- A new 2.5D action roguelite where you fight enemies swarming from the left and right
- A one-person development project by CEO Jo Gi-cheol, former AD of ‘My Little Puppy’ and ‘Civilization Online’
- Participating in the ‘Unity World’ booth at BEXCO Exhibition Center 2 from November 19 to 22
Indie game developer VeryPositive will showcase its new action roguelite title , ‘Steel Maiden,’ at ‘G-STAR 2026,’ which will be held at BEXCO in Busan from November 19 to 22.
‘Steel Maiden’ is a 2.5D action roguelite game where you fight off endless waves of enemies from the left and right using only two buttons. The core fun lies in the smooth 2D sprite animations that are easy to see at a glance and the fast-paced, non-stop combat.
This work is a one-person development project currently being developed by CEO Cho Ki-cheol, who previously served as the Art Director (AD) for ‘My Little Puppy’ and ‘Civilization Online’, after he became independent. At this year’s G-Star, having received an official invitation from Unity, he is scheduled to meet visitors through the ‘Unity World’ booth located within the Indie Showcase on the 1st floor of BEXCO Exhibition Hall 2.
Two-button counterattack action and weapon evolution system
The player attacks enemies swarming from both sides using only two buttons. If you time your counterattack perfectly the moment an enemy attacks, you can experience the thrill of cutting down the pursuing enemies in one fell swoop.
Evolving weapons by combining them with equipment acquired during combat is also a key fun element. The controls are simple with just two buttons, but depending on which equipment you select and combine, you can engage in completely different combat styles.
According to the Steam store page, players choose one of three warriors with distinct personalities to play the game.
‘Nana’ converts counterattacks into instant-kill attacks, while ‘Fei’ utilizes a technique that gathers power to take down surrounding enemies all at once. ‘Soma’ awakens as he draws blood, unleashing powerful strength capable of cutting down any enemy. Additionally, after each playthrough, players can collect and unlock artifacts to refine their own unique combat style.
New trailer unveiled and G-Star on-site demonstration event held
VeryPositive has released a new official trailer video , ‘SteelMaiden – 2026 G-star Trailer,’ in conjunction with its participation in G-star 2026.
At the event venue, a dedicated demo version will be available for experiencing a condensed version of the core combat system based on the existing Steam demo. Visitors to the booth can take on the survival mode and record their scores on a separate ranking board set up at the on-site demo.
In addition, illustrations of new characters to be added to the game in the future will also be revealed for the first time through various on-site promotional materials, such as leaflets.
Notice regarding the use of generative AI and dot action implemented in HD resolution
‘Still Maiden’ implements pixel-style graphics with smooth 2D sprite animations and renders them in crisp HD resolution. The Steam store page introduces that the development is being led by the art director of ‘My Little Puppy,’ which was nominated for the Best Visual Style category at the ‘2025 Steam Awards.’
Meanwhile, according to the AI-generated content notice on the Steam store page, the game’s background music (BGM) was produced using generative AI tools.
Generative AI sources were also utilized for sound effects and some art resources, which the developer directly modified and refined before applying them to the game. Real-time AI generation features operating during gameplay or integration with external AI services are not included.
CEO Cho Ki-chul takes the stage as a speaker at Unity’s ‘Indie Relay Talk’ on the 20th.
CEO Cho Ki-cheol, who developed the game, will take the stage as the final speaker for Unity’s ‘Indie Relay Talk’ on November 20 at 11:40 AM. The topic of his presentation is ‘Steel Maiden: Afraid of AI, I Made a Game with AI’ .
CEO Jo, who has built a long career as an art director, candidly explains in this lecture the background behind his decision to take on the challenge of solo development, triggered by his fear of generative AI.
Along with this, they plan to share vivid production experiences on how AI tools and the Unity engine were integrated and utilized during the actual development process of ‘Still Maiden’.
Recorded a pre-test satisfaction score of 4.08… Foreign media also paying attention to ‘high-speed action’
‘Steel Maiden’ received favorable reviews in the earlier Stove Indie Bootstrap playtest, recording an overall satisfaction score of 4.08 out of 5.
Of the 213 survey responses compiled by VeryPositive, 166 (77.9%) gave a satisfaction score of 4 or higher, and in particular, the combat impact score, a core strength, received a high average score of 4.32.
Overseas game media also took notice of the work. When the Japanese game media outlet Famitsu first announced the title last June, it introduced it as a highly anticipated game being personally developed by the former art director of ‘My Little Puppy’.
AUTOMATON noted the intuitive high-speed action enjoyed with just two buttons, ‘left or right,’ and Game*Spark commented that the gameplay of taking down enemies swarming from the left and right with two buttons is reminiscent of the popular action game ‘One Finger Death Punch.’
Meanwhile, the currently released free demo version officially supports a total of 7 languages, including Korean and English, as well as Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian.
‘Steel Maiden’ can be played live from November 19 to 22 at the ‘Unity World’ booth within the Indie Showcase on the 1st floor of Exhibition Hall 2 at BEXCO in Busan . Users who cannot attend the event in person can also download a free demo version via the Steam store page to experience the game’s core action in advance .
Information regarding ‘Steel Maiden’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Development and Publishing | Very Positive (Steam developer/publisher credited as Keicee) |
| Genre | Action Roguelite |
| platform | PC (Steam) |
| Release date | Undetermined (Steam page ‘Upcoming Release’) |
| G-Star Demonstration | November 19–22, Busan BEXCO Exhibition Center 2, 1F Indie Showcase Unity World |
| Indie Relay Talk | November 20 (Fri) 11:40 AM |
| Reactions/Evaluations | Stove Indie Bootstrap Playtest Overall Satisfaction Average 4.08 out of 5 |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
