It Takes a War news & patch notes

I can you see you raising that eyebrow. The blend of aesthetics here has you all confused, doesn't it? But let me tell you: this might be one of the most thematically on point bundles Steam has ever seen.

The It Takes ｡༅:*ﾟ*:✼✿Love✿✼:*ﾟ*:༅｡ bundle includes:

Don’t Stop, Girlypop!, a Y2k arena movement shooter where standing still is not an option! The faster you move, the more damage you deal and the more you heal, so ❤ Just ❤ Don’t ❤ Stop ❤ Moving! ❤

and, of course, It Takes a War: If you already own either game, you’ll still be able to take advantage of the bundle. Instead of buying the full thing, however, you’ll be given the option to complete the set and receive a 10% discount on the other title. Rejoice!

Oh hello again. A few bits and pieces for you today, as we approach one week since the release of the game. Firstly - after a bit of a delay which prevented us getting this out the door for launch - the Supporting Fire DLC is now available.

Cover us, we're going in!

A LITTLE NOTE: Supporting Fire is a way for players to show their support for the development team and any ongoing support for the game. It's a tip jar of sorts - not a huge content update to the game. As a thank you, however, we'll furnish you with the Supporting Fire Weapon Skins - a set of incredibly obnoxious skins for each of the weapons in the game. You'll be the talk of TDM_FILTH.

The Full Connection Edition

For those yet to pick up the game, you can now purchase ITAW + Supporting Fire in one handy package, which also comes with our eternal gratitude.

We've hit 100 Steam Reviews! ːsteamthumbsupː

Finally, yesterday we crossed the 100 Steam review threshold, with sentiment currently sitting at 92% positive. Again, a HUGE thank you to everybody that has taken the time to share their thoughts on the game - even (especially!?) those of you that didn't get on with it. Contrasting opinions on the game were always expected our side, but it's been amazing to see so many people connect with the subject matter.

Next stop: 200 reviews!

Until next time, Pantaloon & Thomas

THANKS.

It's been 48 hours (or thereabouts) since the release of It Takes a War, and we've just hit the Very Positive Steam rating, with 94% positive reviews.

To everybody that has played the game and taken the time to share their thoughts: huge thanks.

It Takes a War is a game that - more so than others - relies on word of mouth, and so your Steam reviews are incredibly important to us. Keep 'em coming!

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING.

We expect ITAW to be somewhat divisive. We know it's not going to be what some people expect. And that's fine! That said, lots of people have been saying lots of very nice things about the game. This review from Rogue.site in particular just gets it, so I wanted to share a little quote.

"I don’t want to talk about It Takes a War because It Takes a War is an experience that I don’t want to take away from anyone. I want to talk about It Takes a War with everyone I can because it is a powerfully moving piece of art. I am both of these things.

Rogue

Other nice words that have been said:

ːsteamthumbsupː "The team-based tactical shooter genre has never felt more realistic." ːsteamthumbsupː "Absolutely play this and look up nothing"

ːsteamthumbsupː "An experience that I didn't think would hit as hard as it did but it did!"

ːsteamthumbsupː "this ♥♥♥♥ is too real man."

ːsteamthumbsupː "Go in with no expectations and ready to be taken on a journey and you won't be disappointed"

ːsteamthumbsupː "I shot a rat until it exploded"

UPDATE v1.01

A few people have been experiencing issues with textures not loading properly upon loading into the game - a problem that should be now fixed with the arrival of the 1.01 update, which Thomas rolled out earlier today. Thanks for your patience while this has been sorted. We'll be keeping a close ear to the ground for anything else that might crop up as we continue to support the game post release.

FIND CONNECTION WITH OTHERS

If you've finished the game and want to exchange stories from your time in combat, please join us on Discord.

Thanks once again, and until next time, Pantaloon & Thomas

The servers are spun up. The arsenal is stocked. The enemy is lining up at the frontline.

It's time to connect.

It Takes a War - which is OUT NOW! - has been confusing players and journalists a-like since it was announced in September. “Was the game made in 2001 or is it set in 2001?”, “So is just that one map like?" and “What tf am I looking at!?” are all things that have been asked since then. 

Missed the latest trailer? Because it basically doesn’t clear any of those questions up at all. It makes things more confusing, if anything.

A Quick But Important Note

If possible, we recommend making sure you have enough time to play It Takes a War in one session as to not disappoint your teammates. A single playthrough of It Takes a War consists of around 45-60 minutes of playtime - so reserve that time in full, if you're able.

Oh yeah, The Demo's staying up btw!

Undecided? Want to check out a short, self-contained prelude to It Takes a War? Good news! It Takes a War: Demo Drills: The Director's Cut will remain live post launch, so you can check this out at any point.

