I Thought Fans Would Reject Climb Knight—But They Loved This Retro Arcade-Style Game

Hello, AppSir Games fans!  

It’s me, Darius—The Dev. Back again with another dev diary.  

After wrapping up Spooky Pixel Hero, I was completely burnt out from making story-driven retro horror games. I was feeling incredibly pressured, and my brain was fried from figuring out new ways to tell AppSir’s stories in a unique way, so I decided to take on a smaller project before diving into the next big chapter in the franchise.  

That’s how Climb Knight came to be—an arcade-style high score game inspired by classic handhelds. Think early Game Boy, those old brick games, Nokia phones with Snake, and even ancient PDAs like the Apple Newton. I wanted to capture that simple but addictive gameplay that defined the era.  

Honestly, I was hesitant to release it. Fans love my story-driven platformers like Spooky Pixel Hero and DERE EVIL EXE, so I wasn’t sure how a more hypercasual game would be received.  

But when I finally launched it, something unexpected happened—people started playing. A lot. I didn’t expect players to embrace a more straightforward game like this since I thought I had conditioned them to expect something more unconventional from my games. Seeing so many players push their limits and climb the leaderboards has been awesome.  

And now, here’s the big news—Climb Knight is getting a major update on February 25 at 10 AM GMT! This update brings something strange and exciting: three unlockable 1-bit mini-games and a mysterious virtual advisor inspired by quirky shareware applications of the Apple Newton.

Thanks to everyone who’s played and supported Climb Knight! It’s crazy to see it take off like this, and I’m grateful for each and every one of you. Let me know what you think of the update when it launches!  

Until next time—more games to come.

Spooky Pixel Hero is Game of the Day! Plus More News

Hello, AppSir Games fans!

It’s me, Darius—The Dev. From now on, I’ll be writing blogs here from time to time. Think of it as a Dev Diary of sorts.

I’ll be more honest here, and no, these posts won’t be canon to the AppSir Games Universe lore. These are just my thoughts and updates on what’s been going on.

Recently, I released Spooky Pixel Hero to great acclaim on the App Store. It’s a pixel art indie horror game with meta-horror elements, as always, but it’s also the prequel to the entire AppSir Games Universe. I’ve wanted to tell this story for years. I had been hyping it up as Project DERE Zero on the AppSir Games Discord, and only last year did I manage to sort my life out enough to finally make this project a reality.

Surprise! It’s been featured on the front page of the App Store multiple times. Banner features. New Games We Love. They even named it Game of the Day a few times in several regions, and you can read their awesome article about the game here. I’m proud of it, and honestly, Spooky Pixel Hero is one of the best stories I’ve ever conceptualized. It really anchors the plot points of the AppSir story and explains why the Dev is the way he is in the narratives of the sequels.

I also created another game recently that’s been getting some success as well, but that’s a story for another time.

Thank you, everyone! Until next time!

DERE Vengeance: A Meta-Horror Platformer Sets Launch Date for September 19

Following the release of critically acclaimed games like DERE EVIL EXE, AppSir Games is thrilled to announce the official launch date for their upcoming title, DERE Vengeance. This fourth-wall-breaking horror platformer will be available on September 19, 2023, and is now open for pre-orders on the App Store and pre-registration on Google Play. Players can also wishlist the game on Steam.

DERE Vengeance will be $3.99 on Steam and free to play on the App Store and Google Play, with an option to remove ads for $1.99.

In DERE Vengeance, players are thrust into a fourth-wall-breaking horror story set in a surreal universe, filled with unsettling corruptions and eccentric creatures. DERE Vengeance is a standalone game but also serves as the direct sequel to the retro horror game DERE EVIL EXE, which received the coveted title of Game of the Day on the App Store, finalist spots in prestigious awards, millions of downloads, and glowing reviews worldwide.

Game Information:

Release Date: September 19, 2023

Platform: App Store, Google Play, Steam

Price: $3.99 for PC, Free on iOS and Android with an option to remove ads for $1.99

About AppSir Games:

AppSir Games is fueled by a passion for crafting captivating and unforgettable gaming experiences. The releases span across various platforms, including PC titles, mobile games, and retro releases for classics like the NES, Game Boy, and ZX Spectrum. Drawing inspiration from successful cinematic franchises, AppSir Games maintains an unwavering commitment to delivering top-quality games with interconnected stories, consistently earning high ratings for each game.

