Mycelium: The Silent Contract news & patch notes

IMPORTANT: This update is only available on the openbeta branch of the game. If you want to play it, you need to switch the version in game properties in your Steam Library! If you play in co-op, make sure all players have the same version, or your mission won't start.

UPDATE 0.55.03 (beta):

NEW

• Added a new creature

• Added new valuable items

• Two new pins

CHANGES

• Removed gun from valuables list

• Reworked stamina (you can now use knife and jump even with minimum stamina)

• Scanner now scans items consistently (on shelves etc)

• Scanner will stay on if you switch between items and then back to scanner or if you drop and pick it up

• Radar will stay on if you switch between items and then back to radar or if you drop and pick it up

• Flare guns should be more consistent in setting targets on fire

• Bzulkers now switch targets instantly if attacked

• Changed entry 1 and 2 for Shroomsters in Codex

• You now get the first entry on Shroomster when you first encounter it

• Flare guns now click repeatedly when Shroomsters are around

• Reduced mycelium for killing Shroomsters

• Healing statue can now be activated if there are no players in the basin and will continue working if players leave the basin

• Reviving statue will now revive multiple players if you have multiple souls on you

• Time bought for next mission should now save if you leave the lobby instead going to mission (might not work on older saves)

• All loot in the lobby can now be scanned

• Safe puzzle in the lobby has been adjusted and should make more sense now

• You can now change the keys for left and right hand actions

• Added game version to the game menu

• Added Inverted mouse options to settings

• Situations when you can't invite more players should now be less frequent (still depends on Steam though)

FIXES

• Fixed clients getting stuck upon picking up equipment

• Fixed players could get stuck in rooms if the owner of the room left the lobby

• Fixed persistent Mission 0 popups that could appear even if it wasn't Mission 0

• Fixed Portal instantly killing players if they stood too close to the extraction

• Fixed Diner sign showing different text to players

• Fixed outro triggering earlier than it should

• Fixed grenade spawning on Mission 0

• Fixed collision of some bushes and plants

• Fixed purchased equipment spawning inside trees

• Fixed equipment boxes sometimes not playing the sound upon opening

• Fixed room signs in lobby cutting off player names

• Fixed long button prompts in game

• Fixed player volume not saving consistently between games

• Fixed Purple Wave outfit visual bug

• Fixed out of stamina audio cue not playing sometimes

• Corrected some localization mistakes

IMPORTANT: The new Codex entries have only been translated into Ukrainian for now, as I do that myself. So for FR/DE/ES versions they are going to be in English until further updates. Sorry about that.

Hey Contractors,

I just uploaded a new update, hope it'll make your life in the Forest easier, especially for those who'd love to play Mycelium in their native languages.

The new localizations are still in beta which means I'd greatly appreciate your feedback on Discord.

Changelog (v. 0.54.09):

• German localization (beta)

• French localization (beta)

• Spanish localization (beta)

• Flare radius of Flare Gun was slightly increased. Still working on making it even more reliable.

• Changed some algorithms of enemy spawn

• Adjusted Wendigo behaviour so that it should get stuck less frequently

• Mycelium Tree now has a greater chance to appear on longer missions

• Voice chat issues should be less frequent for players with bad connection

• Switch view is now disabled in the forest (it's too dark anyway)

• Fixed endless wendigo heartbeats

• Burning shroomsters should not insta kill you anymore

• Fixed some annoying Terminal hints that appeared not where they should

Have fun and thank you for playing!

Contractors!

The day we've been anticipating has finally come. Your existence - as you knew it - is forfeit, and it's time to honor the contract you've signed with the mysterious Mycelium corporation, who offered you a life wealth, fame, and prosperity in exchange for... services, after it ends. You did read the fine print, now didn't you? It would be a mistake not to.

Get ready to be transported into the depths of a liminal forest - alone or in a group of up to four. You will explore the procedurally-generated simulation one mission after another, you will gather the coveted mycelium, you will encounter entities and anomalies, and then - when you reach your quota, you will extract. Sound simple enough? Watch out - don't get cocky. The forest is waiting to collect its due, and there is something even more sinister waiting in the shadows. A mystery that you'll need to unfold layer by layer.

