Northwind News

[p]Hello everyone![/p][p][/p][h3]🎉 Northwind is Featured in the Debut Festival![/h3][p] We’re humbled and grateful to be featured in this incredible event—thank you for the support![/p][p][/p][h3]❗Demo Removal Notice[/h3][p]The Northwind demo will be removed on August 15th!
We’re not sure when it will return, so be sure to try it out before it’s gone![/p][p][/p][h3]🔥 Cooking Up the Beta[/h3][p]The beta test is closer than you think! Once the demo is removed, we’ll finalize everything and make an official announcement. That means the next update you see from us will be the beta launch announcement![/p][p]This is your last call to register—don’t miss the chance to join the beta test![/p][p] Register for the Beta Test
[/p][p]Thank you all so much for your continued support![/p][p]— The Northwind Team at Barking Kitten Interactive 🐾[/p]

[p]Hello everyone![/p][p][/p][p]We have great news! 🎉[/p][p]Our team has officially confirmed that the Beta Test will happen in August!
While the exact date is still being finalized, rest assured... it’s definitely happening this month.
We'll share the official start date as soon as it's ready.

TL;DR:[/p]

• [p]✅ Beta Test confirmed for August — you can still Register! Register Form[/p]
• [p]❌ Demo will be removed before Beta starts![/p]

[p][/p][h3]🔍 What’s the Purpose of This Beta Test?[/h3]

• [p]The goal of this Beta Test is to evaluate game balance and difficulty for both the Duelist and Pyrotech by giving you full access to their complete pool of cards and relics (depending on how much you've unlocked in their Mercenary rank, you can go as far as 100%).[/p]
• [p]We're also looking to learn from your experience and feedback on the game's progression especially how certain mechanics let you manipulate your map path and how the hazard system (which increases difficulty over time) affects your runs.[/p]
• [p]Any bugs you find and report will be a huge help to us! Our QA team will thoroughly investigate them.[/p]

[p]Support Language: English and Thai
Other languages will be available in the Early Access version.

We’ll share full details soon, including the content you'll access, how Beta Tester Steam Keys will be distributed, playtest duration, feedback instructions, and how to report bugs. You’ll also notice some updates in our Discord server as we reorganize and prepare to welcome all Beta Testers![/p][p]Haven’t registered yet? Register Form[/p][p][/p][h3]🛠️ Continued Development[/h3]

• [p]Even after the Beta Test begins, we’ll continue polishing the game up until the Early Access launch.
  Your feedback during the beta phase will directly influence the final version.[/p]
• [p]Our Localization Team will be working on the Beta build and continuing through to the Early Access launch.[/p]

[p]You can expect an even better version of the game at Early Access launch, along with more language support![/p][p][/p][h3]❗Demo Removal Notice[/h3][p]We’ll be removing the demo before the Beta Test begins.
The demo no longer reflects the current quality of the game, and our team is now fully focused on preparing for the Beta Test and Early Access. We'll make at least 1 week’s notice before the demo is officially taken down.[/p][p]
We’re working hard to make this Beta Test awesome and can’t wait to hear your thoughts soon![/p][p]— The Northwind Team at Barking Kitten Interactive 🐾[/p][p][/p]

[p]
Hello everyone!

Apologies for not updating for a while ːsteamfacepalmːbut here we are, and we're super excited to share what's coming! [/p]

• [p] The Tavern & New UI Update[/p]
• [p] Additionally, Localization will be moved to the Beta version[/p]
• [p] And lastly, our QA team is now onboard for final polishing![/p]

[p][/p][h2]🍖 The Tavern with Food Update![/h2][p]Remember this house right here? [/p][p][/p][p]We’d love to introduce you to our granny at the Tavern! [/p][p][/p][p]Now, reaching the outpost no longer heals you to 100% by default. Instead granny will make you those meals! It’s your choice how much 'YOU WANT TO HEAL'. Each food item offers unique effects, some can be helpful but comes with a price. More variety of food can be unlocked through progression. [/p][p][/p][p]Here are some samples of the food. Mmm! We absolutely love the designs, and we hope you do too![/p][p][/p][p]We got.. Frostfangs Steak Set, Bingsu Bird Ice Shaved, Thai Crispy Pork with Basil, Onigiri, Viper Vodka, Undead Tequila — you name it!ːsteamhappyː[/p][p][/p][p]Ps. We've received a lot of feedback about our UI feeling unpolished and in need of improvements. Thanks to your suggestions in the feedback surveys, we’ve made major changes!
[/p][p]Of course, the changes apply to the entire game. We hope you're excited to see Northwind looking better than ever. Once everything is complete, we'll share new screenshots and update our entire store page (again!).
[/p][h2]
🌍 Localization Update[/h2][p] Originally, we planned to include localization in the demo. However, we ran into several language-specific issues. Because of this, we’ve decided to shift our localization efforts to the Early Access version instead. This means updated tools and language support will be available in the Beta build.