The Five-A-Side Bundle

We're mega-chuffed to be partnering with Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena and the fine folks at Panic for the Five-A-Side Bundle; a package bringing Despelote and It Takes a War under one roof. 

Slice-of-life soccer adventure and team-based tactical shooter. What an unlikely pair!? But what if I told you there are deeper thematic ties here than first meets the eye? Noughties nostalgia, friendship, and a longing for connection. 

A Little Note From Thomas

Launch day, everyone!

Thank you to everyone and anyone who decides to check the game out (yes, even you). I put a lot of hard work into this project and I really appreciate the support I've received so far.

If you end up enjoying It Takes a War, please feel free to leave a review. I’m always very anxious to share my work with people, but despite that I would still love to know what you thought! Unless it's something bad, in that case I'd rather you send a handwritten letter if that's okay. An insult is always easier to swallow when you can see the person's handwriting.

I don't expect this game to necessarily be as much of a "crowd-pleaser" as THE CORRIDOR, but it's just as personal to me (if not more) and so if it resonates with even a few of you I'll consider it a job well done.

Stay connected out there! Or don't, whatever's best for you.

Thomas

Mark your calendar! Conflict is calling!

It Takes a War will launch on November 6th, which - at time of writing - is a mere two weeks away. We announced the release date in today's Galaxies Showcase event, with a brand new trailer...

Watch the new Angry Shark trailer!

Just ignore the stuff that happens at the end there. A technical thing we couldn't remove from the edit in time. It's fine. Don't worry.

We're keeping the Demo up, btw

So if you missed your chance to play during Steam Next Fest, fret not. You can still play now! Wonderful!

Two weeks to go, then! Do a wishlist and all will be right with the world.

IT IS STEAM NEXT FEST

Yes, it's rolled around once more. And It Takes a War - the new game from Thomas Mackinnon, the creative mind behind THE CORRIDOR - is taking part.

Not only is our short prelude to the game now live (a demo, if you will, although all the content is exclusive to this Director's Commentary meets Training Ground for the game), but we've also managed to steal a bit of time from Thomas to play a bit of the game for you. With even more commentary.

Oh, and you can play it on Deck, should you wish. It runs great locked at 40fps, and we've worked hard to front load Deck optimisation ahead of the launch of the main game. It is still in development, of course, so please keep us in loop with any quirks you might experience, and we'll factor any fixes into the ongoing dev.

WATCH OUR SIX, OVER!

As we enter the final phase of our campaign - and one of the biggest showcase events here on Steam - we humbly request your support. Play the demo, if you haven't already, and let us know what you think via a little review. It's a five minute prelude to the game, so not a huge time investment. Oh, and please wishlist, too - this is a huge help for us in the run up to launch. See you next time for a bit of release date news, maybe.

We have news, glorious news! Just ahead of Steam Next Fest, which is next week - as I'm sure you know, we've made the first public demo of It Takes a War available. 

I say 'demo'. It's a short standalone experience, Director's Commentary and Training Ground for the full game all rolled into one. The 3-5 minute experience is a prelude to the main game, and if you've played Thomas' interactive trailer for THE CORRIDOR - will be somewhat familiar.

Jump in - the demo is live right now.

Watch our Six! We're Going In! 

You probably know how important Next Fest is for small games; this is a pivotal moment for the game. If you enjoy Demo Drills: Director's Cut, please do leave a quick Steam review - this helps the game immeasurably, and ensures we are forever in your debt.

(Oh, and we've made sure it's playable on Steam Deck, if that's your thing! Runs particularly well locked at 40fps. We've tested as thoroughly as we can, but if you spot any quirks on Deck, do let us know via Steam Discussions/Discord and we can roll the feedback into the ongoing development for the main game - which we're pushing for Deck verification for.)

Hold Position! There's more!

On October 23rd we have the legendary Angry Shark Gamer going hands on with the game for a WORLD EXCLUSIVE first look at It Takes a War's team-based combat. CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP!

We'll have other bits and pieces unfolding over the course of Next Fest, too. So See you then x

thomas & pantaloon.

THE FUTURE STARTS NOW.

Welcome to Radio Chatter; intel intercepted from the frontlines of the development of It Takes a War.

To the 1000+ of you that have wishlisted ITAW in its first 48 hours (or thereabouts) on Steam: many thanks! The squad is beginning to take shape.

We have many Exciting Things to share between now and the game's release later this year. This is only the beginning.

For anybody well-versed in the early noughties era of tactical shooters - or the online culture surrounding them - I hope It Takes a War will resonate with you. The game represents the glory of the genre's past and it's vibrant future all rolled into one.

Seeing early reactions to It Takes a War in playtest has proved one thing clearly; this is a game that is going to command conversation. Join it.

We'll be back soon. Take care out there.