MINOS news & patch notes

Greetings Maze Architects!

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the 1.1 Beta, an early sneak peek at what we're cooking up for the next major patch. We would appreciate your feedback and hope you'll have plenty of fun while also providing us with valuable data and general insights that can help us to tweak the experience before we go live with the new stuff. You'll find all the details regarding the changes introduced in the 1.1 Beta in the sections below, but first, please be sure to read through…

...this VERY important disclaimer (Saves, Language)

Saves between our current live 1.0.2 build may not be compatible with Beta 1.1 build, and especially the other way round, so please be absolutely sure to make a backup of your existing saves, before attempting to play Beta 1.1. This is super important, if you wish to try out Beta 1.1 and then resume your playthrough on the default 1.0.2 live build. We don't want you taking out your pitchforks on us!

You can backup your save files by accessing their default location, and creating a copy: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Minos\\Saved\\SaveGames

Beta 1.1 is intended to be played in English. Some translations may be incomplete or incorrect, because we are yet to have them localised before we push Patch 1.1 live in (most likely) a few weeks. Please don’t provide feedback or report bugs related to in-game texts in any other language than English.

It is possible that we'll keep on updating the Beta build as we go (be prepared to face some new bugs, if you opt in!), and don't be shy to share your feedback as you play. The most convenient way to reach us and share your thoughts is through our Discord - we'd love to have you there and chat! Much appreciated. <3

Beta build access

Beta 1.1 can be accessed through the Game Versions & Betas menu of the Steam Client.

• Branch name: development_branch20_publicbeta

• Password: minospublicbeta

WHAT 1.1 is all about?

New Roguelite Mode!

Listening to your feedback, we decided to come up with an entirely new mode, separate to the Story experience. It’s designed for players who enjoy roguelike/roguelite games, have already completed Story Mode, or just felt the base experience was too slow. Be the first to check it out before it goes live!

This mode removes tutorials, story, puzzles, and secrets for a more streamlined experience. You only spend XP after defeat, creating a faster, simpler loop focused on shorter runs.

Additional details:

• New mode is accessible from Main Menu

• There’s no story

• Tent with XP upgrades is available only at Depth 0. All other camp facilities are unlocked by default

• Traversal has been mostly cleared out: no Daedalus, Diggables, Chests, Mushrooms, Scrolls, Secret Hatches, Simulacrum, etc.

• There are no shortcuts

• Keys and some irrelevant Artifacts were removed

• Active wave cannot be reset from Pause Menu

• Speed-up is available in Traversal

• After completing the final wave, you can take on up to 3 bonus waves for greater rewards

• Depth limited to: 20; each run ends with a fight against Theseus

Balance changes

These changes are game-wide, and apply also to Story Mode.

• Additional Difficulty Mode added. Players will be prompted to select either Normal or Hard mode before starting a New Game*

  • *Still WiP, you may stick to Normal for now

• Gem acquisition rate adjusted

• Cost of Non-Limited Artifacts now goes up with subsequent purchases with Silver Obols or Gems

• Ancient Imaginarium now allows to purchase only one device at a discounted price

• Additional Gems and Obols are now rewarded when using Shortcuts

• Long Battles will now grant bonus resources

• Treasure Vaults will no longer grant random Artifacts, affecting player builds. Instead, they will award 100 Silver Obols for players to allocate them as they wish

• Mulcher and its upgraded versions now have a kill limit of up to 5 enemies

• Rake immobilize toned down from 6s to 2s

• Finisher Ballistas Artifact initial damage toned down (-2dmg)

• Trigonometry Chart Artifact buffed to no longer reduce Ballista damage, but now gains +1 damage for every 3 (previously 2) tiles traveled

• Eat Rats ability healing reduced from 10HP to 5HP

• Subsequent purchases of selected devices and their upgraded versions in the shop are now increasingly more expensive. Applies to: Hook, Ballista Arrow Copier, Cauldron, Trojan Minotaur, Sign Post

• Starting items are now always: Spike Trap, Ballista, Luring Trap, Pressure Plate

Bugfixes

• Crash fix: Game should no longer occasionally crash after splitting a group of enemies using Narrow Passage

• It should no longer be possible to spawn into Traversal without any doors to choose from

• Modifier Tough Reinforcements should now work as intended, meaning the last wave should be 50% stronger than the previous one

• Instances of Trojan Minotaur already present on puzzle levels now properly display their tooltips

• Ranged units should no longer shoot at doors opened after the wave has started, instead of taking this golden opportunity and storming through them

• Ranged units should no longer get occasionally stuck shooting at closed Deadly Doors, but not dealing any damage to them

