The Neckening Update is Here, and it’s Packed
I’m thrilled to share that Esophaguys v1.2: The Neckening Update is now live on Xbox. After a few months of listening to your feedback, squashing bugs, and polishing every pixel, we’ve put together an update that takes everything you love about Esophaguys and cranks it up to eleven. Whether you’re a speedrunning madman, a cooperative chaos enthusiast, or someone just discovering the joy of esophagus elongation, there’s something here for you.
Nothing but Neck with Online Leaderboards
The solo hardcore Masochist mode just got amped up. We’re launching a new online leaderboard system that lets you race for the fastest speedruns and compete globally with other players. Whether you’re chasing world records or just trying to beat your friends, the leaderboard gives you a clear target and the bragging rights that come with it. Every run counts, and your skills will be on display for all to see.
Jump into Four-Player Co-op Chaos
The four-player co-op section, Block 3, is now unlocked and ready for mayhem. You can now experience four-player cooperative chaos from the start, perfect for those party sessions. These levels have been specifically designed to generate abundant laughter when you’ve got a full squad. Expect synchronized awkwardness, shared victories, and plenty of opportunities to both help and hinder each other.
Fresh Emotes and Essential Help
I’ve added a collection of new and updated emotes so you can express yourselves in all the jiggly ways. Beyond that, we’ve introduced a dedicated help menu that walks new players through the basics. No more confusion about game mechanics; if you’ve got a question, the help menu has the answer.
We’ve also added a variable neck length feature, that corresponds to fine-tuned control to precise neck size. All necks are created equal.
Visuals Juiced
The visual improvements in this update are substantial. We’ve overhauled the entire camera system to eliminate jitter and deliver buttery-smooth gameplay. The geckos now animate dynamically with hungry grace, making every encounter feel more alive. Minigame scoring now comes with satisfying confetti effects, hub orb deposits have juicy new VFX, gnome deposit animations have been completely reworked, and I’ve added a helpful friend to identify secret areas you might otherwise miss.
Grunts and Twangs Forever
The unique audio in Esophaguys now feels more cohesive and polished. The game is now approaching 4500 personally-recorded, mouth-originated sound effects. Just when I thought I couldn’t make any more strange noises, I whipped out new quips for various mechanics – gnomes, whales, chickens, Travneck, and hub harp orbs. As the first game to feature traditional jews-harp music, new mixes have been added to the competitive minigame levels, showing off the banjo and jews-harp combo that is as twangy as it gets. I’ve additionally leveled volumes and smoothed spikes for seamless transitions across the game.
Fixes and Refinements Across the Board
This is where the rubber meets the road: we’ve eliminated a swarm of bugs, from gnats to fruit flies to cockroaches to rolly-pollies. Gnomes no longer get stuck or run in the wrong direction after spawning. Pre-biting a fly no longer breaks its logic. Puzzles now open doors correctly without being too easy or frustratingly hard.
We’ve fixed issues where you couldn’t contest minigame weapons and resolved the flickering that occurred when switching between TravNeck and electric neck modes. Level design metrics have been reviewed and adjusted throughout, with special attention to Block 3 based on community feedback. Layering issues with art have been corrected, progress-critical objects now always work and respawn reliably, and bite disconnection issues have been resolved.
Chained player mechanics work as intended, and we’ve added the build number to the menu so you always know which version you’re running. Individual levels are now numbered for clarity in the hub world.
What’s Next?
The Neckening Update represents our commitment to listening to our community. Every fix, every feature, and every visual improvement came from your feedback. We’re grateful for your bug reports and your enthusiasm for Esophaguys.
Esophaguys is available now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Download The Neckening Update today and experience necks-generation gaming on Xbox!
Esophaguys
Esophaguys Team
Co-op Mode (2-4 players):
Stretch, bite, and swing together, traversing and solving puzzles as you search to reactivate the forgotten monuments of your diasporic people.
Minigame Mode (2-4 players):
In team-based sports, free-for-all arena, and traversal trials, compete, neck-to-neck, to determine who has the greatest gullet.
Story Mode (1-4 players):
Accompanied by poignant narration, embark on a mythical journey to understand the past and shape the future. Will you uncover the true nature of the neck?
Masochist Mode (1-4 players):
No land. No checkouts. Nothing but neck. Subject yourself to grueling challenges in a hellish atmosphere ripe for speedrunning.
Hub World Progression:
Reconstruct the ancient monument of your people as you progress through each mode, reuniting and unlocking the garb of your lost lengthy kin.
Twanging Tones and Elderly Grunts:
Lose yourself in a soundscape all its own. The first video game dedicated to one of mankind’s oldest instruments, the jews-harp. Experience the ancient sound from a variety of world traditions combined with bold experimentations. Reconstructing centuries old tradition from archival material, classic twangs from America, Austria, the British Isles, India, Norway, Kyrgyzstan, and Yakutia will delight your ears with every jugular jiggle. Accompanied with over 4000+ personally-recorded, mouth-originated SFX, prepare your cochleas to be tickled to the extreme.
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