- ’10 or more reviews, all positive,’ achieved by only about 5% of Steam Next Fest demos
- Pixel art physics party game for up to 8 witches, demo free until November 20
“Mana Boom,” a 2D physics action party game currently under development by solo developer PepaStar, has made a strong impression on genre fans through its recently released free Steam demo version.
The demo got off to a smooth start, receiving a ‘Positive’ rating on the Steam store page after all 16 user reviews registered so far were ‘Recommended’. The developers plan to release the official version worldwide in January 2027 following build stabilization work.
‘Mana Boom’ is a pixel art-based physics game featuring cute little witches who engage in brawls and competition using magic ropes and powerful explosion magic. The core fun element is the unique action mechanic where users can directly break or create terrain within an unpredictable space where magic and the laws of physics intertwine.
Party action that changes the terrain with magic ropes and explosions
‘Mana Boom’ provides an arena for brawls where up to 8 witches participate in the battlefield and compete for victory using various tactics.
In addition to the standard method of facing opponents head-on, you can create traps by blowing up the ground beneath rivals or forge shortcuts through the battlefield by drilling through walls. The game’s appeal also lies in creating dynamic variables, such as generating temporary magical platforms in the air to avoid falling to your death during critical moments or using a magical rope to pull the frontrunner just before the finish line to stage a comeback.
All terrain on the battlefield boasts a high degree of freedom, allowing users to directly shape and change its form in real-time, rather than simply limiting it to destruction. In addition, a system has been introduced that allows magic to be enhanced with each round.
You can design your own custom spells by organically combining effects such as splitting bullets, bouncing them in all directions, and piercing through terrain. The elemental magic, divided into fire, water, ice, and lightning, operates based on sophisticated laws of physics, such as spreading across the battlefield, flowing, freezing the surroundings, or causing chain reactions in all directions.
The game consists of a total of seven diverse game modes, including Deathmatch, Race, and Capture the Flag, and even features a tournament system where multiple modes are played in a relay format. It supports battles for up to eight players, as well as single-player mode against AI witches.
The developers announced that the upcoming official version will include a large number of new modes and expanded features not included in the demo version.
Cute witch characters and a spectacular explosion of pixel-level physics calculations
In terms of visuals, based on colorful and emotional pixel art, it dynamically portrays the unexpected charm of little witches traversing a fierce battlefield where explosions and destruction ceaselessly occur from all directions.
The game’s setting is none other than a “magic academy where rivalry goes too far.” This hints at a unique and delightful worldview. One user who tried the demo praised it, saying, “It is an original game where you cause chaos by controlling the world’s cutest witch on a field where precise pixel-level physics calculations are applied in real-time.”
Solo developer takes on first game challenge, updates 12 times in 12 days
Developer PepaStar is a solo developer who single-handedly built this ‘Mana Boom’. He garnered attention by collecting user feedback in real-time immediately after releasing the free demo version and distributing a whopping 12 hardcore updates in just 12 days, from October 21 to November 1.
In particular, a tutorial system was newly introduced to actively reflect feedback that “the controls are somewhat difficult in the beginning,” and over 100 issues were quickly fixed and improved, including the introduction of a barrier system that narrows the battlefield over time to resolve the issue where some players run into the sky and delay battles in Deathmatch mode.
Pepasta, who unveiled their debut work, confessed, “Since it was the first game released to the world, I lost sleep worrying that no one would play it,” and expressed their sincere gratitude, saying, “I was incredibly happy beyond words because every single comment left by users encouraged me by saying it was fun.”
Meanwhile, according to the official AI Disclosure on the Steam store page, it has been confirmed that ‘Mana Boom’ utilized generative AI tools as an aid for most of the code writing and some global localization text work during the development process.
However, they drew a line by stating that AI was not used at all in the audio-visual areas, such as music and sound effects, as well as in the pixel artwork, character design, and animations, which are the core appeal of the game, and that generative AI technology operating in real-time during gameplay was also not included.
Just 5% of 7,000 Demos… ‘Mana Boom’s’ Box Office Potential Proven by Data
The developer independently collected and aggregated public data on 7,006 demos participating in Steam Next Fest as of October 30. The results showed that over 60% of the demos had no user ratings, and the median number of ratings remained at zero.
Only 357 demos, or approximately 5% of the total, maintained a 100% positive rating with 10 or more reviews. Among these, ‘Mana Boom’ achieved exceptional results, with all 16 user reviews recording recommendations as of November 1. However, these statistics are based on data compiled internally by the developer and have not undergone separate external verification.
Users who enjoyed the demo left enthusiastic responses regarding the fun of the party game, saying things like, “Every gameplay process is on the level of a meme and clip maker, and bursts of laughter are guaranteed,” and “Let’s get tangled up with friends and enjoy full-scale friendship destruction.”
Reviews were even posted on the developer’s official Discord stating that four users played immersively for about five hours without a break. Particularly in the coin-stealing mode, sophisticated psychological warfare and strategies are emerging, such as the first-place player hiding coins on the field and pretending to be in second place, only to pick them up again right before the end to stage a dramatic comeback.
The developer acknowledged that there are still many areas for systemic improvement and stated that they will continue to refine the game to enhance its quality before the official release.
The free demo version of ‘Mana Boom’ will be distributed via Steam for a limited time until November 20, and after the demo ends, there are plans to conduct an additional limited-time playtest where you can experience the new magic enhancement system in advance.
Information regarding ‘Mana Boom’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer / Publisher | PepaStar |
| Genre | 2D physics action party game |
| platform | PC (Steam / Windows) |
| launch | Scheduled for January 2027 |
| price | Undecided |
| Player count | 1~8 players (Online battles, AI battles supported) |
| Game Mode | 7 types including Deathmatch, Race, Capture the Flag, etc. + Tournament |
| Free Demo | Distributed on Steam until November 20 |
| language | Korean, English, Japanese, Simplified/Traditional Chinese (Based on press release) |
| AI Usage Notice | Generative AI used for code writing and localization, not used for art, music, or sound |
| Reactions/Evaluations | 16 Demo User Reviews, All Recommended (As of November 1) |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