For more information about DERE Vengeance and AppSir Games, please visit https://www.appsirgames.com/p/dere-vengeance.html.

Links:

Developer Website

DERE Vengeance on the App Store (apple.com)

DERE Vengeance on Google Play

DERE Vengeance on Steam

DERE Vengeance | Official Trailer

Limited Run Games is Releasing a Physical Edition of PHOBOS DERE .GB

 

Available for a limited time only, fans of AppSir Games and retro game collectors can snag themselves a physical copy of one of AppSir's most surreal retro game releases: PHOBOS DERE .GB.

For only $45, fans and collectors will receive an authentic Game Boy cartridge, a size-accurate retro box, and an instruction booklet. Preorders end on September 25, and there will be no more chances to obtain this game firsthand after that, hence the publisher's name "Limited Run". Here is the link to pre-order the game.

 

PHOBOS DERE .GB, along with PRIMA DERE ZX, and PROTO DERE .NES are prequels to AppSir's more modern games. They are all authentically retro games that could work on original hardware. While their stories are intertwined, the narratives told in the games are stand-alone, and people can enjoy any AppSir game without knowledge of other games in the series. For many, the most intriguing aspect of AppSir Games is its uniqueness and the Lynchian aspects of PHOBOS DERE .GB will provide future owners of the cursed Game Boy cartridge with an experience they won't forget.

Pre-order on Limited Run Games today: https://limitedrungames.com/products/phobos-dere-gb-gb

Check Out AppSir's Webby Honoree Award!

DERE EVIL EXE is an official Webby Honoree for the Best Adventure Games Category!

Thank you, International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and the Webby Awards. Thank you too, to the thousands of judges that have recognized our indie game alongside AAA games like Borderlands 3, which was also a Webby Honoree in the same category.

While we may not have won the big one, this is an amazing honor. We are grateful.

New DERE EVIL EXE and HopBound Stickers for iMessage

DERE EVIL EXE and HopBound now come with free iMessage stickers! Each game includes a sticker pack featuring your favorite characters from the AppSir Universe!

HopBound►https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hopbound/id1499147637

DERE EVIL EXE►https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dere-evil-exe/id1382655034

Resurrect your dead conversations and have AppSir games up your texting game! You can send them as standalone messages on chat or peel and paste them on chat bubbles and pictures.

We got the stickers made by commissioning Twitch streamer HEYJELLY►https://www.twitch.tv/heyjelly

Glitches shown in the video below will not happen when you send these stickers to your chats! That only happens to our iPhones.

Already have the games on your iOS device? Update to the latest version to receive the sticker packs.

And did we mention these iMessage sticker packs are completely free? Wow! That's a great price! Get them now and surprise your friends with cute stickers of Yanna, Knigtly, Mayumi, and more!

Fans Create The AppSir Discord Server

Ever wanted to discuss your experiences playing AppSir games? Ever had that personal theory about how things came to be in the AppSirVerse? Ever wanted to share memes and fan art to fellow AppSir fans?

If you said "yes" to any of these questions, good news! The fans have created an AppSir Discord Server!

Here's your chance! Chat with other AppSir fans! See behind the scenes stuff! Uncover mysteries! Transcend the limits of your flesh!

Join the AppSir Discord Server now: https://discord.gg/5n3fGeU

APPSIR DISCORD TRAILER

DERE EVIL EXE Nominated in the 15th IMGA Awards!

DERE EVIL EXE has been nominated in the 15th International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA Global). The IMGA is the longest standing and highest regarded mobile games award program started in 2004. 

“Nominees like DERE EVIL EXE highlight the new standard of creativity and the emerging quality of the productions found in mobile gaming”, said Maarten Noyons, founder of the IMGA. 

