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Full Steam announcements and update articles for this title.
Hello everyone!
First of all, thank you for playing our Early Access version!
Based on all the feedback we've received during our first week after launch, we've continued improving the overall gameplay experience.
This update focuses on combat mechanics, event design, UI improvements, and stability.
Dual Wield no longer triggers an extra weapon attack.
Instead, your next attack now deals double damage (after all damage modifiers are applied).
As a trade-off, you cannot play Armor cards while Dual Wield is active.
More explosive damage means more meaningful decisions.
Call Reinforcements and Gift Box can no longer generate themselves.
Temporary cards now use a gray card frame, making them easier to distinguish from cards in your deck.
Environmental Overflow cards now correctly preserve their upgrade values after saving/loading.
Various card balance adjustments.
Several events have been reworked based on player feedback:
Necromancer Arsenal rewards have been redesigned for clearer risk and reward.
Undead Altar (Awakening) no longer reduces your maximum HP. Instead, the risk is now tied to your gold, making the event more strategic.
Card Fusion events now include a Leave option.
Fixed an exploit that allowed players to avoid event outcomes by returning to the previous screen.
To make the overall experience smoother, we've polished many visual details:
Completely reworked the Sword Comes visual effect with smoother sword movement.
Improved the placement of resource information in events.
More accurate relic keyword descriptions.
Better positioning for keyword tooltips to reduce screen obstruction.
Fixed attack value previews on several cards.
We're also working on a brand-new Credits Ending.
Our goal is to make completing a full run feel more memorable, rewarding, and emotional, giving Joey's journey a proper ending.
This update includes numerous bug fixes, including:
Fixed an issue where saving and quitting during an event could incorrectly start a battle after loading.
Fixed temporary Max HP from Milk persisting longer than intended.
Fixed relic shops occasionally appearing empty after multiple refreshes.
Fixed card fusion occasionally becoming stuck.
Fixed incorrect difficulty display on the results screen.
Fixed UI alignment issues on 16:10 fullscreen resolutions.
Improved the first relic generation rules in shops.
Custom Levels and Puzzle Mode now correctly preserve difficulty settings.
Along with many additional stability and quality-of-life improvements.
Joey's Nightmare II still has a long journey ahead.
We'll continue improving the game, expanding its content, and adding more cards, mechanics, and features based on your feedback.
If you encounter any issues or have suggestions, please let us know through:
Steam Discussions
Discord https://discord.gg/rBYeJjsH7
We read every piece of feedback.
If you haven't tried Joey's Nightmare II yet, the free demo is available on Steam!
The demo currently includes the Warrior class and the first three difficulty levels.
We'd love to hear what you think.
The dream continues.
And so does our journey.
— The Joey's Nightmare II Team 🌙
Hello everyone!
We're the team behind Joey's Nightmare II, and today we'd like to share some exciting news:
Joey's Nightmare II will launch in Steam Early Access on July 14.
This also feels like the perfect opportunity to tell you the story behind Joey.
This is probably the question we get asked the most.
The truth is, we all have full-time jobs. We make games after work, on weekends, and whenever we can find a little free time.
Two years ago, we entered a small game jam with a side-scrolling platformer called Joey's Nightmare.
It was about Joey escaping his nightmares.
The game was brutally difficult. Players had to run, jump, and solve mechanics that required both hands working together. During the finals, the room was filled with the sound of keyboards being hammered like pianos.
People were sweating.
People were raging.
People kept trying "just one more run."
In the end...
We finished 4th, only one place away from the top three.
Players had two pieces of feedback:
"This game is way too hard."
And...
"The art... needs help."
They were absolutely right.
At the time, we didn't even have an artist. Every sprite was created pixel by pixel in Photoshop by a programmer who couldn't draw.
The following year, we decided to take everything in the opposite direction.
Instead of making a game that required incredible reflexes...
We wanted to make one that anyone could enjoy with a single mouse.
Our two lead creators—both algorithm engineers and huge fans of deckbuilding games—started building a roguelike card game.
(Inside the team we jokingly call them "Hidetaka Miyazaki" and "Hideo Kojima"... with slightly different names.)
Then an artist joined us—someone who had just fallen in love with Adventure Time and couldn't stop drawing, along with a talented programmer.