• Instances of enemy units stopping mid-maze, and not progressing towards the Lair or Asterion, especially after merging and using Reorder, should be less frequent

• Fix attempt: Enemy groups should no longer get blocked when merging, after one of the enemies was previously grabbed by the Hook

• Exploit fix: It is no longer possible to abuse the shop and stock up on Artifacts while visiting the Merciful key secret level

Improvements

• Ballista variants are now colour coded respectively to improve their readability while placed on the level

New Content! ːsteamhappyː

General

• Hatch of Forgetting added to Traversal as a random spawn, allowing players to forget one selected Device until the next run at the cost of Gems

Artifacts

Icons for all new Artifacts are still very much WiP. What you see are quick placeholders prepared by our multi-talented Technical Designer!

• Medical Hedgehog

  • When an enemy survives 4 projectile hits, Asterion receives +1 HP

• Gear Grease

  • If a trap device deals within 4 to 5 overkill damage, the device gets rearmed automatically

• Pain-thriller Pills

  • When an enemy gets lured by a luring trap, Asterion receives a 10s movement speed bonus

• Spare Parts

  • Every 5 times Rubble gets repaired, you get 1 Make a Wish

• Bolt of Retaliation

  • When a trap device is disarmed by Disarmer, the closest Ballista gets rearmed

• Disposable Traps

  • Step-On devices explode when disarmed by Disarmer, dealing 3 damage

• Kerosene

  • When an enemy gets Combustible status, the status spreads to all enemies in the group

• War Drums

  • Luring Trap deals +2 damage to Enemies with Tracking status

• Spike Trap Amplifier

  • Each Spike Trap deals damage equal to the number of Spike Traps in the maze x2

• Tectonic Tiles

  • While at least 2 boulders are rolling, all enemies are immobilized

Device Upgrades

• Trojan Minotaur 2A "Explosive"

  • Enemies will advance towards it and attack it. Destroys easily. Explodes when destroyed. Health: 5; Damage: 2

• Trojan Minotaur 2B "Reinforced"

  • Enemies will advance towards it and attack it. Reinforced body makes it harder to destroy. Health: 20

• Boulder Crossing 2A "Tougher"

  • Asterion activated. Pushes a Boulder in chosen direction.Damage: 6; Turn Limit: 6; Kill Limit: 8

• Boulder Crossing 2B "Deadlier"

  • Asterion activated. Pushes a Boulder in chosen direction.Damage: 8; Turn Limit: 6; Kill Limit: 3

• Shifting Passage 2A "Compact"

  • A set of walls that moves back and forth when every 3 enemy passes through. Kills the 3rd Counted enemy. Size: 2 tiles; Health: 10; Damage: 8

• Shifting Passage 2B "Sharper"

  • A set of walls that moves back and forth when every 3 enemy passes through. Kills the 3rd Counted enemy. Size: 3 tiles; Health: 10; Damage: 10

• Poison Gas 2A "Pungent"

  • Releases Poison in the marked area. Poisoned enemy receives twice the damage while not moving. Damage per second: 0.5; Duration: 12

• Poison Gas 2B "Wafting"

  • Releases Poison in the marked area. Poisoned enemy receives twice the damage while not moving. Spread range increased. Damage per second: 0.5; Duration: 8

• Catapult 2A "Burning"

  • A Linkable trap that shoots a burning projectile 3 tiles away, bypassing obstacles. Sets targets on fire. Damage per second: 0.5; Duration: 16

• Catapult 2B "Stronger"

  • A Linkable trap that shoots a burning projectile 3 tiles away, bypassing obstacles. Sets targets on fire. Damage: 8

• Seesaw 2A "Springy"

  • Deals high damage when stepping on one plate while an enemy is on the other plate. Damage: 14

• Seesaw 2B "Extractor"

  • Deals low damage when stepping on one plate while an enemy is on the other plate. Dealt damage is converted into Asterion’s HP. Damage: 3

• Seesaw 2C "Swapper"

  • Deals no damage when stepping on one plate while an enemy is on the other plate. Instead, it swaps Asterion’s and Enemy’s positions

• Iron Maiden 2A "Juicer"

  • Traps an enemy who has 2 or less HP. A trapped enemy generates Blood after each wave. Trapped enemy can be freed by other enemies. Squeezes +40% Blood

• Iron Maiden 2B "Mineral Distiller"

  • Traps an enemy who has 2 or less HP. A trapped enemy generates Gems after each wave (30% worth of Blood of the trapped enemy). Trapped enemy can be freed by other enemies

• Iron Maiden 2C "Transmutator"

  • Traps an enemy who has 2 or less HP. A trapped enemy generates Gold after each wave (70% worth of Blood of the trapped enemy). Trapped enemy can be freed by other enemies

Thank you for your interest in MINOS, and we hope you'll have a fun time with 1.1 Beta.

