It’s been a few years since the last Super Hamster Havoc dev blog. Back then, the game was basically a hamster murder simulator in demo form. You could move, you could shoot, and if everything lined up, you might even hit something. That was enough to prove the idea worked, but it also left us with a very long list of things to fix.
Since then, we may have gone a little overboard. Super Hamster Havoc now has new characters, a full co-op Survival Mode, reworked gunplay, smarter AI, actual matchmaking, and yes—you can hit people with your gun. Consider this post your hamster-wheel recap: everything that’s changed since the demo, and where we’re headed next.
Where We Left Off
When we released the demo, SHH was scrappy but functional. You could run, you could shoot, and multiplayer worked as long as everyone was patient enough. Optimization wasn’t a priority back then—20 frames per second was what we called “good enough.”
But even in that rough state, the hamster murder simulator concept was fun enough to keep people playing. That was the fuel that kept us pushing forward.
New Faces, New Names
The roster has grown since the demo. On the HAVOC Strikeforce side, we’ve added Johnny Greascoat. The Rat Menace Resistance brought in Exalted High King Gnaw III, Axel Vermin, and Ragz.
Some of the originals also got a proper rebrand. Anne became Dr. Annabelle “Stitch” Hammsworth. Hazard is now Gunnery Sergeant Cheddar. And Ninja finally admitted his name was Ryuichi.
We also made operators look and feel better in action. They now grip weapons properly, their shadows give better depth perception, and the backend for alternate skins is fully in place—even though the UI for them isn’t live yet.
[Operator select screen, with one renamed character alongside one of the new additions.]Survival Mode
The demo was PvP-only. Now SHH includes Survival Mode, a co-op experience for up to four players. Every kill earns cash, which you can spend at caches to buy weapons, equipment, or to unlock new parts of the map.
It’s inspired by Call of Duty Zombies and Survival, but with a Super Hamster Havoc twist. The enemies aren’t zombies—they’re rats. The heroes aren’t elite soldiers—they’re heavily armed rodents. And somehow, it works.
[GIF of rats being mowed down]Gunplay
Weapons have been rebuilt from the ground up since the demo. Guns are now bigger, heavier, and feel distinct. Pistols give you speed. LMGs slow you down. Shotguns and snipers kick so hard they can launch you across the map. And if shooting isn’t enough, you can now hit other players with your gun.
Each weapon class has been refined. Handguns are light and mobile but limited in range. SMGs spray hard but lack accuracy. Assault rifles balance versatility and power. Snipers fire slowly but hit like trucks. Shotguns dominate close quarters. LMGs pour out rounds endlessly but weigh you down. Explosive launchers… explode.
On top of that, we added a melee bat, backend support for skins, cartoon-style spread fire for SMGs and LMGs, new guns, attachments, updated sounds, and refreshed pixel art.
UI Glow-Up
The menus have been rebuilt from scratch since the demo. Instead of barebones screens, we now have a proper modern layout with Quickstart, PvP, Survival, Operators, and Loadouts. Operators jog off screen when you swap them. Loadouts update in real time.
The game now notifies you when you level up or unlock attachments. Damage indicators show up in worldspace. Video presets automatically adjust for different platforms. And controller navigation finally works seamlessly without bouncing back and forth to a mouse.
Online Multiplayer
In the demo, Quickmatch meant “pray someone else is hosting.” Today, matchmaking is fully built. You can join ranked, casual, or private matches. Playlists include Free For All, Survival, and Team Mix. Bots fill empty slots when matchmaking can’t.
Cross-play and cross-progression already work in-studio across PC, mobile, and console. For players, these features will roll out in the future as SHH expands beyond PC.
AI
Demo AI had one tactic: sprint at you until somebody died, often running into walls in the process.
Now the AI can actually jump, melee, and even shotgun-jump. We’ve added different “profiles” so some bots play aggressively while others favor accuracy. They’re still dumb enough to be funny, but now they’re dangerous too.
Under the Hood
A lot of the biggest differences from the demo are invisible but critical. We simplified how weapons render. We moved AI logic into Behavior Trees instead of ticking every frame. We cut unnecessary Tick calls entirely. Grenades and claymores now calculate damage without stuttering. And we stopped asking Unreal to “Get All Actors of Class” whenever an AI wanted to think.
The end result is a game that runs far smoother than the demo ever did, with Switch builds hovering around 30 FPS. For a handheld hamster murder simulator, that’s progress.
What’s Next
Bringing this blog back is part of our ramp-up to something bigger: a public playtest on Steam in the next couple of months. That’ll be your chance to jump into the current version of SHH, see just how far it’s come since the demo, and help shape what comes next.
