the action incredibly difficult to follow.

We want Astro Burn to be an adventure everyone can enjoy, which is why I’ve been researching game accessibility for quite some time now.

After receiving some fantastic, detailed analysis on an early build from accessibility advocate Ned Shoaei, spending months reading research papers, and drawing inspiration from industry advocates like Jarvs Tasker, we decided it was time to take action.

Coming to our Early Access update today, we are introducing our new 'Mono High Contrast Mode' toggle!

Not Just a Filter: A Manual Redesign

This isn’t just a lazy color overlay. To get this right, we are manually going through each layer of every level in the game to:

• Adjust Contrast Ranges: Creating high-contrast, monochromatic palettes to drastically improve visual clarity.

• Prioritize Gameplay Sprites: Hiding or softening certain background details so your eyes can focus instantly on what matters - your ship, the enemies, and the projectiles.

It is a incredibly time-consuming process, but the results are so worth it.

Not only does it make the game significantly more comfortable to play for color-blind pilots, but it also gives Astro Burn a really distinctive, gorgeous new retro artistic look! 🖤

Check it RIGHT NOW!

To access the mono mode, go to Options > Gameplay and toggle the switch for Mono Mode. Remember you can access the options screen anytime by pausing the game.

We can't wait to hear your feedback on how it feels in action. Every hurdle overcome means one more platform - and one more group of players - who can safely join the mission to rescue those kittens!

Over and out,

Astro Burn Team

We have been working hard behind the scenes to bring you an absolute monster of an update. We have packed this release with brand-new features, quality-of-life improvements, and a few delightfully bonkers surprises.

Here is everything new in the latest version of Astro Burn!

📺 New Feature: Cat TV Mode

A game starring a space cat simply had to include something for real-life cats too!

Introducing Cat TV Mode!

Now you can take a quick break from blasting through the galaxy and let your feline friend enjoy three dedicated channels designed specifically to keep them entertained. Sit back, relax, and watch your cat become the newest Astro Burn player! 🐈‍⬛

New Feature: ASMR Mode

Need a break from the intense, bonkers bullet-hell action?

Our new ASMR Mode lets you unwind with a collection of deeply relaxing ambient soundscapes. Pop on your headphones, close your eyes, and recharge your batteries with peaceful audio moments including:

• Gentle waves rolling onto the shore

• Soft winds drifting high above the clouds

• A cosy morning at home with the comforting sound of a cat purring 🐾

Sometimes, it is just nice to sit back and relax.

The Journey Concludes: New Levels 8 & 9!

The adventure continues! Levels 8 and 9 are now officially available to play.

If you are progressing through Story Mode, you will finally reach the epic conclusion of Astro and AL’s journey.

We won’t spoil anything here... but expect a few emotional surprises along the way!

Updates, Polish & Flying Snacks!

We have continued refining the gameplay experience across the board to make the game feel better than ever:

• Cinematic Transitions: Added smooth fade-in and fade-out transitions between levels for a much more polished feel.

• Cutest Kitten Rescues: Enhanced the Kitten Save animation with popping bubbles and floating hearts appearing as each rescued kitten thanks you.

• More Localisation: Added additional text translations that were missed in our previous major language update.

• Classic Arcade Leaderboards: The High Score table now includes a retro-style dummy leaderboard so it never feels empty on your first playthrough—just like the arcade cabinets we all grew up playing!

• Delicious Projectiles: We swapped out the standard bullet projectiles for flying food! Let’s be honest... Astro the space cat only has one thing on her mind: snacks! Not only does this perfectly suit Astro’s personality, but it leans even further into the game’s cute-’em-up charm. After all, why fire boring bullets when you can defeat your enemies with flying treats?

As always, a massive thank you for all your incredible feedback and support throughout Early Access. Every single update brings Astro Burn one step closer to the ultimate experience we have always dreamed of creating, and we are absolutely thrilled to have you on this journey with us.

Turn on the Cat TV, sharpen your claws, and we will see you among the stars!

The Astro Burn Team

Hold onto your whiskers, crew! The ultimate next-gen hardware is arriving in just one week, and we have some absolutely claw-some news to kick off the countdown:

Astro Burn is already officially VERIFIED for the upcoming Steam Machine!

When you get your hands on the console next week, our space-cat cute-’em-up will be fully optimized and ready to launch into maximum cosmic chaos from day one.

