Free Strafe update adding new enemies, game modes, save system

FPS roguelike Strafe will receive a raft of new features in an upcoming 'Millennium Edition' update, developer Pixel Titans announced today. An exact release date has not been confirmed but the free update is expected to release soon, and a beta version is now available exclusively via Steam.

"We wanted to release this update in the middle of September but did not because it needed more time," Pixel Titans said on Kickstarter. "Our team is currently three people so our speed is dictated by that. We feel it’s better to release it in a solid state [than] land on an arbitrary date so we’re psyched to say that we found a compromise… when we feel that the update is ready we will roll the changes into the main branch for everyone to play."

Headlining the Millennium Edition is a save system allowing players to record their progress mid-run via Cryo Chambers. These chambers are single-use and a save can only be loaded once, but the option to save and exit will still lessen the sting of Strafe’s permadeath. Saving runs will likely prove especially handy in the new challenge modes included in the update: StrafeZone, a daily challenge, and SpeedZone, a weeklong speedrunning challenge.

All playthroughs will benefit from the update’s myriad other additions, including three new enemies "with unique AI," a new merchant, and 20 new modifiers such as 'Can't Stop, Won’t Stop,' 'Strafe Abridged,' and 'Scrambled Baddies.' Icarus, the central ship, is also getting 11 new room types.

A laundry list of balance updates and bug fixes is also on the way. You can read the patch notes in full on Strafe’s Kickstarter page and tumblr.

Pixel Titans says the list of fixes will grow throughout the Millennium Edition’s beta period based on player feedback. Players interested in contributing feedback or simply sampling the update can find beta access instructions below.

Austin freelanced for PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and has been a full-time writer at PC Gamer's sister publication GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a staff writer is just a cover-up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news, the occasional feature, and as much Genshin Impact as he can get away with.