Intrigued? Grab Mycelium: The Silent Contract now, to take advantage of the special discounted release price. The offer will end on May 11, but don't waste time. The mushrooms are ripe for the picking!

About Early Access

Mycelium: The Silent Contract is taking the Early access route on Steam because this is the most advantageous way to launch a co-op game with procedurally generated missions and modular content. At its current state the game already feels complete and delivers a well-rounded, satisfying gameplay experience. But there's so much more that will be added over the course of a year. New environments, new entities you might encounter, new points of interest with even more puzzles, more narrative elements, and - possibly - story cutscenes to make the whole experience more cinematic.

There are many ways to go about expanding your game, but the experience of many developers dictates, that the best effect is achieved when you actively work with your community of players to fine-tune and polish all elements and mechanics of your title. With Mycelium: The Silent Contract you can expect frequent, smaller updates instead of large ones that are far apart.

On top of that...

the lower Early Access price is the way to say "thank you" to the game's first supporters, and an invitation to grow the game's community.

So yeah, today is a great day to purchase Mycelium: The silent Contract on Steam if you're looking for a bargain. The low Early Access price and the launch discount provide an opportunity, but there's a way to grab the game even cheaper thanks to the...

Steam Bundles

Steam bundles are a special offer that applies an additional discount on top of any existing discounts if you own one of the games in the bundle, or plan to get both games included in the bundle at once. Here's the list of currently available bundle deals for Mycelium: The Silent Contract: Dreadway is a co-op horror game with a very different vibe, leaning towards comedy. Just like Mycelium it's a great way to spend an evening with friends, trying to survive against all odds.

Peripeteia is a monumental immersive sim that - just as Mycelium - thrusts the player into an environment that feels like a product of a madman's dream. Did someone say liminal space?

EMPTY SHELL is a story-rich roguelite action game that puts the player in the role of an unwilling operative sent by a corporation on a exploration/retrieval/recon mission into a derelict science facility where something wrong has happened to the fabric of reality. Sounds familiar?

All these are "complete your collection"-type bundles. So if you own one of the games, you can get the other one with an extra discount on top of any pre-existing discounts. You can also grab them both at a reduced price.

Good luck, Contractors

You're about to begin your first cycle. There are many more ahead of you and the world and lore of Mycelium: The Silent Contract will slowly unfold before you, while also expanding while we go further into the Early Access. The solo developer of the game - Po Kolu, and the publishing team at Proteus Interactive. Wish you the best of luck in the forest. And remember - if you can hear them, it means that they can hear you, too.

Yours,

Po Kolu & Proteus Interactive

Contractors!

This is an announcement I've been dying to make. Mycelium: The Silent Contract has an Early Access release date. You'll be able to sign your contracts and head into the forest on April 27th, 2026.

Following a rigorous round of playtests (thank you for the generous feedback to all of you, who have participated!) and polishing I feel the game is ready to be pushed out of the nest and soar through the stormy night sky. Early Access is an important step for Mycelium, as it will allow to get some real Steam visibility and get more people to play, which in turn will allow me to make the forest even more deadly experience even more enjoyable and start adding more content.

If you haven't yet - please wishlist the game using this handy widget:

That's the announcement for today, but come by often, as there will be more news coming your way soon! Keep safe, Contractors.

Have fun, take care, don't die!

— Po Kolu

Hey, Contractors,

Lex here.

If you've been putting off venturing into the forest this is your last and final call to do so. I've been tracking the progress of the currently ongoing playtest and I have to tell you it fills my cold, black, little heart with pride to see over 600 people taking on the challenge and taking the Mycelium playtest for a spin. Not only that! I'm very grateful to over 50 of you who took their time and gave me their thoughts on the game.

You've been asking how much longer the playtest will remain accessible. Seeing that the train isn't stopping and new people are joining in, I decided to do one last hurrah and keep the thing up for one more weekend. However, come Sunday, February 22nd, around 3pm PST I'm pulling the plug.

Before I go. While I like to keep things a bit mysterious, there's one stat in particular I'm too proud not to share with the class. That is: over 60% of the playtesters dedicated more than 2 hours to scouring the woods in search of the precious mycelium specimens and trying not to be maimed, eviscerated, sucked dry, trampled, eaten, or just plain scared to death by monsters. Not a small number put more than 5 hours into my game!

