On behalf of the team at Striking Distance Studios, I wanted to offer up a huge thank you to everyone who pre-ordered [REDACTED]. I hope youre enjoying the 72 hours of Early Access on Xbox.If you havent pre-ordered the game yet, youve still got a chance to get in on the fun and check out the new gameplay trailer before our official launch on October 31. Go ahead, Ill wait.[REDACTED] is our take on a fast-action dungeon crawler roguelike. Its set in Black Iron Prison, a deep space penitentiary where the shit really hits the fan after a full-blown outbreak has created a terrifying mob of bloodthirsty monsters. Youre an expendable prison guard with one mission find the last escape pod and get the hell out of there.This is a passion project for our team between AAA releases. Were huge fans of roguelikes and wanted to put our stamp on the genre, with a vibrant comic-book-inspired style, and a high-energy, futuristic punk rock vibe.Weve already talked about a few of the innovative new gameplay features weve added, like Rivals and Fight Your Last Corpse. But of course, weve saved a few surprises for the end.Today, we wanted to tell you about a devious ultra-hard mode called The Watcher Run.The Watcher Run is a completely optional endgame playthrough for the hardest of the hardcore out there. Its the only way to unlock the final pieces of the story in [REDACTED], and is the ultimate test of your skill, strategy, and sanity.Youll unlock dossier filers for each Rival you encounter in the game as you battle through Black Iron Prison. Each completed dossier scores you a code used to unlock a mysterious Vault in the escape pod bay at the end of the prison.Once you secure all eight codes and reaches the vault next to the escape pod, you have the option to unlock The Watcher Run.And heres where things get interesting.If you choose to take on this challenge, youll assume the role of The Watcher. Playing as the The Watcher has its perks youll wield a cattle prod and the Plasma Gun, a new and powerful ranged weapon. Otherwise, its simple you have to make one last run through Black Iron facing off against every boss and rival from start to finish without dying.Dont worry, The Watcher isnt just a guy with a big shiny gun and cattle prod. He has a unique ability to exit any room that doesnt include a boss or Rival encounter before its cleared. This speeds the run up and reduces your exposure to combat, but it costs you the ability to unlock upgrades along the way. Which is a real high-risk scenario, because theres a catch.If you die, youll lose every upgrade youve purchased. So, basically, just about everything youve earned up to that point. Like I said, The Watcher Run isnt for the timid and the stakes are high. But so are the rewards.If you battle your way through the prison, clear the whole run without dying, overcome one last life-or-death battle that unlocks one of two special endings for the game (no spoilers here), you win access to the Plasma Gun and a new suit that grants 100% hazard protection and deflects enemy projectiles back at the attacker.I cant wait to hear about all your own unique player stories exploring Black Iron Prison (whether you take on The Watcher Run or not) in the days ahead as we launch the game globally on October 31. We hope you have as much fun playing the game as we did making it![REDACTED]KRAFTON, Inc.$22.49Pre-orderBlack Iron, a state-of-the-art penitentiary located on Jupiters icy moon Callisto, is overrun with hordes of infected inmates. As a modest prison guard your job is simple get to the last escape pod and get out alive. But you arent the only survivor looking to escape. Your rivals a deranged custodian, a violent gangster, a maniacal lunch lady, and more cant wait to step over your corpse and save themselves. Only one of you can make it off the moon make sure its you! FIGHT/DIE/ADAPT Each death is a learning experience. Starting fresh each run, build up your loadout with powerful experiments, weapon schematics, and buffs to battle through Black Iron. When you die (and you will die), use your hard-earned loot to purchase new permanent weapons, suits, and skills. Get stronger, experiment with your strategy, and get out! ROUT YOUR RIVALS You're not the only person to survive the initial outbreak or willing to use a bit of violence to get to the last escape pod. Some prisoners and even your correctional services colleagues are just as eager to escape and will make escaping harder by attacking you remotely or challenging you to a one-on-one duel. Race them, attack them back remotely, and fight them to the death to make it out in one piece. FIGHT YOUR LAST CORPSE When you die, you leave more than a coverall-clad carcass. Defeat the reanimated corpse of the last guard to succumb to the prisons dangers to earn a powerful experiment. But beware, its not going to be an easy fight. The semi-alive guard has the same loadout they had when they met an untimely end and a few extra tricks up its sleeve to keep things spicy. GAME OVER, MAN Youve made the perfect build, battled through bosses, ran through rivals, killed your corpse, found all the files, and now youre standing in front of that last escape pod. Sure, you could leave it all behind for the sweet taste of freedom or risk it all in one last hardcore do-or-die run back through the prison. Fail and you lose all your purchased gear, skills, suits, and weapons. But IF you succeed, youll unlock new powerful permanent gear. FUTURE PUNK An irreverent attitude, unique presentation, vivid graphic novel style, and a 180bpm original arcade-punk soundtrack by Mutato Muzika enhance [REDACTED]s sci-fi setting and fast white-knuckle action.