The countdown is on! Stretch those paws, get your gaming setups ready, and prepare to show the universe what a fully powered space kitty can do on next-gen hardware. 🐈‍⬛

A massive thank you to our incredible community for blasting off on this journey with us. Secure your game now, get ready for the console launch next week, and let's conquer the new leaderboards!

Over and out,

The Astro Burn Team

Purr-fect timing, crew!

We have some absolutely claw-some news to share.

Astro Burn is now Steam Deck Verified!

That means our cosmic cute-’em-up runs flawlessly on Valve's handheld, bringing full controller support, crisp readable text, and smooth space-cat performance directly to your paws.

Sharpen Your Claws for Summer

Whether you are lounging like a lazy cat in the sun, traveling, or just chilling in bed, the ultimate portable space adventure is now always by your side. You can now dodge bullet hell chaos, fight massive bosses, and rescue precious kittens anywhere in the universe (or, you know, just in your backyard).

Could there be a more meow-tastic announcement to celebrate the upcoming summer solstice and the shortest night of the year? We think not!

Ready for Liftoff?

Grab your Steam Deck, update the game, and get ready to blast off. The galaxy isn't going to save itself, and those kittens need their captain!

Thank you all for your incredible support throughout Early Access and Kickstarter. Seeing that green verification checkmark is a huge milestone for us, and we can’t wait to hear how the game feels in your hands!

Over and out,

The Astro Burn Team

One of the most important steps in making a game truly accessible is ensuring players around the world can enjoy it in their own language. That is why we are absolutely thrilled to announce that:

Astro Burn is now fully localised!

When you load up the game after this update, the first thing you will see is a brand-new Language Selection Screen (which you can also access anytime from the main game menu).

New Languages

We are incredibly proud to welcome new space cats to the mission in all of these languages:

🇫🇷 French

🇩🇪 German

🇯🇵 Japanese

🇰🇷 Korean

🇵🇹 Portuguese

🇪🇸 Spanish

🇨🇳 Simplified Chinese

🇨🇳 Traditional Chinese

Font Updates & Steam Deck Optimisations

The localisation process also gave us a fantastic opportunity to improve the overall player experience.

We have updated the game’s font, making sure it retains that signature, charming Astro Burn cat-themed style while vastly refining text readability.

Best of all? These text adjustments include specific optimisations for the Steam Deck, ensuring everything looks crisp and clear on the handheld screen! 🎮

Fresh UI Improvements

Alongside the new languages, we have given the user interface a significant and sleek refresh:

• Cleaner Menus: Enjoy a more intuitive, streamlined navigation experience.

• More Icons, Less Text: We have replaced heavy text blocks with clean visual iconography.

• Kitten Rescue Counter: A brand-new feature that allows you to track exactly how many precious kittens you have saved during your intergalactic adventure! 🐱

This is a huge milestone for our team and an important step towards bringing Astro Burn to players across the globe. We already have even more languages planned for the future, and we cannot wait to see more captains joining the crew from every corner of the world!

Thank you all so much for your amazing support during Early Access. Jump into the options menu, pick your language, and let's save some kittens! 🐈‍⬛

Over and out,

The Astro Burn Team

The wait is over! The Steam Bullet festival has officially started, and Astro Burn is right in the middle of the action! 🐾

To celebrate this awesome event dedicated to dodging, blasting, and bullet-filled chaos, we are running a 20% DISCOUNT on our Early Access version throughout the entire festival!

Jump into the Cockpit Now

There has never been a better time to jump into Early Access and join our space kitty on this intergalactic journey. Grab your copy at a discount, test your skills against waves of cosmic enemies, and help us continue shaping the game!

The festival is officially live, so tell your friends, grab the deal, and let's spread the bullet hell hype!

Thank you all for your incredible support during Early Access! 🐈‍⬛

Over and out,

The Astro Burn Team

Still buzzing from an absolutely incredible weekend at TwitchCon, I woke up this morning to some mind-blowing news. Astro Burn has been featured on IGN Live!

Not only is our space kitty part of the main IGN Live event on June 6th–7th, but we are also featured right on the official IGN Live Steam page!

As an indie developer, this is a massive milestone for both Beyond The Pixels® and our awesome publisher Pixel Doors.

From a Passion Project to the Big Leagues

I am honestly overwhelmed by the response our little Cute-em-up has received. What started as a passion project inspired by the retro games I grew up loving has grown into something far bigger.