Once again, I appreciate all of the kind words (and mild verbal abuse) you've been feeding me via the feedback form. I will put all the feedback into good use making the game even more engaging and accessible to newcomers before the Early Access release (that is once again moving a bit further for that exact purpose - trust me, it's going to be worth it). If you're reading these words but by some twisted conjunction of reality planes did not yet put Mycelium: The Silent Contract on your wishlist, here's a handy widget to make it as easy as possible for you (in the spirit of making e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g easier to get into). Please don't hesitate to mash that button!

Again - the playtest will be wrapping up this Sunday. Have fun, take care, don't die!

— Po Kolu

Hey, Contractors,

Lex here.

I’ve been hunkered down in the dev-den for what feels like an eternity, but the spores are finally spreading. I'm beyond stoked to announce that Mycelium: The Silent Contract is officially opening its doors—well, its root systems—for our first major Beta Playtest.

The Playtest is now LIVE! Everyone asking to join will be granted instant access and up to 3 friend invites. Just press the "Join the Playtest" button right under the trailer on the game's Steam page.

(If you haven't yet - make sure you wishlist the game while you're there - the buttons are right next to each other. Convenient!)

A beta what, now?

Wait, what’s actually in this Beta? How is it different from the demo? I'm tossing you into a chunky slice of the early game. Expect some heavy lifting on the atmosphere, a few "did I just see that?" moments, and the core mechanics of the contract itself. It’s a bit raw—expect a few jagged edges here and there—but that’s the whole point of a playtest, isn't it? We’ll be letting folks in in waves because, honestly, we don't want too many people at once stomping on the precious mushroom roots, now do we?

A quick favor... Since we're a small team, your feedback is basically our lifeblood. If you find a bug that lets you fly through walls or if a particular texture looks like mashed potatoes—tell us. We’ve set up a specific channel in our Discord for the nitty-gritty feedback. Once the playtest goes live (and anyone who signs up for it WILL be notified when it does), there will also be a short survey accessible via game's menu to make it easy for you to leave structured feedback quick and hassle-free. Because enough of the challenge here comes from the Forest itself, and its denizens.

It’s been a long road getting to this point. There were moments where I thought we'd never get the stars and the fungal growth patterns to look "align just right," but here we are. It’s weird, it’s quiet, and it’s waiting for you.

See you in the forest.

— Po Kolu

Hey, Contractors,

Lex here.

It’s been a hot minute since the last proper update, but I’ve finally finished gutting and rebuilding huge parts of the demo. Being a solo dev means some days I’m a coder, other days I’m a lighting artist, and most days I’m just confused by my own math.

Anyway, v 0.47.01 is live. Here is the breakdown of what's actually changed.

The "New" Demo Experience

I already gave you some details on the reasoning behind why I want to change the demo. I realized the old tutorial was—to put it mildly—a bit of a drag. So, I scrapped it. It’s gone. In its place, I’ve added Mission 0. It’s a dedicated training mission that feels like part of the world rather than a pop-up checklist.

While I was at it, I also:

• Nuked the Intro: You can jump straight into multiplayer now. No more waiting around.

• Simplified Saves: I removed the multiple save slots. You get one slot now, and if you want a fresh start, you can just reset it.

• The Lobby Glow-up: I reworked the lighting in the lobby (it’s much moodier now) and finally got the room binding system working properly.

• Free Drip: Since I took away the tutorial, I moved some equipment and the new Outfit system into the lobby for you to mess around with.

Mechanics & Polish

The "4-cycle" limit always felt a little arbitrary to me. I’ve changed the demo limitation to 5+1 missions, each lasting 15 minutes. On average, you’re looking at about 2 hours of playtime now.

Other "quality of life" (if you can call it that in a horror game) tweaks:

• Audio: Proximity voice chat is much tighter now, and I added a noise gate setting so we don't hear your breathing.

• The Bestiary: The Codex and Bestiary have been completely reworked with unlockable entries.

• Visuals: Added a volume meter to the UI and fixed about a thousand bugs that were crawling around the missions.

