He Who Watches
In the codexAdventureIndie

He Who Watches

Walk on walls. Manipulate gravity. Discover secrets. In this first-person puzzle game, delve deep into an ancient labyrinth of intricate conundrums, seeking an imprisoned god at the centre.

DEV: Bobby VandenPUB: Draknek and FriendsAppID 1070500

Is He Who Watches still being updated? — the short answer, with the evidence.

Catch up before you play

From the developer

Announcements from this page’s recent record. A post may announce plans or an event; it does not always mean a playable update shipped.

Coverage may be out of date. This is our collection date, not the date of the latest patch.

  1. He Who Watches | Patch Notes

    Hey folks,A big thank you to everyone for playing and supporting the game thus far! It's been really exciting seeing everyone's reviews and responses, and we hear you about the difficulty! So, we've updated the game with some tweaks that should help alleviate a few common sticking points.Level Tweaks:"Carry" -…

    Read original announcement ↗

  2. He Who Watches is OUT NOW! 🏹👁️

    Bow and arrow at the ready! He Who Watches is OUT NOW!To celebrate the game’s release, we’ve made a special ‘talky’ launch trailer! The gravity-shifting in our game can be a little overwhelming, so we thought we should make something a little different. This 'explainer' trailer has voice-over from the game’s…

    Read original announcement ↗

  3. He Who Watches - Out Next Week! 👁️🏹

    Get your bow and arrow ready! He Who Watches is out in one week!We're in the final stages of getting everything ready for launch day, but we would really appreciate your help with the final push! Wishlisting the game and downloading the demo feeds the Steam machine, which helps others discover the game. It would…

    Read original announcement ↗
Explore news & source history ↓
96.5
Exceptional

Elixir Rating

96.8% of 155 Steam reviews are positive, which after adjusting for sample size gives a reception score of 92.7. The developers have shipped 2 substantial updates in the past six months, adding 3.8.

reception 92.7·support +3.8·Exceptional

Computed from Steam’s own review tally and observable developer activity — never from anyone’s opinion of the game. How this is calculated

Should you look into this?

From Steam's own record

Current price

$19.99

Development

Insufficient evidence

Last heard from developers

34 days ago

Historical posting rhythm

every ~34.5 days

Substantial updates (6 mo)

2

Current silence

cannot be judged

Our news coverage needs a fresh check; missing posts are not evidence that development has stopped. 2 substantial updates recorded in the past six months, 1 classified as major.

Last successful news check: Sep 10, 2026, 2:04 PM UTC. This is when we checked Steam, separate from when the developer last posted. A fresh check is needed before judging current activity.

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Distilled by the oracle

Our coverage

1 dispatch written from this game’s announcements

releaseSep 4, 2026

He Who Watches Launches on Steam with a Developer Explainer Trailer

He Who Watches, a gravity-shifting puzzle adventure, is now available on Steam following a development period during which the game built a community of supporters.

Publisher Draknek & Friends marked the release with something deliberately off-formula: a narrated "talky" launch trailer featuring voice-over from solo developer Bobby Vanden. The studio describes it as an "explainer" — an acknowledgment that the game's gravity-shifting mechanics can feel overwhelming on first contact. It is, by their own account, a departure from their usual gameplay-heavy trailers.

What the announcement covers

  • He Who Watches is now available on Steam (AppID 1070500)
  • A special launch trailer features voice-over from solo developer Bobby Vanden
  • The studio characterizes the gravity mechanics as potentially "overwhelming" for new players
  • The game is described as a "mind-bending gravity-shifting puzzle adventure"
  • Draknek & Friends is the publishing entity behind the release
  • The announcement encourages Steam reviews as a discovery mechanism

For players curious about the title, the developer-narrated trailer appears to be the most direct available orientation to what the game actually asks of them.

Two years of development

■ substantial ■ routine

Nov2025FebMayAugNov2026FebMayAug

8 announcements · 2 substantial · 18 months with nothing

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News & source history

15 recorded posts · includes developer announcements and press coverage

Community AnnouncementsSep 11, 2026
Over a week of He Who Watches! Thank you!