-Sebastian (Hitch) | MINOS Producer

Greetings Maze Architects!

The second bugfix and improvement patch (1.0.2) is now live!

Thank you for all your feedback, bug reports, and your activity on Discord and the Steam forums - you've been incredibly helpful in guiding our next steps as we continue improving MINOS.

We’re also getting very close to revealing the scope of our first content update. More details coming soon - stay tuned! ːsteamhappyː

Patch notes

• Crash fix: Game should no longer crash when audio output is changed from a device with a higher number of channels to a device with a lower number of channels (i.e. 5.1 speakers set to headphones)

• Crash fix related to Tough Reinforcements modifier, occurring during the last wave of enemies upon loading back into the level

• Crash fix related to loading back into the Horizon Divide level while the Snake modifier was active

• Crash fix attempt related to buying the Trigonometry Chart artifact in some circumstances

  • If it still happens to you in 1.0.2, please let us know and kindly provide logs & saves

• Fix: "Beat a level without using trap devices" challenges are now correctly tracked

• Fix: "The Butcher" achievement is now correctly awarded

• Fix: "Full House" achievement is now correctly awarded

• Fix: Simulacrum wave should now end as expected in a scenario where the only units reaching the lair are Raiders

• Fix: Automatic Door destroyed by enemy units in the Sacrificial Tomb puzzle level are now properly restored upon restarting the encounter

• Fix: Buzzsaw now correctly deals the well-deserved damage to those pesky Disarmers and Destroyers captured with Hook

• Fix: Hidden Passage, Deadly Door and Narrow Passage are no longer duplicated in the inventory after being removed along their adjacent walls

• Fix: New Enemy panels can now be cycled correctly if 2 or more new types of enemies are introduced after the first wave

• Fix: Accumulated Cauldron charges are now properly displayed after loading back into the level or rotating a portion of the floor where Cauldron is currently placed

• Fix: Hidden Passage no longer blocks Boulders and Ballista projectiles

• Fix: Engaging Ariande should now work more reliably in the Theseus Battle level while using gamepad

• Fix: It is now possible to inspect the labyrinth entrance in the Theseus Battle level while using gamepad

• Fix: Switching between Asterion and Daedalus in windowed mode should no longer break camera behaviour for multi-monitor setups, which resulted in cursor exiting the window instead of panning the camera when moved to the edge of the screen

• Fix: Cursor should no longer unexpectedly keep exiting the game window when navigating across UI screens in multi-monitor setups. All UI screens except the Main Menu and Pause Menu should lock the cursor to screen.

• Fix: Building walls during action phase in Simulacrum and Puzzle levels is no longer possible if the "Toggle Building Mode with RMB" setting is enabled

• Fixes for several typos in scrolls, devices and unit tooltips spotted by those of you playing the game in English

• General clean-up & optimization on a number of outlier levels

• Technical fix related to Torch Cursor graphics settings caching

• Improvement: It is now possible to manually remove discovered Secret Hatches on levels in case their positioning proves to be a nasty surprise

• Improvement: Camera no longer jumps automatically to Asterion in Traversal when a move order is issued while players are examining other areas of the level

• Improvement: Using Asterion's Exert ability no longer disables fast-forward

• Improvement: Game intro volume has been toned down significantly in order to respect your eardrums and sanity

• Improvement: Suffocator riddle in the Treacherous Cells exploration level should now be more forgiving, allowing players to postpone imminent death, and experiment more with the solution

• Improvement: Drowning Pool trap tooltip now has additional keywords to clarify the outcome of using the trap

• Improvement: Tooltip of the base variant of Boulder Drop now informs that the boulder does not turn around the corners (compared to Boulder Drop 2C and Boulder Crossing)

• Improvement: HP values added to tooltips of Trojan Minotaur, all Doors and Shifting Passage

• Improvement: Restart Wave functionality available in the Pause Menu now respects the last set state of Interactive Doors

• Exploit fix: Farming chests in Labyrinth of Echoes with a combination of evacuation hatch and reloading the game should no longer be possible

• Exploit fix: Farming Shrouded Causeway using the Secret Hatch and Puck Puck key should no longer be possible

Previous build is being moved to a separate branch just as a safety measure, and can be still accessed through the Game Versions & Betas menu of the Steam Client.

