The first Steam playtest without an NDA has ended, bringing with it plenty of positive player feedback. For transparency, I did play this Closed Beta, and well… I’m not sure I agree with the hype CBT results portray. That said, it’s by no means impossible to fix.

The feedback comes from more than 67,000 participants, with the studio saying it has reorganized its roadmap based on survey responses, gameplay footage, livestreams, Discord discussions, and Steam comments.

Here’s what developers said about the beta feedback: “Every survey we run asks you to grade the game from 0 to 10 across the same set of categories, which lets us track progress test over test. When we asked how much fun the game is overall, we leaped to our highest score yet. It wasn’t just fun. When asked whether “Medieval Zombie Survival Simulator with Physics” describes the game you actually played, you gave us an 8.61 with 57% of you rating it a 9 or 10. And after playing, 70% of you said your expectations for the game went up, while only 4% said they dropped. The vision and the game are speaking the same language.”

They also revealed that the next playable build will focus on two of the community’s most requested features: a save system and cooperative multiplayer. The team said these will be the priority for the upcoming test, giving players an opportunity to evaluate both systems before they become part of the Early Access version.

Combat and survival mechanics will remain under active development. According to the developers, feedback showed that combat still needs more variety, with many players describing encounters as repetitive because attacks currently rely on limited swing animations. The studio acknowledged that survival systems still need refinement, particularly around hunger and thirst, even though complaints about those mechanics have decreased compared to earlier tests.

Inventory management received frequent criticism during the beta, with players describing it as difficult to organize. In response, the developers confirmed that broader UI and user experience improvements are planned, while key rebinding will be available no later than the Early Access release.

One area that remains undecided is base building. The original design centered on reinforcing and fortifying existing buildings instead of allowing players to construct entirely new structures. However, the studio said internal discussions are ongoing about whether to expand that system after seeing how strongly players requested broader building mechanics during the beta. I can’t believe I’m saying this but… I don’t want base building. I think fortifying a town is way more interesting and a fresh take on zombie survival.

Beyond responding to the most common feedback, the development team also confirmed several features that are currently planned, such as character customization, more weapons and zombie types, expanded cooking options, larger farming and livestock systems.

However, the team said not every suggestion from the community will be implemented, noting that some requests don’t align with the game’s overall design philosophy.

The developers expect to address most of the major areas raised during the Closed Beta before or during Early Access development, which is good to know because I think God Save Birmingham needs all the attention it can get.