Shape of Dreams, the inaugural title from South Korean developer Lizard Smoothie, has made quite a splash by rising to the top tier of sellers on Steam, managing a remarkable feat in a competitive month. Publisher Neowiz, renowned for its work on Lies of P, has reported that this action roguelike has sold an impressive 500,000 copies on Steam in just a few weeks.
Much like Risk of Rain, one of the significant influences behind Shape of Dreams, this action roguelike was created by two university students. Eunsop Shim, co-founder and CEO, along with fellow co-founder Kipyo Kang, took a bold step during their computer science studies. With support from artists and collaborators, in addition to Neowiz’s backing, this project has potentially steered their career paths in a new direction.
“This incredible milestone is another commendation just two weeks after the game launched on Thursday, September 11,” stated Neowiz in a press release, expressing satisfaction with their first indie title published since the highly praised Sanabi from 2023.
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Following its initial surge of 300,000 copies sold in the first week, the game has maintained its momentum, claiming an additional 200,000 sales since then. It has garnered international acclaim, with strong sales figures from Asian nations like Korea, China, and Japan, in addition to major Western markets including the United States, Canada, Germany, and France.
As of now, Shape of Dreams boasts 7,293 “Very Positive” reviews on Steam. This co-op roguelike blends MOBA-style buildcrafting with isometric combat, offering expansive encounters and incremental progression akin to modern roguelites. It embraces the thrilling chaos found in titles like Risk of Rain 2 and Vampire Survivors. A standout feature is the option to play with friends, which is particularly notable in this current exciting era for new roguelikes, highlighted by titles like Hades 2, the unexpected hit Megabonk, and the slot machine-themed CloverPit.
In a conversation with Shim earlier this year, he expressed the team’s ambition to merge South Korea’s affinity for MOBAs with an engaging roguelite gameplay loop, aiming to “eliminate the PvP facet of MOBAs to reduce that pressure.” Riding the wave of success, Lizard Smoothie has been rolling out updates to fix minor bugs and address balance issues. A new patch was released just this morning, while a larger update targeting difficulty scaling launched yesterday, October 2. Players who engage with the game by October 12 will receive a complimentary ornament.
“Lizard Smoothie is dedicated to significantly enhancing the quality of life in the game, which includes adding dropout compensation for players and a feature to skip cutscenes, all based on user feedback,” stated Neowiz. Shim remarked, “We are thrilled that sales remain robust, thanks to the enthusiastic backing from fans worldwide. We intend to further refine the gaming experience and optimize combat with the patch update on the 2nd, so keep an eye out for that.”
Palworld’s development team has expressed feeling “overwhelmed” by the latest roguelike sensation and is struggling to refocus on Borderlands 4, stating, “I’m back on the Megabonk now.”