• Lobby Secrets: There’s a working shower now. Why? Why not. Also, there’s a new riddle hiding in there and some Christmas decorations to keep the existential dread festive.

The Schedule Shift (A.K.A. The "Tough" News)

I have to push the release date back. I was aiming for January, but realistically, we're looking at late February or early March. As much as I want to get this out, I need that extra month to actually listen to your feedback and polish the edges. Shipping a half-baked Early Access experience is the last thing I would like to do. I want my Early Access as playable as I would expect as a player, myself.

A New Partnership

On a much bigger note, I’m no longer flying entirely solo on the publishing side of things. I’ve teamed up with Proteus Interactive, a new indie publishing label. They’re taking over the heavy lifting for the promotional side of things, as well as Steam release management, which lets me focus 100% of my brain on making the game actually good.

Go check out the update on Steam, and let me know if I broke anything else in the process.

Stay safe in the forest. Or don't. It's more interesting that way.

— Po Kolu

PS. Please remember to wishlist the game!

Hey, contractors,

Lex here.

It's been a while since I made a meaningful post, so I guess it's time to keep y'all updated on Mycelium's current state.

Based on your feedback and impressions on the demo, I'm postponing new stuff and instead am fixing the problems and improving/reworking the existing features to make them better and clearer by the time of Early Access release.

Here is a small sneak peek on what I'm doing:

• Tutorial removed. Erased. Annihilated. Non-existent. Instead, I'm making a Mission 0 for new players to learn things. Hilarious, isn't it?

• Terminal reworked. No more confusing arrows that were the reason you couldn't find the map. The new interface will confuse you even more!

• Lighting reworked in the lobby. Still working on that but I swear - if you keep setting your brightness to 3.2, I'm going to remove that setting from game. Unless it's a joke. However, this rework should fix occasional game crashes I know some people had when loading into the lobby.

• Voice Chat improved. Noise suppression and other tweaks that should make it even better. Unfortunately, the streamers I've seen don't use in-game voice, so I haven't received much feedback on that matter.

• Game UI rework. More control hints and other stuff so that you won't have to wander in darkness because you didn't know how to switch on the flashlight.

• Numerous fixes and improvements. Visuals, physics, bugs, etc. Your life will never be the same.

I'm sure there is more but I don't remember. So stay tuned and get ready to be lost in the forest. Soon.

Hey, contractors,

Lex here

Steam Next Fest is over, I had a couple days to catch my breath, but now it's time to share my plans for Mycelium.

First of all, thank you all for trying out the demo! Your feedback, streams, videos, emails, and bug reports have been extremely helpful. I made numerous mistakes, and with your help I saw them.

The demo, despite the fact I don't really like it as a demo, will stay on Steam until further notice and until I make a new one just before the release of the game to Early Access.

The game is still scheduled to be released for early access in January. However, there might be delays, that's why I'm not ready to give you a specific date just now. I guess, it'll become clearer in December. Anyway, I'll keep you updated.

Meanwhile, I'll concentrate on work. And if you have any comments and feedback, don't hesitate to click that Discord button somewhere below this text.

Have a good one.

Hey Contractors,

Lex here

Just adding a small patch to make your life easier in the forest.

Changes:

• Extraction portals now deal only 1 damage if you stand near them when they open (used to kill you instantly)

• Touching the Extraction sphere while it's activating now deals only 1 damage (instead of 10)

• Default inventory/objectives button is now \ (can be changed in Settings)

Hope you're having fun!

Hello contractors,

Lex here

This patch is the second part of the big patch I announced. It's mainly about speeding up players progression, some more lobby changes for your convenience as well as minor bug fixes.

Changes:

• Flare Guns are now available on Cycle 1, Radars available on Cycle 2

• Starting Chambers are now more obvious in the Lobby

• It's now easier to see if a room is occupied or vacant

• The Green Door has been moved to the main hallway

• The long corridor will now be locked after the intro

• Extraction Orb can no longer be thrown before you have enough Mycelium

• The doors in the lobby shouldn't double-open now

IMPORTANT: If you're a returning player, make sure to delete the old saves and start a new one for progression changes to be applied.

