- 2,600 people participated in the playtest… Over 50 updates over 3 weeks reflecting user feedback
- A pixel-graphic snakeskin game with a boss appearing every 3 minutes, 21 characters, and 32 weapons that changes with every playthrough.
‘Maldhalla’, the first game developed entirely by IT YouTuber Nunjaengi (Park Hee-jun), who has about 800,000 subscribers, has been officially released on Steam.
‘Maldhalla’ is a pixel-graphic survival roguelite where you must survive for as long as possible against an endless stream of enemies. Based on the so-called ‘Vampire-like’ genre, the game features enemies that grow stronger over time, bosses that appear every three minutes, and various combinations utilizing characters and weapons.
Developer Noonjaengi has been collecting user feedback by releasing a free demo on Steam since last June, and new content such as a second map and a season ranking system has been added to the official version.
Boss appears every 3 minutes… Builds that change with every run
The core of ‘Maldhalla’ is survival. As playtime increases, enemies become stronger, and a new boss appears every three minutes. From the ‘Giant’ that attacks by slamming the ground to the final boss ‘Bone Dragon’ that appears after 30 minutes, each boss has a different attack pattern.
Weapons attack automatically. Players must focus on positioning themselves to dodge attacks from enemies and bosses, and completing their own unique build by selecting new abilities and enhancements as they level up.
There are also various options. There are 21 types of characters, each with different starting weapons, passive skills, and active skills. Each character is equipped with unique abilities that can change the combat style, such as the Ranger’s dash, the Paladin’s invincibility, and the Bard’s enhancement of all weapons.
In addition, 32 types of weapons, 21 types of gems, and 60 types of blessings are added. If you use 2 to 3 specific weapons together, a ‘Relic’ with a special effect is activated, allowing you to create a different combination every time.
Characters, weapons, and artifacts are unlocked one by one through gameplay and challenges. There are no elements that require separate payments to make characters stronger.
The second map ‘Old Prison’ released with the official version
A new battlefield has been added in the official version. The second map, ‘Old Prison’, opens after defeating the final boss that appears at 30 minutes in the first map, ‘Dungeon’.
Not only does the background change, but new gimmicks also appear. Devices utilizing the prison setting have been provided, such as an alarm sounding if you are detected by a searchlight, obtaining a key to open the ‘Iron Maiden’, or encountering elite monsters locked in a cell.
New bosses also await. You will face a total of four new bosses, starting from the Digger, the Roll Officer, and the Rat King, all the way to the final boss, the Warden.
Season competition every two weeks… Online co-op beta in November
Content updates will continue even after the official launch. The newly added Season Rankings run on a two-week cycle, and seasons are replaced every other Monday at 9:00 AM. The first season will run from the launch date until October 26 at 9:00 AM.
At the end of the season, tier titles and ranking titles for top-ranked users will be awarded based on play records. The competitive rankings consist of a total of nine tiers, ranging from Rookie to Immortal. Users who have recorded a ranking on Steam in the demo or prior to the official release will also be granted the ‘Founding Member’ title to commemorate their early role.
Multiplayer is also in preparation. A beta test for an online cooperative mode, where you can play with other users, is scheduled for this coming November.
First game made alone by an 800,000-subscriber IT YouTuber
Nunjaengi, the creator of ‘Maldhalla’, has been active as a game streamer and YouTuber since 2012.
He has achieved rank in various games such as League of Legends, Overwatch, and Battlegrounds, and currently runs a YouTube channel with approximately 800,000 subscribers focusing on PC hardware and IT-related content.
This is the first game that Noonjaengi developed entirely on his own. On Steam, both the developer and publisher are listed under Noonjaengi’s alias, ‘eyejoker’.
Nunjaengi found the direction for development in games he likes. He revealed his development intention, stating that he likes games like ‘Risk of Rain 2’ or the ‘Monster Hunter’ series that naturally make you think “just one more round” even after finishing the game, and that he hopes ‘Maldhalla’ will also become such a work.
Over 50 updates incorporating playtest and demo feedback
As this is our first work, we put a great deal of effort into incorporating user feedback.
Approximately 2,600 people participated in the playtest conducted last February. Since then, a free demo was released starting in June, and user feedback was collected right up until the official launch.
Nunjaengi made significant modifications to characters, skills, bosses, and game balance based on feedback from playtests and demos. In particular, they refined the game’s completeness by conducting over 50 updates in the three weeks leading up to the official launch alone.
Souls collected and unlocked content from the demo carry over to the full version. It supports a total of 19 languages, including Korean.
From a playtest with 2,600 participants to a free demo and over 50 final updates, the process by which Noonjaengi refined the first game together with users is also noteworthy.
‘Maldhalla,’ which adds boss battles every three minutes, artifact combinations, and season rankings to the familiar snakes-like genre, is drawing attention beyond the fact that it is a YouTuber’s first solo development project, and it remains to be seen how it will be evaluated as an indie game.
Information regarding ‘Maldhalla’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Eyejoker (solo developer) |
| Publisher | eyejoker |
| Genre | Survival Roguelite (Savage-like) |
| platform | PC (Steam) |
| Release date | October 16, 2026, 7:00 PM |
| price | 4,900 won (20% discount for 2 weeks after launch, 3,920 won) |
| language | 19 languages including Korean |
| Reactions/Evaluations | Approximately 2,600 people participated in the February playtest, and a free demo will be available starting in June. |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