We kept the name Joey's Nightmare, added the II, entered another competition...
And this time, we won.
（This was our original 48-hour prototype. The UI was minimal, but the core gameplay was strong enough to win over the judges.）
（In later versions, we rebuilt the entire scene. Joey's bedroom became the game's hub: click the pillow to enter the dream world, turn on the TV to browse every card, and explore the bookshelf to learn the story behind each nightmare creature.）
Making indie games has always been a dream for many of us.
Maybe it started back in elementary school, secretly playing Solitaire and Spider Solitaire during computer class.
Back then we couldn't understand why a few cards and a handful of rules could keep us playing over and over again.
Years later, after playing countless deckbuilders, that feeling never disappeared.
We simply wanted to create the kind of game we would happily play ourselves.
That's why Joey is filled with things we genuinely love.
Today the game features three playable classes:
Ninja
Warrior
Mage
Each one reflects the interests of the people who designed them.
The Ninja was designed by our Soulslike fan.
The Mage was inspired by classic Chinese fantasy RPGs.
Even many of the monsters come from people around us.
The bald chicken wearing glasses...
The sarcastic Yin-Yang Chicken...
The bearded rock-and-roll donkey...
Many of them are based on friends, coworkers, and funny moments from everyday life.
Even some relics are inspired by things we do together—like playing badminton after work.
That's why many players have told us that despite being about nightmares, Joey's Nightmare II somehow feels warm.
Because it was built with love.
The core game is finished.
But we believe Joey still has plenty of room to grow.
During Early Access we'll continue improving balance, polish, and gameplay based on your feedback, while expanding the game with:
More cards
More classes
More mechanics
More dream worlds
The best ideas often come from players.
Real feedback always reveals things we never noticed ourselves.
If you'd like to share your thoughts, we'll be reading everything on:
Steam Discussions
Discord
QQ Community
Xiaohongshu
Whether it's a bug, a balance suggestion, a crazy combo, or simply something that made you laugh—we'd love to hear it.
To everyone who has followed Joey's journey...
Thank you.
We hope that one day Joey's Nightmare II won't just be remembered as a tiny indie project made by three friends after work.
We hope it becomes a game that players recommend to one another, return to again and again, and remember with a smile.
We'll keep making Joey's dreams a little stranger, a little warmer, and a lot more fun.
See you in the dream world on July 14. ❤️
Joey's Nightmare II will be making its first appearance at Bilibili World 2026!
If you're attending BW, come visit our booth to try the latest playtest build, meet the development team, and step into Joey's bizarre dream world with us.
📅 Date July 10–12, 2026
📌 Venue National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai)
🎮 Booth Hall 4.1H · Booth 4G3-10
🎮 Play the latest playtest build
🃏 Create your own personalized dream card
📸 Take photos at our booth and receive exclusive merchandise
🎁 Complete the demo and wishlist the game on Steam to enter our lucky draw for a chance to win an Early Access key and other exclusive prizes
Free Gift
Joey-themed face mask
Lucky Draw Prizes
Early Access keys
Flying fan
Dream-themed playing cards
Exclusive merchandise
And more!
Merchandise for Sale
Joey-themed bottled water
Flying fan
Playing cards
Developer team T-shirts
And other exclusive items
Can't make it to the event?
We'll also be streaming live from our booth throughout BW, showcasing gameplay, playing the latest build, and chatting with viewers throughout the show.
Whether you're visiting us in person or watching online, we'd love to see you there!
Come say hello at Booth 4G3-10. See you at BW! 🌙
Hello everyone!
This week we've introduced a new round of improvements to exploration and events, along with several bug fixes. Thank you to everyone who has played the demo and shared feedback with us—it has been incredibly helpful!
Here's what's new in this update:
Added a branching map system with multiple route choices.
You can now plan your path through Normal Battles, Elite Battles, Events, Shops, Rest Sites, Reward Nodes, and more.
Added multiple themed opening events for different chapters.
Each chapter now has a more distinct atmosphere and a stronger sense of progression.
Improved event option previews.
Before making a choice, you can now more easily see the potential effects on cards, gold, and HP.
Enhanced card descriptions and keyword tooltips.
Card effects and synergies are now easier to understand at a glance.