It’s been a little over a week since we launched He Who Watches and we wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has bought and played the game, written a review, and helped spread the news of its release! Praise for He Who WatchesWe’ve…

Community AnnouncementsSep 4, 2026
He Who Watches | Patch Notes

Hey folks,A big thank you to everyone for playing and supporting the game thus far! It's been really exciting seeing everyone's reviews and responses, and we hear you about the difficulty! So, we've updated the game with some tweaks that sh…

Read this patch for

Community AnnouncementsSep 2, 2026
He Who Watches is OUT NOW! 🏹👁️

Bow and arrow at the ready! He Who Watches is OUT NOW!To celebrate the game’s release, we’ve made a special ‘talky’ launch trailer! The gravity-shifting in our game can be a little overwhelming, so we thought we should make something a litt…

Read our dispatch on this

Read this patch for

Community AnnouncementsAug 26, 2026
He Who Watches - Out Next Week! 👁️🏹

Get your bow and arrow ready! He Who Watches is out in one week!We're in the final stages of getting everything ready for launch day, but we would really appreciate your help with the final push! Wishlisting the game and downloading the dem…

GamingOnLinuxAug 17, 2026
He Who Watches will confuse your eyes and your brain when it releases in September

He Who Watches is an upcoming first-person puzzle game where you can walk on walls, manipulate gravity and more - looks like it will confuse every part of me. Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/08/he-who-watches-…

Community AnnouncementsAug 5, 2026
Release Date Announcement

We’re incredibly excited to announce that He Who Watches launches on Steam September 2, 2026!Delve deep into a mind-bending dungeon full of puzzles and secrets🏹Traverse walls and ceilings to solve puzzles by shifting blocks with a magical …

Community AnnouncementsJul 10, 2026
We're at Glasgow Indie Games Fest with He Who Watches!

Hello all! We'll be at Glasgow Indie Games Fest on the 11th & 12th of July with a playable demo for He Who Watches!The Glasgow Independent Games Festival is a celebration of indie games from Scotland and around the world. A big thank you to…

Community AnnouncementsMay 28, 2026
Cerebral Puzzle Showcase 2026 - Updated Demo and Thinky Direct Trailer

Hello all - Cerebral Puzzle Showcase starts today and He Who Watches is in it with a newly updated demo! 🏹 The hint system has been improved and better integrated into the world 🏹 Added support for eleven new languages 🏹 Various polish a…

GamingOnLinuxMar 31, 2026
Fans of Portal and first-person puzzlers will definitely want to check out He Who Watches

He Who Watches is an innovative new puzzle game that Draknek and Friends just revealed they're publishing, and it looks like it will melt my brain. Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/fans-of-portal-and-first-p…

Community AnnouncementsMar 26, 2026
Updated Demo & Exciting Publisher Announcement

Hey folks - sorry for the lack of updates, but I am here with excellent news: He Who Watches has a publisher! And not just any publisher, Draknek & Friends!If you're reading this it's very likely you already know some of their games, but th…

Community AnnouncementsNov 6, 2025
Release Delay

Hi folks,Sorry it has been a minute! It's been an incredibly busy time finishing up the game and preparing for release. I originally announced that He Who Watches would come out in Fall 2025, and as you may have guessed (considering that it…

Community AnnouncementsMay 23, 2024
Cerebral Puzzle Showcase 2024 - Demo Release!

Hello all - The 2024 edition of Cerebral Puzzle Showcase starts today and we're in it with a brand new demo! This month has been massive for thinky/puzzle game releases, and I'm excited to join the crowd with this demo! If you've played the…

Community AnnouncementsAug 3, 2023
Cerebral Puzzle Showcase & Tiny Teams Festivals!

Hello puzzlers! We are super excited to be a part of both the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase and Tiny Teams festivals this week! There's a new demo ready that is hot off the press. Please do check out the games in both of these festivals, as ther…

Community AnnouncementsApr 23, 2023
Minor Update 0.1.36

0.1.36 Brings some quality-of-life changes, and replaces a particularly frustrating level. Added ability to hold the undo button for subsequent presses. Added a new reset button to instantly reset to the beginning of the level. Replaced the…

Community AnnouncementsApr 20, 2023
Public Demo Release for Steam's Puzzle Fest!

The demo for He Who Watches is now live! This demo is an early access sneak peek at what we're working on and includes the first 15 levels of the game. There are 12 main levels and 3 hidden bonus levels. Things are definitely subject to cha…