That is all thanks to YOU. Our amazing community continues to support, encourage, and challenge us to make Astro Burn better every single day during Early Access.

A Massive Thank You!

To everyone who has:

• Played the game and shared it with friends

• Left feedback and posted Steam reviews

• Backed our ongoing Kickstarter campaign

• Or simply cheered us on from the sidelines

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are helping shape Astro Burn into the game we always dreamed it could be.

We also want to give a huge shoutout to IGN Entertainment for being so incredibly supportive of indie games.

From TwitchCon to IGN Live... what a week so far! Let's keep this momentum going and bring this kitty home! 🐈‍⬛

Hello, cosmic co-pilots! We are back with another packed update based straight on your feedback. The cute-’em-up chaos just got faster, slicker, and much more satisfying.

Here is what’s new in v1.9:

🏎️ Introducing: Speed Zones!

The speedrunners asked for it… and we delivered! We have divided the screen into 3 distinct movement zones to give you ultimate control over your pacing and strategies:

• Left Zone = Normal Speed 🟢

• Middle Zone = Slight Speed Boost 🟡

• Far Right Zone = TURBO SPEED 🔴

Perfect for those who want to blast through levels at high velocity - but beware! Those incoming cute projectiles become much harder to dodge when you're flying at turbo pace.

🏆 Scoring Tweak

We made a little quality-of-life update to the scoring system. We’ve added a "+" next to the numbers to clearly communicate that No Death and Low Collision achievements are actually sweet bonus points added to your score!

⚔️ Weapons Overhaul

We’ve upgraded two of your weapons to make them feel far more slick, impactful, and satisfying to use:

• Green Projectile Upgrade: This bad boy now fires both forwards AND backwards! No more pesky critters sneaking up behind Astro’s tail. 🟢

• Electricity Bolt Replacement: Let’s be honest… the old electric bolt wasn’t pulling its weight and was causing a bit of a memory drain. So, we scrapped it! Say hello to the brand-new 6-degree spread shot, perfect for wiping out adorable chaos all around you at once. ⚡

🛠️ Technical Fixes & QOL Improvements

We’ve done some deep cleaning under the hood to make the gameplay experience smoother, especially for co-op mode:

🎮 Co-Op & Missiles

• Fixed screen padding checks for Player 2 in co-op mode.

• Fixed screen padding for auto-locking missiles (for both P1 and P2). Missiles will now only lock onto enemies if they are actually visible on your screen!

⚙️ Balance & Collision Adjustments

• Special Abilities: Balanced all special ability damage. Specials now inflict damage when colliding with Astro, operating on a cooldown to prevent unfair repeating triggers.

• Safe Zone Addition: Added a safe-zone collision area to prevent objects and enemies from being killed off-screen accidentally.

• Cleaned up the Base scene and Stage 3 Vertical.

📺 Menu & Intro QOL

• Intros: Increased the time to skip intros to 1.5 seconds so the skip button actually has time to show up.

• Credits: Added a handy "Speed Up" button to the credits sequence.

• Game Over: The intro now correctly goes back to the front screen to allow all global settings to reset properly.

• Note: We have locked the Language Screen for now as it is still incomplete. 🐾 Thank you for all your support, praise, and criticism! Keep the feedback coming, and let us know what you think of the new Turbo Speed Zones!

  Ready? Steady? MEOW! 🚀🐈‍⬛

🚀 THE ASTRO BURN KICKSTARTER IS OFFICIALLY LIVE! 🐾

This is it - the moment where we take this feline odyssey to the next level. I have poured my heart into the Early Access, but now I need your help to make Astro Burn the ultimate tribute to retro gaming and cosmic chaos.

Why back us?

💿 Physical Editions: Yes, the rumors are true! Grab a physical copy for your collection.

🐈 Immortalize your cat: Special tiers to get your feline friend featured in the game forever.

The galaxy is vast, but with your support, we can conquer it. Let’s show the world what the cat crew is made of!

Back the mission here:

ASTRO BURN KICKSTARTER

Ready? Steady? MEOWTASTIC!!!! 🐈‍⬛💥

It is a dream come true to see so many of you piloting through the galaxy! Based on mountains of your fantastic feedback, the red laser pointer has directed us to our most important update yet.