DERE EVIL EXE is a celebration of the creative freedom that indie game developers have. It is an original marriage of multiple genres and caters to fans of platforming, single player adventures, meta storytelling, visual novels, and horror games. The story is inspired from a young gamer’s fears; a game about playing something you aren't supposed to. The story was crafted to reflect the kind of horror people pass on, the kind of story gamers will tell each other while camping late at night while waiting for the monsters to spawn. People connect with the game. Be it because of the nostalgia, the level of trolling, or that unshakable feeling of dread in your childhood as you figure out how electronic glitches happen. This, coupled with its unique take on platformer puzzles, the ever evolving gameplay as the levels progress, and the innovative take on meta storytelling, makes for a Grand Prix award-worthy experience players won't soon forget.

As a nominee,  DERE EVIL EXE is also eligible to win the People's Choice Award, which is voted online by fans across the globe. From now until March 14th, 2019 DERE EVIL EXE fans and gamers can cast their votes at https://www.imgawards.com/games/dere-evil-exe/.

Winners will be announced on March 19th, 2019 during the highly anticipated IMGA ceremony, which will take place at the Minna Gallery in San Francisco.

Lost, Unreleased NES Game 'PROTO DERE .NES' Resurfaces Online

Recently, a Facebook user was able to track down the original cart for the unfinished NES game ‘PROTO DERE .NES’ and dump the ROM online.

For more information, visit this page: https://www.appsirgames.com/p/nes-game.html.

DERE EVIL EXE is a Finalist in the Mobile Game Awards 2019 for the Best Storytelling Award

DERE EVIL EXE is a finalist in the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2019 for the Best Storytelling Category! The awards will take place at the prestigious BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, London on January 22, 2019. This award recognizes games that show stellar writing and narrative design.

The eight finalists for the Best Storytelling award are as follows:

# DERE EVIL EXE - AppSir
# Florence - Mountains
# G30 – A Memory Maze - Ivan Kovalov
# Love Island: The Game - Fusebox Games
# My Child Lebensborn - Sarepta Studio
# Powerless - Narratio Studios
# Reigns: Her Majesty - Nerial
# Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story - Accidental Queens

The Best Storytelling award will be voted for by a panel industry judges, recognizing the hard work of the teams and individuals that have shined over the last year. A panel of mobile games industry experts from across the sector will then vote for what they feel is the best game in the category. The game that receives the most votes will be named the winner of the Best Storytelling category, which will be announced during the Mobile Games Awards live in January. Meanwhile, the Pocket Gamer People’s Choice Award will be in the hands of the gamers themselves over the next few weeks.

The Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards represents the cream of the crop of the mobile games industry, from the top games and developers delighting players around the world, to the tools and services companies laying the foundations for success.

'DERE EVIL EXE, a Meta Horror Pixel Platformer Game, Launches on Fourth of July for iOS, Android, and Windows PC

AppSir, Inc. today announced that the highly-anticipated DERE EVIL EXE launches worldwide on the Fourth of July on the App Store, Google Play, itch.io, Gamejolt and Steam, and is available for pre-order on the App Store now.

DERE EVIL EXE is a terrifying thriller disguised as a pixelated platformer with puzzles and levels inspired by the simplicity and aesthetics of 16-bit classics. It features a unique meta horror experience unseen in any mobile game.

In DERE EVIL EXE, you step into the tiny shoes of a silent hero named 'Knightly'. Knightly must jump, run, and manipulate environments in order to survive a heart-racing journey through a surreal pixel art world.

While DERE EVIL EXE is a standalone game, it is a part of a large interconnected universe involving storylines from three other games with twists of their own: Sorority Rites, The Last Yandere, and DERE EXE.

It's prequel, ‘Dere Exe’, won a ‘Best of Gaming 2018’ award and gained popular status among Youtubers such as Markiplier, Bijuu Mike, Luigikid, and YuB.
The download links for when DERE EVIL EXE goes live are as follows:

App Store➡ https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dere-evil-exe/id1382655034

Google Play➡ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appsir.dereevilexegp

Steam➡ https://store.steampowered.com/app/871950/DERE_EVIL_EXE

itch.io➡ https://appsir.itch.io/dere-evil-exe

GameJolt➡ https://gamejolt.com/games/dereevil/330811

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