Fixed issues affecting cards such as "Strong" and "Power".
Fixed several UI interaction issues, map display problems, and tooltip display bugs.
Joey's Nightmare II will launch in Steam Early Access this July!
Throughout Early Access, we'll continue expanding the game with more cards, enemies, gameplay content, and system improvements, while refining the experience based on community feedback.
If you're interested in Joey's Nightmare II, please consider adding it to your Steam Wishlist. It helps support our small team and ensures you'll be notified as soon as Early Access goes live.
Thank you for all your support—we can't wait to share the next chapter of Joey's nightmare with you!
Hello everyone!
We've been reading all of your feedback from the demo, and one comment kept showing up:
"I have 10,000 gold... but nowhere to spend it!"
Fair point. 😅
So we've been hard at work, and today we're excited to introduce a brand-new feature:
Instead of progressing through a fixed route, you can now choose your own path through Joey's nightmare.
Want to visit a shop?
Need another battle?
Looking for more events or rewards?
Now the choice is yours.
This should make your journey more strategic—and finally give those rich players a chance to spend their gold!
The map system is now fully functional and available in the latest demo.
At the moment, the focus has been on gameplay and functionality.
Our artist is already working on polishing the visuals, so expect a much prettier version in future updates.
Stay tuned!
Your feedback is directly shaping Joey's Nightmare II.
Every suggestion, bug report, and funny complaint helps us make the game better.
Please keep sharing your thoughts—we're reading them all.
See you in Joey's dreams!
Steam Next Fest has come to an end.
Over the past few days, Joey's dream world welcomed many new adventurers.
We secretly collected some fun statistics from the demo. Here's what we found!
🟢 100% of players cleared the first stage.
Looks like everyone successfully took their first step into Joey's nightmare.
💰 100% of players earned money in their dreams.
Gold is valuable, but blessings are even better.
👊 100% of players punched at least one enemy.
Even though Joey now starts with shurikens, fists are still a fan favorite.
💀 83% of players died at least once.
After all, dying is just part of the dream.
🥷 Only 33% of players reached Difficulty 3 with the Ninja.
Looks like there's still plenty of room to master this class.
💰 Only 16% of players collected 10,000 gold.
True dream millionaires are rare.
⏰ Challenge Still Unclaimed: Die 10 Times
Which means...
You're all much better at this game than we expected.
No one has managed to die enough times to break Joey's alarm clock.
Some players became dream millionaires.
Some spent hours discovering the most ridiculous deck combinations.
Some transformed themselves into the strangest versions imaginable.
And some simply wandered quietly through Joey's dream world.
It's because of all these different choices, different stories, and different dreams that Joey's Nightmare feels a little more complete every day.
Thank you to every single person who stepped into Joey's dreams.
We hope that next time we meet,
we'll have an even gentler, stranger, and more wonderful dream waiting for you.
❤️ — The Joey's Nightmare II Team
Hello everyone!
Steam Next Fest has been running for a few days now, and we'd like to share some exciting milestones with you.
First of all, thank you to everyone who has played the demo, watched our streams, shared the game, or added it to their wishlist.
For a small indie team like ours, the past few days have felt a little unreal.
Since the start of Steam Next Fest, Joey's Nightmare II has seen a huge wave of new players.
In just a few days, we've gained more than 5,000 new wishlists.
For larger projects, that might just be another number.
But for a tiny team that started with a Minigame competition project, it's the result of countless late nights, endless revisions, and many moments where we wondered if anyone would ever play our game.
During Next Fest, we've been streaming almost every day.
Playing the game live, challenging difficult stages, showing off the AI Card Workshop, and answering player questions.
Our peak concurrent viewership exceeded 500 viewers.
Honestly, seeing hundreds of people watch us play our own game for the first time was a little terrifying.
But watching people discuss deck builds, complain about monkeys, and discover ridiculous combos made it all worth it.
Many players discovered Joey's Nightmare II because of its art style.
Some said it reminded them of Adventure Time.
Some said it felt like the strange dreams they had as a child.
Others just wanted answers to important questions:
Why did Romeo turn into a monkey?
Why are the turkeys seeking revenge?
Why is there an entire town ruled by donkeys?
