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A new Fireside prototype!

We've been keeping you posted for over a year now, sharing insight into the development of our game. And finally, we're able to share a new playable prototype with you! We couldn't be more excited to get your feedback on the new and improved version of Fireside.

For now, you're able to play Fireside exclusively here on itch. However, we have set up a steam page and we'd greatly appreciate it if you could leave us a wishlist!

What are the features?

•  Gameplay
  • Dynamic dialogue system so you can talk with fellow travelers
  • Trading System
    • NPCs have unique desires for items
    • You can make trades with NPCs to fulfill these desires
  • Soul Energy
    • You collect soul energy from the gratitude of fellow travelers and use it to upgrade your travel distance.
• Reworked art style
• Implemented four unique travelers with their own questlines
• Expect around 45 minutes to 1 hour of gameplay
• In-game developer commentary on several aspects of the game

What is this version of Fireside?

Up until now, you've been able to play a version of Fireside we made for Stay Safe Jam over one year ago. What we're presenting now, is a new version of the game we've been developing since April 2021. It is the same prototype we're using to show the game to publishers and serves the purpose of conveying the game's atmosphere as well as core gameplay loop.

You play the beginning of the second area of the game, as we imagine all core systems of the game to be active by that point and the demo should give you (and publishers) an idea of what the full game will be like. This is called a vertical slice and is an industry-standard practice for pitching games.

That said, there are still some features missing from making the current version of Fireside a true vertical slice. Especially the absence of a progression system is felt in the current version of the game. Still, we want to gather feedback so we can make the game as good as possible. This is why we've integrated analytics into the prototype and can gather (anonymized, non-personal) insight just by you playing the prototype!

If you have ideas for the game or want to share extensive feedback you can do so on our Discord server.
 

Next Steps

For now, we're still on time with developing our vertical slice. The only major feature missing is the progression system which will be tightly connected to the player's home - a shrine in the wilderness that they are rebuilding. Implementing this feature will be our main focus in September. Other than this, we'll be searching for a publisher for the coming months. It's amazing to be able to make this game a reality and we're looking to make it as good as possible with your feedback! So see you next devlog!