I cannot guarantee that the old saves will work.

Have fun!

Hello contractors,

Lex here

Hoping you're enjoying the demo. In the previous post, I said there was going to be a big patch. But I gave it a second thought and decided to make it a series of smaller ones, just for those who already play the demo to feel the difference.

Changes:

• Grenade explosion chances increased

• Increased light brightness in the Lobby

• Boxes in the lobby now have a hint that they can be picked up (not opened)

• The Tutorial door (Green Door) now gives you a hint that you cannot do tutorial in multiplayer

• The post-intro hint now also tells you can only do tutorial in single player

• Microphones in the lobby rooms are now easier to notice

• The radius of microphones in the lobby rooms was increased and now covers the entire room

• All doors to lobby rooms now start open

• Decreased the minimum distance required between players for a phone to make a call

• Wrong totems now deal damage as intended (fixed)

• Fixed players being unable to activate a Terminal if another player is in radius

Hey Contractors,

Lex here

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your trust in me and my game, that really means a lot for a solo dev making his first game! We just reached 1000 wishlists, and it's something I didn't expect would happen.

Now, I've got lots of feedback from players and streamers, I've been making patches and fixes all the way to make the demo easier for new players and more convenient to play for those who've already tried it.

I've heard all of you. I know some contractors have problems with finding how to access their first mission, how to do the tutorial, activate terminal, interact with things etc.

I am working on a BIG DEMO PATCH to make those things more understandable and accessible for as many people as possible. This one might take a few days, and I'll let you know when it's ready.

I do realize that the idea of the game itself might seem complicated to some players and different from those other extraction horror games you're used to. I'll do my best to fix everything that can be fixed.

And meanwhile, don't hesitate to give me your ideas, talk about the issues you faced in the game, or just report bugs in our DISCORD!

Good luck and have fun!

Hey, contractors,

Lex here

I just released a new gameplay trailer on YouTube revealing the full game release date - January 2026!

It might be not a specific date just yet, but as a solo devl I'm just trying to save myself from making promises I cannot keep.

Meanwhile, the DEMO of Mycelium: The Silent Contract is already available here, on Steam, so make sure to check it out and hopefully add it to your wishlist!

Thank you for all your support!

Hey everyone,

Lex here

I watched some more streams and YouTube videos, and based on your experience decided to make some QOL changes and gameplay adjustments.

Changes:

• Extraction Sphere now tries to activate immediately after it touches ground. I've noticed that many players had problems with the Extraction Sphere and extraction in general, so I'm trying to figure out how to make it easier to understand and at the same time keep the original idea.

• Obelisk now gives the exact amount of Mycelium that you need to extract from the current mission. It just felt like the Obelisk was too OP, so basically it will give you a bit less but it'll still be a very useful location to find.

• Wrong-colored Totem now deals damage. That would be a good way to let you know you're following a wrong color and will prevent you from wasting your time.

• Flashlight returns to normal brightness if no Shroomsters around. I've seen some players don't realize that Shroomsters affect their flashlight, so i decided to make it more obvious.

• The 'Crunchy' objective now requires to step on 20 branches instead of 30.

• The 'I'm done' objective now requires you to extract within 7 minutes instead of 10.

Bonus:

• Shroomsters can now also get into traps, Enjoy.

I'd appreciate any feedback on the changes and the demo in general. And thank you for playing!

Hey everyone,

Lex here

Based on your feedback and streams I've seen, I decided to further improve some QOL aspects such as gameplay hints.

Changes:

• Gamepleay hints are now different for different types of objects in game.

• Added special hints for extraction orb that seems to be the most complicated item in game so far. Now if something prevents it from activating (for example, you don't have enough Mycelium), you will be specifically notified about it.

• Added hints for Mycelium orbs as well.

• The maximum number of Bzulkers (huge angry mosqitoes y'all hate) has been adjusted for solo games and games for 4 players.

Remember that you can always switch off gameplay hints any moment in the interface settings.

Hopefully, these changes will make your experience clearer and smoother.

Best of luck in Mycelium!

Hey everyone,

Lex here

I've been watching some streamers play the game, and aside from bug fixes, I decided to try some balance changes. Let me know how it feels!

