Scales of Silence news & patch notes

v0.9.0 - June 2026. Scales of Silence is now in Early Access on Steam, and you can play it right now. If you played the demo, your save carries straight over.

You're getting almost the complete game right now. Every battle mode, 8-player couch multiplayer, local stats and leaderboards, all playable today. The only thing left is the back half of the campaign, so while levels 1 to 250 are ready now, 251 to 500 arrive in a month. Early Access runs just 4 weeks, so the full release is close.

New In Early Access (compared to the demo)

Campaign

• 200 new levels, bringing the total to 250 (half the full campaign).

• 4 new boss battles. Beat one to unlock that boss as a playable character.

• 4 new serpents added to the roster through those boss fights (see character stats).

• Full 2-player co-op across the entire expanded campaign.

Battle Modes

• New mode: Snake Royale. Last snake standing.

• New mode: Timed Match. Highest score in 90 seconds.

• Score Battle and Endless Classic both return from the demo.

Multiplayer

• Shared-screen player count raised from 4 to 8.

• Up to 8 controllers are now supported.

Progression and Stats

• Local gameplay stats unlocked.

• Local leaderboards added.

Demo to Early Access

• Your demo progress transfers automatically.

Coming In 4 Weeks (full release)

• Campaign levels 251 to 500.

• The rest of the story, the remaining achievements, boss battles, and the serpents they unlock.

If you've been playing, drop a comment below or reach out on Discord. Feedback is actively read and helps shape what comes next. Thanks for being here for the launch.

- Cinder

Here's the demo update heading into Steam Next Fest: June 2026 Edition, which starts June 15. It brings a Grapes balance change, new performance settings, and a round of localization improvements. As before, this patch ships on the demo build, with the full game still on the way.

Gameplay and Balance

• The Grapes have been buffed and now grant a 60% speed boost for 2 seconds.

Performance and Handhelds

• Added a default FPS limit: 60 for Steam Deck and handhelds, 120 for desktop. This can be changed in the settings.

• Added a personalized home screen prompt for Steam Deck players.

User Interface

• The Store page now opens through the Steam overlay, avoiding the login prompt.

• Updated the About section.

Localization

• A pass of improvements to the story translations.

Fixes

• General bug fixes and stability improvements.

If you've been playing, consider dropping a comment below or reaching out on Discord. Feedback is actively read and helps guide future updates.

- Cinder

Steam Deck owners now get a properly native experience. Controls, button labels, and UI defaults have all been tuned for handheld play. The early game has also been polished to give new players a smoother on-ramp, with a few quality-of-life improvements rounding things out. This patch ships on the demo build, ahead of the full game launch.

Steam Deck Native Support and Optimizations

• D-Pad and thumbstick issues are now solved. No more configuration workaround needed.

• UI Scale defaults to Large for better handheld readability.

• Removed the full screen toggle, which served no purpose on handhelds.

• Proper action button labels (A, B, X, Y) to match the Steam Deck.

• If you previously worked around issues by changing settings, you can safely revert to default launch and controller settings now.

New Player Experience

• Smoother flow from launching the game into your first match.

• Softer opening levels so new players can find their footing.

• Balanced early game food spawning.

User Interface

• Improved menu help texts for better clarity around game modes.

New Features

• Screenshots taken with the in-game screenshot button now save directly to your Steam screenshot library. Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Steam Deck.

Fixes

• General bug fixes and stability improvements.

• Minor story adjustments.

If you've been playing, consider dropping a comment below or reaching out on Discord. Feedback is actively read and helps guide future updates.

- Cinder

Lots to dig into here. A fresh new logo, a reworked campaign difficulty curve, and a stack of player-requested improvements and fixes.

Improvements (each based on player feedback)

• Redesigned the logo and art to better match the game's tone

• Refined the campaign difficulty curve

• Improved text rendering

• Added a distance limit to the frog stun effect

• Adjusted progression transfer codes for easier entry

Fixes

• Prevented frogs from jumping into portals

• Solved minor camera transition issues

If you've been playing, consider dropping a comment below or reaching out on Discord. Feedback is actively read and helps guide future updates.

- Cinder

New

• Native macOS support

• Native Linux support (Proton is no longer required)

• Added native PS4 and PS5 controller support with button glyphs

Improvements

• Improved camera framing in 3+ player matches

• Improved performance on Low and Medium quality settings

• Tutorial updated for clarity: snakes should eat frogs, not avoid them

• First-time user experience refined: Campaign is now suggested, not required

• Multiplayer is now available from the first launch

• Steam Remote Play tip appears less frequently

Fixes

• Mitigated analog stick drift on worn controllers causing unintended double movement inputs

• Fixed an issue where two players confirming at the same time could cause problems

• Fixed issues in battle modes occurring when selecting the empty board

• Fixed compatibility issues with older MacOS devices

Other

• Web and native demos now share the same version numbers

If you've been playing, consider dropping a comment below or reach out on Discord - feedback is actively read and helps guide future updates.

- Cinder

Steam Deck

Scales of Silence has been tested on a Steam Deck specifically to make sure it runs the way it should. The result on the LCD model: a locked 60 FPS at Ultra quality, native 1280x800, using just 44% of the GPU. OLED owners report a solid 90 FPS with no stuttering. Controls, button labels, and UI scale default to sensible values for handheld play. The build is native Linux/SteamOS (not Proton), suspend and resume works cleanly, and cloud saves sync between your desktop and Deck.

If you'd rather play on the big screen, dock it, plug into your TV, connect up to 8 controllers, and you've got a full party setup running off your Deck. A portable party console you can bring anywhere, tested with the official Steam Deck Docking Station.

Performance on Steam Deck (2023 LCD model, on battery, Ultra preset, native 1280x800)

• Gameplay FPS: Locked 60 (LCD max), no drops

• Average GPU wattage: 1.7W

• Install size: 215 MB

Temperature after 30 minutes of gameplay

• GPU: 60°C

• CPU: 59°C

Battery life (same settings)

• No TDP cap: 4 hours at 60 FPS

• TDP capped at 3W: 5 hours at 30 FPS

Tested on an LCD at 89% battery health. OLED owners and Decks with less battery wear can expect more.

Docked with 8 controllers connected: 1080p at 60 FPS, holds steady through full matches. The free demo is the easiest way to try it on your Deck before getting the full game.

Controller Support

Full controller support is built in. Every menu, every screen, every mode is fully navigable with a gamepad. The game also supports 2 players per controller (left stick + right stick), which means two people sharing the same gamepad. Make sure your friendship can handle it. Combined with keyboard support for up to 4 players (WASD, IJKL, Arrows, Numpad), you can fill a full 8-player lobby with minimal hardware.

Play Anywhere

No internet connection needed. The full game works completely offline: campaign, all battle modes, local multiplayer. Toss the Deck in your bag and you've got a party game ready for a road trip, a flight, a friend's place, or wherever you end up.

Steam Machine

The Steam Machine isn't out yet, but the numbers already tell the story. With Valve quoting roughly 6x the performance of a Steam Deck, and the game using only 44% of the Deck's GPU at native resolution, the headroom is enormous. Native 4K at a locked 60 FPS is a comfortable target, with margin to spare. No upscaling, no FSR, no tricks. A game designed for 8 players sharing one screen and one TV is exactly the kind of thing the Steam Machine is shaped for, and Scales of Silence is ready for it on day one.

If you have any questions about compatibility or performance, feel free to ask here or drop by the Discord: https://discord.gg/6RJJ2edS7j

Cinder, Aggro Games