• Branch name: minos_previous_build

• Password: lookingforexit

While we do not predict the fixes above to cause any issues with the existing saves, you can always backup your save files by accessing their default location, and creating a copy: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Minos\\Saved\\SaveGames

As always, we invite you to join our community on Discord - it's the best place to share feedback, report bugs, and chat with the team.

-Sebastian (Hitch) | MINOS Producer

Greetings Maze Architects!

We're releasing a small patch today to address some of the most urgent technical issues impacting your experience since the release last week, along with a couple of other minor bugfixes.

Patch notes:

• Crash fix related to one of the puzzle levels. The game should no longer crash when trying to choose one of the available devices from the UI bar (represented by a blank icon). The level now has all the tools to successfuly complete it.

• Fix related to the Amulet of Nightmares encounter. If the monsters managed to kill Asterion past D5 (after his transformation), he was respawning as a boy again and losing his permanent health and damage bonuses. This should no longer occur, and the incorrectly respawned players should now see Asterion getting back to his proper form and stats upon loading into another level at the latest.

• Fix related to the generation of specific Traversal "room chunks". In some rare cases, the Traversal layout could be generated so that players would not have immediate access to some other connected chunks. This should no longer occur.

• Fix attempt for the issue with the Twin Minotaur encounter, where some players would not be able to complete the level without leaving back to the Main Menu, and loading into the level again

  • If you still encounter this issue following the update, please let us know, since we had trouble reproducing it reliably on our end

• Improvement related to the Torch Cursor modifer lighting behaviour on graphics settings lower than Ultra

• Minor fixes for several typos in Scrolls spotted by those of you playing the game in English

Additional note (suspected audio output crash):

We also suspect that some of you may be experiencing occassional crashes, when changing your audio output from a device with a higher number of audio channels, to a device with a lower number of audio channels (e.g. 5.1 speakers to headphones), while being in-game. For now, please refrain from doing so to avoid stability issues, and please let us know if it helps. We intend to verify this suspicion and address it, but we did not want to delay the release of the first patch any further.

Thank you for your patience, understanding and ongoing support. <3

We hope that the first batch of fixes will improve your experience with MINOS, and we will continue to monitor the feedback you're so kind to share with us in order to pinpoint what we can do next to further refine the game.

Previous build is being moved to a separate branch just as a safety measure, and can be still accessed through the Game Versions & Betas menu of the Steam Client.

• Branch name: minos_previous_build

• Password: lookingforexit

While we do not predict the fixes above to cause any issues with the existing saves, you can always backup your save files by accessing their default location, and creating a copy: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Minos\\Saved\\SaveGames

As always, we invite you to join our community on Discord - it's the best place to share feedback, report bugs, and chat with the team.

-Sebastian (Hitch) | MINOS Producer

Hey there dear Maze Architects! ːsteamhappyː

We're blown away by the reception MINOS has received since launch. Seeing so many of you jump in and share your kind words in the reviews means the world to us - truly, thank you.

We've been carefully reading through your feedback shared here on Steam, through our in-game reporting tool, and on Discord, and we're already looking into the most problematic issues. We're sorry for the occassional hiccups some of you have been experiencing. Our goal is to get a hotfix out in the coming days to address at least some of them as quickly and safely as we can.

Kind request from our Team

If you're enjoying the game, there are a few small things that go a long way in helping us further:

• Leaving a review on Steam - even a short one - really helps others discover the game

• Mentioning MINOS to a friend who also might enjoy our game, or a streamer you think would have fun with it

• Joining us on Discord - it's the best place to share feedback, report bugs, and chat with the team

The first week after launch is a big moment for a small team like ours - every review and word-of-mouth mention genuinely makes a difference.

Thanks again for your support! <3

-Sebastian (Hitch) | MINOS Producer

Dear Gamer,

I wasn't quite sure what to write here; if you've played the MINOS demo, I'd be preaching to the choir; you're probably already sold on the game.

Part of the reason the game is so lovable is that, compared to all our previous games, I gave up on You. The broad, general, "target audience", "market demographic", You.

With our previous projects, we tried to anticipate what players want. What genres does the market want now? What are some features players demand or expect? Trying to make informed, analytical decisions. And while those games were really well received (93%, 94% positive), they weren't successful enough, and the studio suffered significant scaling down.

There's a finite number of millions of dollars you can burn through before whoever's investing loses patience. And so, I thought to myself, looking left and right as the industry is brought to its knees in the current ongoing crisis: well, f**k it. Might as well do something I'm super excited about doing. For some cosmic weird reason, Devolver obliged. When thinking about them, I think about this Frank Zappa interview explaining the music industry (google: Zappa music business). That's a good thing. But I digress.