Changes:

• Potential mushroom areas number was increased

• Chances of fireflies spawn were increased

• The minimum amount of Mycelium needed to extract was increased to balance the increased number of mushrooms in general

• Shroomsters now give more Mycelium but the maximum amount was capped because sometimes they could give you enormous numbers

• Crows now leave traces when you scare them off

Fixes:

• Fixed possible soft lock in the elevator

• Fixed Stats screen in the Terminal showing incomplete objectives if none were taken

• Fixed Stats sometimes not showing properly for solo players

Hey everyone,

Lex here

I just made a quick Hotfix to address the urgent issues in the DEMO and make some QOL improvements.

Changes

• Players should now be able to successfully connect to other lobbies while being in their own lobby

• Added GAMEPLAY HINTS for interactive objects in the lobby and on missions. Those are enabled by default but you can disable them in SETTINGS → INTERFACE

• Mushrooms in the tutorial now give you more mycelium, so you don't have to break the crystal to successfully extract

• Added one-time introductive messages for completing the intro and activating a terminal

If you encounter bugs or find some aspects too difficult, do let me know in Discord.

Enjoy Mycelium!

Dear Contractors,

We at Mycelium appreciate it that you waited this long for your contract to finally begin. Now it's time to finally see what you signed up for.

Mycelium: The Silent Contract Demo is out!

Be among the first to play and express your opinion on what you've seen. The Demo includes:

• Co-op for 1-4 players

• Playable tutorial

• Progression until Cycle (level) 4/30

• Full map with no limitation on locations or monsters

• 2 essential equipments you can take on missions

• 50+ optional objectives

• Infinite replayability - when you reach Cycle 4, you can start again and get a totally different game!

See you in Mycelium!

Hey everyone,

Lex here.

I did promise you a big announcement, and here it goes:

Mycelium: The Silent Contract Demo is to be released on October 1st!

I'm really nervous and excited, we're going to talk more about this later. But for now, I suggest that you watch a new teaser of the game! Enjoy it!

Hey everyone,

Lex here.

I recently updated the game's store page, and included the main features of the game in the description. But it feels like it's not sufficient, so I decided to talk about some of them in more detail.

So, let's talk about procedural forest

Obviously, there are tons of games with procedural generation nowadays. How's Mycelium different?

Well, when I started developing the game, the picture I had in my head had to face the reality and the limitations not only of Unreal Engine but also of the general rules of gaming. I wanted it to look as realistic as I could and 100% procedural but I also had to bear in mind optimization and gameplay. That is why making the forest took me around 6 months which is roughly 1/3 of the total development time.

Here's what I've managed to achieve so far:

• 100% runtime randomness. No tree will ever be at the same spot where you've seen it before.

• The size. It is huge enough to easily get lost but not frustratingly huge.

• Biomes. The forest has several of them with their own ecosystems that also influence the gameplay. Some things/places can only be found in those biomes.

• Mushrooms. Those are an essential part of your gameplay, so they follow sophisticated algorythms which should make you always excited to find some.

• Weather. Dynamic weather influences the overall look and atmosphere of the forest. Besides, it also affects your gameplay. While events are random, they also change and depend on the weather.

• Locations. I try to make them recognizable and memorable but also as random as possible, so that finding one will always feel different.

• Optimization. I should confess - low-end PCs might have some problems that can only be solved by using FSR or DLSS but it's been a long way and I am really proud of the stability I've achieved here.

That's it for now. Stay tuned and don't forget to wishlist the game!

If you have questions or suggestions - always feel free to join our Discord

https://discord.gg/GTYUGCyw2h

Hey everyone, Lex here.

I'm so proud to announce that Mycelium: The Silent Contract is now a part of Ukrainian Game Festival 2025!

Despite that there is no demo for the game yet, and obviously no discount, you can still share it to your friends, add to wishlist (if you still haven't). But most importantly, you can check out dozens of cool Ukrainian games presented at the fest!

So go ahead, check out the festival, support Ukrainian games, and I'm going to be back soon with some exciting announcements!

https://store.steampowered.com/sale/UkrainianGamesFestival2025

Hey everyone, Lex here.

You can join the server here: DISCORD