Here is what’s new in v.18:

🛠️ Improvements & Refinements

• New Scoring System: We want you to feel rewarded! Now, it’s crystal clear when you’ve achieved a Perfect Score Run or a new Hi-Score. Each level completion now clearly communicates your greatness! 🏆

• Audio Overhaul: Many of you mentioned the "pew-pew" noise was a bit too much. We’ve leaned harder into the Cute-em-up genre! We replaced the noisy sounds with SFX that feel "nice" to the ears - think of the satisfying sound of popping bubble wrap. 🫧

• Precision Hitboxes: Those pesky collisions! We’ve reworked the hitboxes for Astro and the obstacles to ensure much higher accuracy. No more "how did that hit me?!" moments. 🐈‍⬛

• Astro’s Attitude: You’ll now hear an audio cue of Astro getting angry whenever you’re hit by enemy projectiles. Don't make the kitty mad! 💢

🚀 Brand New Content

🌆 Stage 7: Abandoned Skylines of Earth

Welcome to the ruins of Earth. The cities are empty, but the streets are packed with oversized animals stampeding straight toward you in glorious chaos!

• The Boss: Prepare for the ultimate showdown against PooBear on the Party Bus! 🚌🐻

🐱 New Feature: Save The Kittens!

It’s not all about blasting; it’s about rescuing! You can now save cute kittens throughout the levels. Not only does it feel good, but you’ll also get bonus points for every kitten brought to safety!

🎵 Music Player

You asked, we delivered! Since everyone loves the soundtrack by Venice Bleach, we’ve added an in-game Music Player. Now you can sit back, relax, and vibe to the beats.

🐾 What’s Next?

If your specific feedback hasn’t been addressed yet - don't have a hairball! 🧶

We are committed to listening to all your praise and criticism. We’re already working on the next update filled with more fixes and brand-new content.

Thank you for being the best co-pilots in the galaxy!

Ready? Steady? MEOW! 🚀🐈‍⬛

Also... SOMETHING REALLY BIG IS COMING! Stay Tuned 🎶🎶🎶

Love for the 90s golden age of gaming inspired Beyond the Pixels founder / Game Dev HaZ Dulull and set him on course to create the upcoming Cute ‘Em Up title, Astro Burn.

But the Super Famicom era wasn’t only about the games, it was the whole experience. From holding the box in your hands and delighting in an instruction manual packed with artwork, to blowing the dust off the cartridge, slotting it in and pressing start.

The passion with which Beyond The Pixels cherishes retro gaming burns bright and expands to the physical form factor too. Beyond The Pixels believes in preservation and ownership, and it’s starting with Astro Burn by teaming up with Physical publisher 33-games.

The Astro Burn Kickstarter offers players a physical copy of the game that exists outside of digital platforms, and is as simple as plug ‘n’ play. No log in screens. Just the gamer and their game, exactly how it’s meant to be.

Special Edition Collection also includes Artbook, Trading Cards, Soundtrack on Cassette, CD and Vinyl.

Be sure to check out the Prelaunch page and slam that FOLLOW button to be alerted when the Kickstarter goes live.

Visit the Kickstarter Page

Notable known Issues:

• Achievements not working properly.

• Audio of weapons shooting was so repetitive and annoying.

Full patch notes:

• We now have updated the achievements with brand new ones and you unlock them after completing stages 0, 1, 2,3,4 and 5.

• there will be more achievements added soon for other levels + for defeating bosses and other things like fastest level time and more!

• Audio of weapons has now been updated, we removed sound linked to each projectile, and now only trigger Sound effects on destruction of objects, this already has changed the feeling of the game to be more relaxing and less annoying and “noisy”.

• We will be adding more sound updates and optimisation throughout early access.

🐾 The First Pawsome Patch is Live!

A huge thank you to everyone who jumped into Astro Burn on day one! Your energy has been incredible. I have been watching the streams and reading your reports, and it is time for our first round of polish to make this journey even smoother.

Here is what was changed in today's update:

• Updates and Fixes to Score Leaderboard and Analytics.

• Hotfix Unlocking Levels Screens and UI Button Position on some Menu Elements

• Updated the Attract mode autoplay video .

• Stage 2 floating piggys now react as destructibles.

🐈 Keep That Feedback Coming!

This is just the start.

Please keep reporting bugs and sharing your feedback in the Discord or Steam forums to help me make Astro Burn absolutely purrfect!