Those strange questions are exactly the stories we want to tell.
From a small Minigame competition project...
To Steam Next Fest.
From a team of three people...
To seeing more and more players discover our game.
The road of indie game development hasn't been easy.
But thanks to your support, we've been able to keep moving forward.
If you haven't tried Joey's Nightmare II yet, the demo is completely free.
And if you've already played it, we'd be incredibly grateful if you shared it with a friend or added it to your wishlist.
Joey's dream isn't over yet.
And our adventure is only just beginning.
❤️ The Joey's Nightmare II Team
Steam Next Fest has just started, and we’ve already received a lot of feedback from players trying out the demo. First of all, a sincere thank you — we really appreciate the time and effort you’ve put into testing and reporting issues, which has helped us quickly identify several problems.
We’ve already pushed our first round of fixes and improvements.
Fixed an issue where some enemies remained on the field after their HP reached 0
Enemies now correctly disappear once their HP reaches 0
Some UI buttons did not provide clear feedback when interacted with
Improved visual feedback for button interactions
Selection and click feedback is now clearer and more responsive
In some UI screens, the Enter key did not trigger the intended action
This issue has been fixed
Enter key input now works correctly in the affected screens
Joey’s Nightmare II is still under active development, and Steam Next Fest is very important for us. Every piece of feedback and suggestion helps us make the game smoother, more unique, and more fun.
If you encounter any issues while playing the demo, or have any thoughts, please feel free to let us know.
We also welcome you to add Joey’s Nightmare II to your wishlist. Every wishlist is a big motivation for us to keep polishing the game.
You are also welcome to join our official Discord to share feedback and discuss the game with us and other players.
Thank you for joining Joey on this journey — we’ll keep working on improvements and fixes!
Ever wondered how the creators of Joey's Nightmare II actually play?
Want to see the decks we secretly use to beat the game?
Want to hear the stories behind those ridiculous monkeys, donkeys, and turkeys?
Join our live stream!
What to expect: 🃏 Live gameplay from the developers 🎨 Behind-the-scenes development stories 💡 Q&A with the team 😈 A look at the latest version of the game
If there's a class, deck, or strategy you'd like to see, let us know in chat!
Come hang out, talk deckbuilding, and explore Joey's strange nightmare world with us ❤️
Hello everyone!
Steam Next Fest officially begins on June 13th!
To celebrate, we've prepared some exciting new content for Joey's Nightmare II and hope even more players will join Joey on his strange and absurd dream adventure.
We've received a lot of valuable feedback from players who tried the demo.
Based on your suggestions, we've completely reworked the new-player experience to make it easier for first-time players to understand:
Deckbuilding mechanics
Combat systems
Dream progression and blessings
And all the weird monkeys, donkeys, and turkeys waiting in Joey's nightmares
We've finally released the very first trailer for Joey's Nightmare II!
Want to know:
Why Joey keeps dreaming about monkeys, donkeys, and turkeys?
What kind of crazy combos you can build?
How a timid little kid slowly learns to conquer his nightmares?
Check out our brand-new trailer!
Joey's Nightmare II is a hand-drawn roguelike deckbuilding game.
The smallest things that happen during the day can become huge problems in Joey's dreams at night.
Monkey.
Donkey.
Turkey.
Build your deck, collect strange blessings, defeat bizarre monsters, and journey deeper into the darkest parts of Joey's nightmare.
We're a very small indie team.
If you enjoy:
🎨 Hand-drawn art
🃏 Roguelike deckbuilders
😂 Weird and hilarious dream worlds
Please consider adding Joey's Nightmare II to your Steam Wishlist!
Every single wishlist helps us continue making games.
Thank you so much for your support.
And if you enjoy the game, don't forget to join our community and hang out with us!
See you at Steam Next Fest on June 13th!
Many of the monsters, stories, and dream worlds in Joey's Nightmare II come from strange ideas, childhood memories, and real dreams.
This time, we'd love to hear yours.
What's the weirdest dream you've ever had?
Maybe you:
Flew through the sky
Got chased by monkeys
Scored 100 on an exam but couldn't find the classroom
Turned into a turkey
Witnessed the end of the world
Met someone who had already passed away
Experienced something completely impossible to explain
Whether it's scary, funny, surreal, or strangely heartwarming, we want to hear about it.