I present to you MINOS, a game that I had no idea how to put together when I first thought about it (and I found it extremely enticing), of which I'm super proud, and for which I'm super thankful to the Artificer team and all contributors who helped us out.

Hope you enjoy it!

(If you do - be sure to review it)

And join our Discord if you're feeling generous, we'd love to hear your feedback.

-Kacper

P.S. Alongside the base game, Minos is available as part of a Supporter Edition Bundle. Grab it and secure a discount, while procuring the official Soundtrack and a cool Supporter pack, which includes a selection of 5 unique Minotaur cosmetics.

We also have a few bundles set-up with some very cool games that you may have played already. Take a look below and save some money if you own any of them.

Hey everyone!

We're super excited today to announce that the labyrinth unlocks on April 9th.

We can't wait for everyone here to step inside, set traps, and watch all adventures fall as they try to slay the fabled beast.

Can't wait? The demo is still available on Steam. Download it and don't forget to share your maze-building skills with the rest of the community here.

-Artificer

Hey everyone,

We’ve just released a brand new Developer Overview Trailer, and it’s our most in-depth look at the game yet.

If you’ve been wondering how the maze-building works, how traps chain together, how the Minotaur fits into your grand design, or what actually happens when heroes come marching in for gold and glory, this one’s for you. It’s extended gameplay, straight from us, walking you through the systems, the philosophy, and the chaos.

Minos is coming Spring 2026, and this trailer is the clearest picture yet of what you’ll be doing inside the labyrinth.

Give it a watch, and if you like what you see, make sure you’ve wishlisted Minos and played the demo.

The maze isn’t going to build itself.

Hey everyone! Big news from the labyrinth.

MINOS is now officially part of Steam Next Fest, which means the maze is wide open to all adventurers looking to build their reputation by slaying the beast.

Step into the hoves of the Minotaur, design your labyrinth, set your traps, and turn every fame-hungry adventurer into a cautionary tale which will be passed down from generation to generation.

In addition to joining Next Fest, we've updated the demo to include Traversal, an entirely new layer of the maze where players can explore and manage Item, Artifact, and Minotaur unlocks, as well as experience (in the full game) the story and lore elements of MINOS in a more immersive manner.

On top of that, the updated demo features additional Level Modifiers, to shake things up, and updated Maze Biomes. You may encounter additional Devices and Enemies, as well as two previously unshown level types: one Exploration Maze and one Puzzle Maze, giving you a taste of what the full game will offer when it launches later in 2026.

Steam Next Fest is a huge moment for us. It’s a chance for thousands of new players to step inside the maze for the first time, to experiment, to break things, and to tell us what works and what absolutely destroyed them.

So if you haven’t played the demo yet, now’s the time.

We’ll see you in the labyrinth.

–Artificer

Ho ho ho!

It seems that Asterion tried to decorate the maze for Christmas. And it didn’t go too well. ːsteammockingː But while the labyrinth is still standing, we do have a festive announcement to share…

Kicking off Jingle Bells

Ever since the announcement of MINOS, some of the players who participated in our playtests or played the demo, joked that the game feels like a certain holiday-themed, trap-setting, kid-outsmarts-the-intruders classic. So, for the Christmas season, as a joke (and a very calculated marketing ploy), we hacked a portion of our own unreleased game into a festive, legally-distinct homage to that vibe, and decided to release it for free TODAY. ːsteamhappyːːsteammockingːːsteamhappyː

Oh, and what's really cool is that some of the art we swapped was made by the kid of our Creative Director. The kid's name is Antek, and he's just slightly older than a certain Kevin, who inspired MINOS: Home A-Labyrinth.

Anyway, we hope you'll enjoy this holiday special over the Christmas period, while waiting for the release of MINOS next year!

You can snatch it for FREE here:

Have A Very Merry Xmas! <3

Artificer Team

Hey everyone!

We're Artificer, the folks behind Showgunners and Sumerian Six, and today we finally get to tell you about Minos, our next game. It's a maze-building roguelite where you are the Minotaur, designing labyrinths, setting traps, and turning every glory-seeking wannabe hero into your next victim.

This is a concept that's been brewing in our heads for years, and we couldn't be more excited to bring it to life with Devolver.

Artificer has always been about making thinky games. Not pure action, not pure strategy, but something in-between. Minos is our wildest take on that yet, and also the closest to our hearts. Expect shifting stone mazes, setting up wildest combination of chain-reaction traps, and a monster who might not be the monster after all.

Minos is launching in 2026, but you don't have to wait to step inside the labyrinth. The demo is live right now, so dive in, build your labyrinth, and share your feedback with us on Steam or by joining our Discord. We'd love to know what you think.

-Artificer