Every bit of input helps me sharpen the claws of this game. Found a bug in the galaxy? 🐾 Don't let it ruffle your fur! Report it through our form so I can squash it and keep your adventure purrfect.

If you are enjoying the chaos, please consider leaving a Steam Review. It helps the game reach more pilots!

Back to the lab!

The wait is over! Astro Burn has officially landed in Early Access. But this is just the beginning of our feline space odyssey. Early Access is all about sharpening our claws and shaping the galaxy together. I am working hard to turn this into the most delightfully bonkers cute-em-up in the universe!

Here is the pawsome plan for what is coming next:

Gameplay & Content: Expanding the Territory

• New Levels Incoming (The Grand Finale) Levels 7, 8, and 9 are currently in the lab. Expect fresh worlds, weirder enemies, and over-the-top boss encounters that will bring our story to a tail-twitching conclusion.

• Refined Couch Co-op & Party Modes Multiplayer is getting a serious upgrade. I am adding more chaotic co-op levels and balancing the gameplay so you and your friends can cause maximum mayhem on the sofa.

• The Purr-fect Polish:

🐈‍⬛ Full Animations: No more static sprites! Every enemy will get full animations. Say goodbye to those sliding bad guys.

😻 Balanced Audio: Fine-tuning the meows and explosions for your listening pleasure.

😼 More Languages: Bringing Astro Burn to more humans around the globe.

Systems & Progression: Level Up Your Cattitude

• Expanded Upgrade & Stats System I am digging deep into the progression to give you more meaningful choices. Want a faster pounce or a bigger blast? You will have more ways to build your ultimate space-cat.

• Chain Chaos Reward System Destroy specific enemies and objects in a row to trigger Combo Streaks. High combos mean bonus points and much better upgrade drops. Total chaos equals total rewards.

• Perfect Alignment Mechanic Timing is everything. Activate your Special Move at the exact right moment to trigger high-risk, high-feline-fury payoffs. It is all about that purr-cision.

Experimental & Fun Modes: Stay Weird

• ASMR Relax Mode Need to chill after a heavy combat session? This zen mode focuses on sensory-driven vibes for a more relaxed Astro Burn experience.

• Music Player Mode The synth-pop soundtrack is a vibe. Soon you will be able to jam out to the game tracks whenever you want.

• Cat TV Mode 🐾 (Yes, Really!) I have not forgotten about your real-life co-pilots. This mode is designed specifically for your cats to watch while you take a break:

  🐾 Birds soaring over ocean waves.

  🐾 Underwater fish sequences.

  🐾 Dynamic patterns to keep those paws batting at the screen.

🤝 Built With You: The Real MVPs (Most Valuable Players)

Your feedback is the catnip that keeps me going! Your suggestions will directly shape features, balancing, and tuning throughout this journey.

As a massive THANK YOU for supporting me during Early Access, every player who helps provide feedback and support will be immortalized in the credits of the final release.

Let us make this the most meow-tastic game on Steam! 🐈‍⬛✨

Wow—what an incredible two days at the London Games Festival / New Game Plus showcase, where Beyond The Pixels® had the chance to present Astro Burn as an Official Selection.

The Energy of Indie Games, Live

The atmosphere was electric. Indie developers supporting each other, players jumping in with curiosity, and creators capturing and sharing their experiences in real time. It’s one thing to release a game into the digital world—but seeing it played live, hearing reactions in the moment, and watching people connect with it face-to-face is something else entirely.

We had artists, developers, and content creators all showing genuine love for the cute-’em-up vibe. But what stood out the most were the players who had no industry background—just people walking in fresh, drawn in by the visuals, the energy… or simply a space cat on screen.

From “I Can’t Play SHMUPs” to “That Was So Much Fun”

Some of my favourite moments came from people standing at a distance, watching others play.

We’re terrible at shmups… we just like the cute cat.”

After a bit of encouragement—“what’s the worst that could happen?”—they gave it a go.

And that’s when the magic happened.

“Okay… that was WAY more fun than expected!”

“It’s actually really accessible compared to other shmups!”

Hearing that was everything. Those moments made all the late nights, all the iteration, all the tiny decisions along the way—completely worth it.

The Ripple Effect

When I got home and checked the numbers, I saw a noticeable spike in Steam wishlists.

No surprise.

Because those players didn’t just try the game—they connected with it.

