(Québec City, Canada) — April 22, 2025 — Indie game studio RuniQ today announced the upcoming closed beta for its co-op side-scrolling brawler, Heroes of Mount Dragon. Players interested in participating can sign up for the closed beta now on Steam. The closed beta will officially commence on May 1, 2025, at 1 PM EDT until May 12, 2025, at 1 PM EDT.
In Heroes of Mount Dragon, players unleash dragon-morphing powers in an action-packed side-scrolling brawler. The closed beta will allow players to choose from four unique heroes, each with their own fighting style, and play with up to 3 friends or solo. Following valuable feedback from its initial demo, the closed beta introduces significant enhancements and brand-new content for players to experience.
"We're incredibly excited to bring the online experience of Heroes of Mount Dragon to players for the first time in this Closed Beta. This large-scale test will be useful to us in refining and optimizing our online co-op features, so we appreciate our community’s involvement during this Closed Beta period," states Stéphane Gravel, co-founder and managing director at RuniQ.
New Key Features in Closed Beta:
• Refined Combat System: Based on player feedback, RuniQ has implemented improvements to combat, ensuring better balanced encounters and the removal of frustrating attack chain interruptions for a smoother and more engaging experience.
• Competitive Mode Unlocked: Players can now test their skills against friends in the newly unlocked Competitive Mode! Face off in local or online matches to earn the title of Mount Dragon’s ultimate champion. Utilize a variety of devious curses – electrify, shrink or flip your rivals' controls – to disrupt their gameplay and seize victory.
• New Kingdom to Explore – The Elven Sanctuary: Venture into the mysterious and enchanting Elven Sanctuary, a brand-new kingdom teeming with Dark Elves, cunning Witches and lurking Spiders. Discover its secrets and face its formidable inhabitants.
Heroes of Mount Dragon offers a unique blend of classic beat ‘em up action with modern features and a vibrant artistic style. Players can choose from an array of four unique dragon-morphing heroes in the closed beta, each possessing distinct skill sets and combos. They can transform into powerful dragons to unleash devastating attacks, unlock powerful upgrades and strategically utilize power-ups.
Heroes of Mount Dragon’s Core features include:
• Frantic Beat ‘Em Up Action: Experience fast-paced side-scrolling combat with a diverse roster of heroes.
• Eight Unique Dragon-Morphing Heroes: Each hero boasts their own unique abilities and combos. (Note: Four dragon hero characters will be available in the closed beta and at launch in June. The other four characters will be included in future updates.)
o Players can transform into a powerful dragon that can unleash devastating attacks
o Players unlock powerful upgrades to level up during their progress through the adventure
• Collaborate or Compete in Varied Game Modes
o Play on the couch or online co-op with or against friends on all platforms
o Enjoy the adventure and competitive mode with up to three friends
• Use Powerups to Help You Win or Curse Other Players
o Acquire powerups to help face the onslaught of monsters
o Use a variety of devious curses to mess with rivals—electrify them, shrink them or flip their controls
• Colorful Artistic Style and Tongue-in-cheek Attitude
o Vibrant 2D realms, crafted with numerous unique hand-drawn textures, are seamlessly integrated into a 3D environment
o Feels like a modern-day Saturday morning cartoon
o Light-hearted tone that doesn’t take itself (too) seriously
Press Kit at https://delivery.warningup.com/RuniQ/RuniQ_Heroes of Mount Dragon_Media Kit.zip
Latest Trailer: https://youtu.be/72m_Bu4LuAg
Heroes of Mount Dragon releases this June on PC and in September on Nintendo Switch. The full roster of characters will be available in subsequent game updates. Players can Wishlist the game on Steam and follow the game on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Discord to be updated on further details.
About RuniQ Studio
RuniQ is an independent game development studio based in Quebec City, Canada. Founded by three industry veterans from Beenox (Activision), the team brings a wealth of games development experience to the company from having worked on globally successful franchises such as Skylanders, Spider-Man, Crash Bandicoot, and Call of Duty. In partnership with HMD Creations and its Heroes of Mount Dragon multimedia IP (books, board games, puzzles, etc.), RuniQ is on a mission to develop captivating video games set in this universe. Since its inception, RuniQ has garnered significant recognition, winning the ninth edition of the Catapulte Pitching Contest as well as GDC Pitch Day in 2024. The company was also selected for Quebec City’s Valo-Capitale grant and received support from the Canada Media Fund, underscoring its potential as a standout in the gaming industry.
More information about the team can be found on https://www.studioruniq.com
More information about the universe can be found on https://www.herosdumontdragon.com/en