Wartorn News

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who played the Wartorn Combat Demo during Steam Next Fest!

Your feedback has been so wonderful that we've decided to keep the demo up! So feel free to keep playing and tell your friends to give it a shot.

We are continuing to refine things based on your feedback as we head toward our anticipated Early Access release later this year, so please keep playing and sharing your feedback with us in the Official Wartorn Discord

Stay tuned for more news and content. The war is far from over. 🔥

With love,
Stray Kite Studios

With Steam NextFest just around the corner, we wanted to share something special as you gear up for our upcoming Combat Demo!

We’re thrilled to announce that Wartorn will feature a fully original musical score, bringing even more depth and immersion to our fantasy world. Composed by Felipe Tellez, this soundtrack will be included in both the Early Access and full release, alongside fully voiced dialogue and unique sound design—because let’s be honest, every head-splatter should sound just right 😈.

To introduce Felipe and give you a glimpse into his vision for Wartorn, check out the video below!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
🚨 Don't forget! Wartorn is taking part in Steam NextFest with our Combat Demo. If you haven’t already, check out our latest blog post (linked below) for all the details—what’s included, what’s coming next, and how you can share your feedback with us.



We can't wait for you to play, see your streams and videos, and hear what you think!

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1296660/view/753892801282834433?l=english
Until next time,

The Wartorn Development Team

Hey everyone!

We have some exciting news—Wartorn will be part of Steam Next Fest this month, giving you an exclusive first look at our combat demo! From February 24 to March 3, you’ll have the chance to dive into Wartorn’s intense squad-based battles and experience elemental warfare firsthand.

This demo is designed to give you a taste of the core gameplay mechanics, highlighting the moment-to-moment combat that makes Wartorn both strategic and visceral. We’ve carefully chosen units, maps, and elemental interactions to showcase the variety and depth of our battles—but this is just the beginning of what’s to come!

[h2]What to Expect in the Combat Demo[/h2]

This combat-focused demo will introduce you to some of the key mechanics of Wartorn’s real-time tactics gameplay, but it will not include the larger narrative, roguelite progression, or meta systems—we’re saving those for Early Access!

Here’s what you’ll get your hands on in Next Fest:

🔥 Dynamic Elemental Combat – Experiment with Fire, Lightning, Tar, Water, and Plant elements to create explosive combos, influence enemy movement, and manipulate the battlefield to best fit your strategy.

⚔️ 11 Unique Unit Types – Each battle will offer different squad rewards, meaning you might need multiple runs to experience all of them!

Units include:

• Elf Bolt Mage
  
• Elf Rainmaker
  
• Goblin Grenadier
  
• Goblin Limb Thrasher Rabble
  
• Goblin Angry Mob
  
• Goblin Novice Brewer
  
• Human Vanguard Spearmen
  
• Styg Fire Acolyte
  
• Styg Ichor Defender
  
• Pheign Heartwood Stomper
  
• Troll Club Clomper
  

👑 Playable Hero Squad: Yara & Elani – These elven sisters lead the charge with powerful and unique abilities. Do not let your heroes die… if they do, you will fail!

🌍 Four Battle Maps in a Single Biome – Get a taste of the diverse environments of the isles of Talaur, with fully destructible battlefields that make every fight dynamic and unpredictable.

🎲 Randomized Battle Rewards – After each victory, you’ll unlock new squad members, giving you the chance to experiment with different team compositions. (In Early Access, rewards will include upgrades, passive/active abilities, and resources to shape your journey.)

⏳ Slow Down Time - With the slow-time feature (space-bar), even the most complex scenarios are approachable, allowing players to slow down, analyze the chaos, and issue precise commands, adapting gameplay to suit their pace.

👀 Work-in-Progress HUD & Controls – We want your feedback! The HUD is still evolving, and we’ll be monitoring community input to make it the best it can be before Early Access.



[h2]What’s Not in the Demo [/h2]

To set expectations, this Next Fest demo is laser-focused on combat, meaning some of the full game’s deeper mechanics aren’t included just yet:

❌ The Narrative & Story Setup – You won’t see why Yara and Elani are fighting or how their journey unfolds—but rest assured, a rich, emotional story awaits in the full game!

❌ Roguelite Progression – The meta-game and long-term upgrades, like unlocking persistent abilities, squad veterancy, or story-driven progression, aren’t here yet.

❌ Caravan Management – In the full game, this is where you’ll manage and swap squads for each run, assign trinkets, and apply veterancy upgrades—but it won’t be accessible in this demo.

❌ Boss Battles – The full game will feature challenging boss encounters, but we’re holding those back for Early Access!

[h2]We Need Your Feedback![/h2]

Next Fest isn’t just about letting you play—it’s our chance to hear from you! We’ll have a Discord section set up just for demo feedback, so let us know what you think about:

✅ Controls & UI – Does everything feel intuitive? Are there improvements you’d like to see?

✅ Combat Balance – Which units feel powerful? Which could use some tweaks?

✅ Overall Feel – What excites you most? What would make Wartorn even better?

This is just the first step in making Wartorn the best game it can be, and your input will shape the future of the game as we head toward Early Access.

Join the Official Wartorn Discord

[h2]Wishlist & Get Ready to Fight![/h2]

The Next Fest Wartorn Combat Demo will be available beginning on February 24, and we can’t wait for you to try it. Be sure to wishlist the game on Steam and join our Discord to share your thoughts after playing.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1296660/Wartorn/

This is just the beginning of the adventure—see you in the Wartorn isles of Talaur!

🔥 The Wartorn Development Team 🔥

The team at Stray Kite Studios wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone that has shown love and support to us following the reveal of Wartorn! We honestly are blown away by the reception! For that, we thank you!

As a small team with big ambitions, we knew that doing something different would be risky -- but also worth it. Whether it is our vision for Wartorn, or partnering with CohhCarnage to do the reveal, we embraced the challenge!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

During our discussions about the games we wanted to create, roguelite mechanics appeared in nearly all the ideas we brainstormed. A tactics game was another strong contender among the team’s preferences, so we thought, "Why not merge the two concepts?" This blend of genres felt fresh and unique, sparking our excitement about the potential it held.

Combine that with a unique art style we call "Fantastical Romanticism" and we definitely felt like we were on to something special. This is where the fun began... brainstorming an original Fantasy world and narrative, while working toward making the game approachable for players who love either genres.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

It’s still early days, but we’re excited to share more with you as we continue this journey. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to check out the developer interview between Paul Hellquist, Creative Director of Wartorn, and CohhCarnage. The interview includes gameplay footage and offers additional context about what we hope Wartorn will become.

For now -- we say Thank You!
Please be sure to wishlist the game, follow our social media accounts and join our Discord for additional information and updates!

X: https://x.com/Wartorn_Game
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wartorn_game/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/straykitestudios
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/wartorn.bsky.social
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@straykitestudio
Discord: https://discord.gg/PpQMER8Gup