We'll carefully read every dream submitted by the community.
Some of the most interesting, bizarre, or memorable dreams may be adapted into original Joey's Nightmare II stories.
Selected submissions may:
🎨 Be illustrated as pages in the in-game Storybook
📖 Become part of Joey's dream world lore
👤 Credit the original dreamer
🌟 Inspire future content and nightmare encounters
Share your dream story through:
Steam Community comments
Our Discord server https://discord.gg/4rk6rG8m7
There is no word limit.
If you'd like, you can also tell us:
How old you were when you had the dream
How you felt after waking up
Whether it was based on a real experience
Sometimes those little details make the best stories.
Joey's nightmare II come from imagination.
And imagination comes from real people.
We can't wait to read your dreams.
Maybe one day,
you'll open the Storybook and find a dream that once belonged to you.
Now that the Level Workshop is available, it's time to hand the keys over to the community.
Starting today, you can create your own custom level in Joey's Nightmare II and submit it through our official QQ community for a chance to be featured in the game!
Create a custom level using the Level Workshop
Export and share your level in our Discord Group https://discord.gg/4rk6rG8m7
(Optional) Tell us a little about your design idea
Create anything you can imagine:
Brutally difficult challenge runs
Resource-rich power fantasy levels
Monkey invasions
Donkey hell
Turkey revenge missions
Or the weirdest dream you've ever hadOr the weirdest dream you've ever had
The development team will select our favorite community-made levels.
Winning entries will:
✅ Be featured in the official Level Workshop
✅ Be available for all players to play
✅ Be permanently credited with the creator's name
For example:
Joey's Challenge
Alice's Nightmare
Monkey King's Arena
Your level could become part of the game forever.
We're not just looking for the hardest levels.
We love:
Creative ideas
Unexpected twists
Funny concepts
Memorable challenges
Weird dream logic
After all, Joey's Nightmare II is a game about strange dreams.
Start creating your nightmare today.
The next level everyone talks about might have your name on it.
Hello everyone!
We're excited to announce that Joey's Nightmare II will be attending Bilibili World on July 10–11!
This will be our first time bringing our game to BW, and we'd love to meet you in person.
The latest Joey's Nightmare II Demo
Our AI-powered Card Workshop
Meet the developers
Brand-new exclusive merchandise
We're currently designing a new batch of Joey's Nightmare merchandise, and we want your ideas!
What would you like to see?
Monkey King acrylic stands?
Turkey keychains?
Donkey stickers?
Card binders?
Something completely ridiculous?
Join our Discord Group https://discord.gg/4rk6rG8m7 or Xiaohongshu Community and share your ideas!
If your suggestion gets selected, we'll send you the merch for free.
To celebrate BW, we'll also be giving away:
Bilibili World tickets
Exclusive Joey's Nightmare merchandise
Mystery rewards from the nightmare world
More details will be announced in our community groups.
If you enjoy roguelike deckbuilders, weird dream monsters, or just want to see what a tiny indie team has been working on, come visit us at BW!
— The Joey's Nightmare II Team
Hello everyone!
A brand-new version of the Joey's Nightmare II Demo is now available!
This update not only fixes several issues and improves the overall experience, but also introduces one of our most requested features:
You can now:
Create your own custom levels
Access the Level Workshop from any stage
Design your own nightmare challenges
Share levels with other players
Import and play levels created by the community
If you create something especially fun, ridiculous, or brutally difficult, don't forget to share it with us on Discord!
Fixed several crash issues
Reduced the difficulty of Difficulty Level 1
Improved the visuals of several monsters
Added the Level Workshop
Accessible from any level
Level export and sharing support
Import and play community-made levels
We’ve always wanted Joey’s Nightmare II to be more than just a deckbuilder.
We wanted it to be a place where players could create their own strange dreams and challenges.
Now it's your turn.
Jump into the new Demo and start building your own nightmares!
On June 1st, we brought Joey’s Nightmare II to the MuShanghai AI Indie Game Market.
We thought people would jump into battles, experiment with deckbuilding, and challenge nightmare monsters.
Instead, something unexpected happened.
Almost everyone who stopped by our booth went straight to the Card Workshop.