Why In-Person Events Still Matter

In a world driven by digital distribution, algorithms, and online visibility, it’s easy to forget just how powerful real-world interaction is.

In-person events:

- Create genuine, human connections

- Allow immediate feedback and observation

- Turn curiosity into engagement

- Transform passive viewers into active players

You don’t just showcase a game—you share it.

Building a Stronger Indie Ecosystem

We need more spaces like this.

More events that champion indie developers.

More opportunities for players to meet the people behind the games.

Because at the end of the day, games are about connection—between players, creators, and ideas.

And moments like these remind us why we do it.

This is what it’s all about. 😺

We’ve added checkpoints to levels so you can track your progress as you play. This gives you a clearer sense of how far you’ve come, and how close you are to completing each stage, while keeping the flow of the action smooth and focused.

This is now updated in the latest build of the demo.

We’re excited to be showcasing Astro Burn at New Game Plus as part of the London Games Festival on April 16th–17th!

Come down, jump in, and play the latest build—and I’ll be there in person at the booth. I’d love to meet you, chat all things shmups, and share more about the journey behind the game.

See you there 😸

Listening to your community is everything in indie game development.

Today, I’m really excited to share a new mode in Astro Burn, you can now choose your play-style right from the start with Story Mode or Arcade Mode.

While Astro Burn is proudly a cute-’em-up, it’s still rooted in the SHMUP genre, and therefore it's important for us to make sure both narrative-driven players and hardcore SHMUP fans feel right at home.

Story Mode is for players who want the full journey - following Astro and AL, following their Wizard of Oz style narrative as the story unfolds.

Arcade Mode, on the other hand, strips it back to pure gameplay, no interruptions, just tight controls, bullet-hell chaos, and chasing those high scores.

Huge thanks to our community for the constant feedback on Discord, it genuinely shapes the game it is today.

So what are you waiting for? Get your paws on the updated demo available.

We all know a proper intergalactic feline doesn’t head out on a mission without the right beat. That’s why today, we’re taking a look under the hood (or rather, under the fur) at the sound design of Astro Burn. Fair warning: this bass will make your whiskers vibrate!

Mission: Paris Underground

To make the in-game music sound like a fluffy DJ's dream, the Beyond The Pixels crew headed straight to Paris, to the studio of the artist known as Venice Bleach. The goal was simple: blend 90s nostalgia with a modern energy that makes your speakers purr with delight.

Synthwave, Neons, and... a Smoke Machine?

There was no "soft play" in the studio. Purple neons, analog synths, and thick smoke created the exact atmosphere where the soul of Astro Burn was born. By utilizing the powerful Guy Engine, the team captured that legendary, "crunchy" sound of the 16-bit era (shout-out to all the SNES fans!), but with a kick that would make any modern club jealous.

🌿 Catnip Mode for Your Ears

The music in Astro Burn isn’t just background noise - it’s rocket fuel. When Catnip Mode kicks in, it’s not just the screen exploding with color; the soundtrack gets a massive turbo-boost. This is the moment where the rhythm perfectly syncs with every mecha-panda explosion. Pure, concentrated feline euphoria!

Why Does It Sound This Good?

• Bass-Heavy Action: Heavy basslines you’ll feel in your paws with every shot.

• SFX with Claw: Every laser blast and collected bonus has been polished to provide maximum satisfaction (as close as it gets to a scratch behind the ears).

• The Feline Vibe: From meows to cosmic synths - this is a love letter to the era of arcades and home consoles.

Want to feel these vibrations for yourself? Don’t wait for your cat to take over your keyboard! The Astro Burn demo is waiting for you right here on Steam.

👉 Play the DEMO and add Astro Burn to your WISHLIST! Help us make sure the whole world hears this cosmic cat synthwave!

Join Discord - https://discord.com/invite/qV9u6krj4c

🚀 Great news! our Astro Burn Demo is now live on Steam for Apple Mac!

A huge thank you to everyone who jumped in to install & test across MacBook Airs and Pros, your feedback helped ensure it’s running beautifully. 🙌

It is recommended to plug in a gaming controller for the full arcade feel 🎮

but we also have love for the keyboard gamers too:

WASD – Move

Space Bar – Fire

F – Slam it, as soon as Catnip Power bar is full, to unleash Feline Fury! 🔥

If you enjoy it, a wishlist and quick review goes a long way in supporting indie dev.