If you're interested in helping us with localization, please let us know!
Reach out to us in Discord and Beta Test Registration[/p][p][/p][h2] 🔧 QA [/h2][p]Our QA team is finally in! 🎉 They were originally scheduled to begin in late June, but we needed a bit more time to build internal debugging tools and improve their workflow. Now that everything is ready, they’ll be helping us test while we continue developing. Once they give us the green light, we’ll be inviting you in![/p][p][/p][h2]Thanks so much for your patience.
We know it’s been a wait. ❤️ ːsteamsadː[/h2][p][/p][p]🚀 We're So Close to Early Access![/p][p]We’ve been pouring our hearts into Northwind, you know when the QA team get serious! You can feel that we are so close to launch! We're both incredibly excited and a little nervous xD We hope you look forwar to it! Thank you so, so much for your continued support, we couldn’t do this without you all![/p][p]
— The Northwind Team at Barking Kitten Interactive 🐾[/p]

Hello everyone! ːsteamhappyː

Northwind has been selected to be part of Turn-Based Thursday Fest & Southeastasia Games Showcase!

We’re incredibly humbled to be featured and would love to give you more updates about the game.

[h2]Here are 4 updates we’re excited to share:[/h2]

1. Neutral Card+ Version!
   
2. Challenge Node
   
3. Undead Thief
   
4. Localization
   

[h3]
Neutral cards can now be Merged/Smelt!
[/h3]

After careful consideration, we’ve decided that Neutral cards should have access to + versions of their own. This adds even more depth to the game! And yes, some relics will also support Neutral archetypes!

[h3]Introducing Challenge Event[/h3]
We know you enjoy those town Blacksmith and Alchemist upgrades! And what’s even better?
The chance to earn more of those currencies!
Challenge Events give you that opportunity, but you’ll have to face a penalty!
Each penalty comes in a different form, so think carefully before you pick one.
Risk it for the reward or play it safe? The choice is yours!

[h3]Beware of the Thief!
[/h3]Introducing the Skeleton Thief!

A sneaky new enemy who may appear during random encounters to steal your currency!
Monster bones? Monster scales?! You’ll be in trouble if you don't take it down!

[h3]Localization Update[/h3]
Thanks to our amazing volunteers, we're getting close to having localized versions of the demo ready!

• German – Translated by Robin Caspers
• French – Translated by Ehless
• Spanish – Translated by Orián "El Gato" Holguera
• Russian – Translated by Elstan Evallyo

The official date for the 100% localization update in the demo will be announced soon!

[h2]More updates are coming soon![/h2]
We’re proud to say that 100% of our Early Access content is now complete, including all the additional features unlocked through progression and hazard levels. 🎉
Though some can't be shown yet since it's ugly at the moment ːsteamfacepalmː

Right now, we’re fully focused on polishing and cleaning things up. There will definitely be a BETA test, and we’ll be sharing more details with you very soon — stay tuned! :D
If you haven’t registered yet, you can sign up here! 👇👇

Thank you so much for your support.
We can’t believe and are very excited that we’re closer than ever to launching Northwind in Early Access!
— The Northwind Team at Barking Kitten Interactive 🐾

Hello everyone!

We’re excited to be part of the Strategem Event, alongside our fellow deckbuilder devs. Into the Grid!

[h2]Here are some updates we're thrilled to share:[/h2]
[h3]🎯 Our reworked targeting system is fixed![/h3]
One click = one target — whether it’s your own Mercenary or an enemy!


[h3]🛠️ New and Reworked ICON in progress...[/h3]
Wait, what’s Death Rattle?
Of course, the Early Access version has to throw in even tougher monsters for you to fight. ːsteammockingː
[h3]🍗Food System?!? [/h3]
You voted! Options 3 and 4 got the most votes, so both will be in the game!
More details coming soon. 🎉



[h3]Once we have a confirmed playtest date for the BETA, we’ll let you know.[/h3]
It’s probably going to be sometime after May…

And don’t forget to check out the Into the Grid demo!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2576200/Into_The_Grid/

Thank you so much for your support and for being a part of making Northwind a better game.
— The Northwind Team at Barking Kitten Interactive 🐾