"Can I really make my own card?”
"Wait, it actually generates it?"
"Can I make a Monkey King card?"
"What if I want to summon 100 turkeys?"
Before long, our booth had turned into a giant wish-fulfillment machine.
In the Joey’s Nightmare II Card Workshop, all you need is a prompt.
For example:
A fire-breathing Monkey King
The system will instantly generate:
🎨 Card Artwork
📝 Card Name & Description
💻 Card Effect Code
And then add the card directly into the game for testing.
Every player can create their own cards, archetypes, and playstyles.
The most interesting thing wasn't what the AI generated.
It was what the players came up with.
Some examples included:
Cards named after themselves
Creatures that don't exist in real life, like Antarctic Bears
Characters from cartoons and movies
Random words that simply sounded powerful
Every player had a completely different idea.
And honestly, sometimes even we had no idea what would appear next.
Many players asked how the card artwork was generated.
The current Card Workshop uses an art model trained and fine-tuned on the existing hand-drawn artwork from Joey’s Nightmare II.
Our goal is to keep generated cards visually consistent with the game's original art style while still allowing players to create something uniquely their own.
If you'd like to create your own cards,
the free demo of Joey’s Nightmare II is available now on Steam.
You're also welcome to join our Discord and share the weirdest, funniest, and most overpowered cards you've created.https://discord.gg/4rk6rG8m7
Hello everyone!
We’ve recently added some exciting new features to Joey’s Nightmare II, and we can’t wait for you to dive deeper into Joey’s weird and chaotic dream world!
You can now:
Share your own decks
Upload crazy builds
Download community strategies
Try broken combos
Torture your friends with cursed setups 😈
If you come up with a fun or ridiculous build, don’t forget to share it on the Workshop!
We’re super excited to see the creative strategies the community comes up with.
Joey’s nightmares are all inspired by the little things he experiences during the day.
With the new Storybook System, you can now:
Explore Joey’s dream stories
Unlock monster lore
Read different chapters
Discover the secrets behind the nightmares
Monkeys, donkeys, turkeys, skeletons…
Why are these strange creatures appearing in Joey’s dreams?
Maybe the answer is hidden inside the storybook.
We’re also continuing to work on:
Balance adjustments
Steam Deck optimization
Bug fixes
More monsters and cards
Polishing the full release content
Thank you so much to everyone who has played the demo, left feedback, or joined our Discord ❤️
Your support really helps us improve the game!
Chat with the devs, share feedback, and grab test keys!
https://discord.com/invite/9FbUgkUTW3
Thank you again for supporting Joey’s Nightmare II!
— Joey’s Nightmare II Dev Team
Whether you want to:
• Discuss deck builds • Share ridiculous combos • Complain about nightmare monsters • Report bugs or give feedback • Find people to theorycraft strategies with
—you’re more than welcome to join us and have fun together!
We’ll also be giving away CD keys from time to time, so stay tuned 👀
Welcome to the Joey’s Nightmare II Discord!
The team at A* Studio is excited to announce that the demo for Joey’s Nightmare II is officially live! This project has been a long time in the making, and we’re incredibly grateful for the support we’ve already received from the Steam community. 💙
If you enjoy roguelikes, deckbuilding, and strategic combat, this is a game you won’t want to miss. Please consider adding Joey’s Nightmare II to your wishlist, it truly helps us more than you know.
The current demo includes:
👉 A fully playable core combat system
👉 The Ninja class (with two additional classes planned for the full release!)
👉 Randomized enemies and dynamic battle encounters
👉 Early deckbuilding and progression mechanics
We have plenty more in development and can’t wait to share it with you in the full release. Think of this demo as just a glimpse of what’s to come in Joey’s Nightmare II.
Thank you for your support, we hope you enjoy playing the game as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it. Don’t forget to wishlist and follow us to stay updated on future development news!
About
This page aggregates Steam news feeds, patch notes, and developer announcements for Joey's Nightmare II, sourced from official Steam community posts.
Major updates, balance changes, and seasonal events often correlate with player-count spikes — cross-reference announcements here with the live charts on the main Joey's Nightmare II statistics page.
Articles link back to Steam for full changelogs. SteamScope refreshes news entries as new posts are published to the game's Steam hub.