Let’s show some love for modern-retro on Mac.

I’ve always disliked loading screens that are just static images. With Astro Burn I wanted to use that loading time more intentionally—turning it into a space to share small pieces of character backstory, rather than relying solely on in-game story or text-heavy moments.

After all, this is a bullet-hell cute-em-up, players want to stay in the thick of the action. Loading screens felt like the perfect place to slip in short, meaningful character vignettes that add depth without slowing the pace.

It’s a small touch, but one that helps the world and its characters feel more alive between the chaos.

( The above art is from the Co-Op mode loading screen now updated in the Demo build )

Think you’ve got the fastest paws in the galaxy?

Jump into the Astro Burn Leaderboard Challenge and battle your friends for the top score! Dodge, blast, and claw your way through waves of cosmic chaos — only the sharpest reflexes and wildest weapon combos will earn you the #1 spot.

Ready to prove you’re the ultimate space cat?

As an indie developer, I’ve learned that sometimes you have to trust both your gut and your community - and after so many great conversations, playtests, and bits of feedback, it became clear that Astro Burn shines brightest when it leans into the fun, chaotic, cat-powered energy everyone loves.

So I made a deliberate pivot: rather than pushing toward a traditional hardcore shoot-’em-up, I’ve steered the game fully into its own lane — a cute-em-up that embraces personality, colour, and charm in a way that truly sets it apart from other shmups out there.

This direction feels right at home with the cute-em-up classics I grew up playing on the SNES, like Parodius and Pop’n TwinBee. Which means: yes, spaceships are out… and giant adorable critters are IN. The machines are still part of the world — but now they’re powered or piloted by oversized, ridiculously cute animals that give the game its unique identity.

And don’t worry, this isn’t chaos for chaos’ sake. There is a lore reason why Earth is now ruled by giant animals… but you’ll have to wait until the full release in April 2026 to discover that twist.

For now, jump over to Steam and try the latest Demo update — a bullet-hell blast of colour, cuteness, and cosmic mayhem shaped directly by community input.

Let me know what you think in the comments below :)

When I saw players saying the boss wasn’t big or cool enough, I took that feedback very seriously… and then I went full flip mode!

Instead of dropping in yet another giant mech boss, I decided to crank the cute-em-up factor to MAX.

🚀🐼 Say hello to our newest boss: a massive armoured mecha-riding GIANT PANDA!

Yes… this is now a thing. And it’s glorious.

There’s a deeper story reason behind these sudden oversized animals drifting through space — and you’ll uncover it in the demo.

Or… maybe Astro just had way too much Catnip during her cosmic journey? 😼✨

More soon — and thanks again for the amazing feedback, it genuinely shapes Astro Burn!

Astro Burn Update Tease – Big Art Revamp on the Horizon!

Me and the team are busy working on updating Astro Burn based on the wonderful feedback from Steam Next Fest Demo + Playtesters.

Big update is the hero ship getting a brand new design, which I redesigned as a sketch at 1am! and then handed this over to my wonderful pixel artist - Ellie Vong to create the pixel art sprites.

Also more levels in the works, and I will not be using Faux pixel art unreal engine renders going forward, there will be a dev log video about this in detail.

Stay tuned for more updates coming soon.

I started exploring the idea of a mobile version of my game demo, sketching out the core experience and layout first. As I was designing it,

I realised it would play perfectly on a tablet, especially the one I was using, the Wacom Moving Pad 11. In the game engine GDevelop, I began to port the PC demo to mobile, optimising the code, adding touch controls, refining gameplay logic and stripping out heavier PC features for smoother performance. I then exported the build as an Android package, installed it on my Wacom Movink Pad 11

Here's me playing Astro Burn right on the tablet.

The mobile version serves as a gateway, letting players jump straight to the Steam page to learn more about the game and play the full demo on PC if they enjoyed the mini version.

Hot fix for Demo

• Fixed Button press glitch during story scenes, that was causing overlap of audio when pressing A.

• During catnip mode you now move in normal speed whilst everything else is in slow mo.

• Added more enemies in the empty section of the level to keep bullet hell consistent.

Thank you to everyone on the Discord for providing feedback as always ːsteamthumbsupː

Read the full interview on the Gamerhub site: https://gamerhub.co.uk/interview-talking-astro-burn-and-game-creation-with-haz-dulull/