Northwind News

[p]Hello everyone![/p][p]This is a very special announcement. After the beta test and a lot of careful consideration, we believe Northwind is ready for Early Access. We’re thrilled to let you know that Northwind will launch in Early Access on 22nd September 2025! ːsteamhappyː[/p][p]Here is our Release Date Trailer! [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]OMG! We'll be launching literally in just two weeks!!! As I’m writing this, we’re both nervous and excited at the same time. This is our debut title, and it’s been quite a journey. We first started developing Northwind back in 2019 as just ideas, then began prototyping in 2020. That’s 5 years ago! Our team has worked on games before as employees for other companies, but this is the first one that’s fully ours! Our vision of the game!
[/p][p]At the beginning, we had no idea what the game would become. But you, our players, shaped it with us. Some of you joined us during alpha, some came for the demo, some returned for the beta and many of you are discovering Northwind for the very first time. Whether you’ve been with us from the start or just found us today—thank you so much for playing. [/p][p][/p][p]Your feedback, your playtime, your support… all of it made Northwind what it is today. And even now, right up until launch day, we’re polishing the game as much as possible.[/p][p][/p][p]We’re truly humbled and excited to have our launch date revealed during the Hungry Ghost Festival![/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]The BETA Results[/h3][p]We’d like to share some numbers from the beta test (no graphs this time, just a summary):[/p]

• [p]150+ players participated in the beta.[/p]
• [p]50% new players, 50% veterans.[/p]
• [p]1000+ runs were played.[/p]
• [p]Average playtime per person: around 7 hours across the week, with 2–4 hours played daily.[/p]
• [p]About 30% of players won the game (defeated the final boss).[/p]

[p]We honestly didn’t expect these numbers! Thank you! it fills our team with joy and drives us to give everything we have for this final push before launch.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]Fixes & Updates[/h3][p]Here’s what we learned and what’s changing:[/p]

• [p]Pyrotech unlocks: Only ~50% of players got to play Pyrotech. We wanted closer to 70%, so we’ve made her unlock condition easier. We also fixed several of her cards that were too difficult to use or not generating enough value.[/p]
• [p]Boss encounters: Fewer than 20% of players fought bosses beyond Wolf boss - Frostfangs. Some met the Warlord, but that was still too low. We’ve adjusted boss unlock conditions so players can encounter more bosses.[/p]
• [p]Hazard system: It didn’t feel impactful enough and came across as grindy. We'll make each Hazard more impactful to climb.[/p]
• [p]Card removal service: Prices will be more expensive.[/p]
• [p]Item pricing: Adjusted, since some items were clearly stronger than others.[/p]
• [p]Event UX: We found out that many players unintentionally skipped rewards. You’ll now be able to revisit the event page and make clearer choices than before.[/p]
• [p]Compendium: Now accessible at the top-right corner of the screen.[/p]
• [p]…and many more![/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]Final Words[/h3][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Northwind has gone through... honestly.. I’ve lost count, maybe 5 playtest now? xD
Each one taught us so much about how to make the game better, thanks to you. The game wouldn’t be nearly as fun or as refined without your feedback and playtime.[/p][p]Now, we believe we’re ready to take the next step into Early Access. The grind will still be there!! That’s what Early Access is for. We want to add so much more to the game, and we hope you’ll continue this journey with us, as we refine Northwind together.[/p][p]– The Northwind Team, Barking Kitten Interactive[/p]

[p]Hello everyone![/p][h2]BETA is Now Closed![/h2][p]Thank you so much for playing Northwind over the past week. The BETA ran for 9 days (23–31 August), and your support has been incredible. Over 150 players joined the BETA, with more than 30 people playing every day! ✨ This means so much to our team!
[/p][h3]🛠️ Your Feedback Matters[/h3][p]Your feedback and bug reports have helped us tremendously![/p][p]If you haven’t already, please share your final thoughts before we finish polishing Northwind:[/p][p]👉 📋 Feedback Survey[/p][p]We’ll be making a lot of changes based on your input: balancing adjustments, visual polish, and system improvements. Thanks to our BETA testers, we feel much more confident heading into Early Access![/p][p][/p][h3]🚀 Early Access Launch in September![/h3][p]Speaking of Early Access… we’re excited to confirm that Northwind will launch this September! 🔥
The official release date will be announced soon.[/p][p]There’s still plenty of work to do, but we believe now is the right time for Northwind to begin its journey in Early Access. Expect updates, a roadmap, and plenty of improvements along the way.[/p][p]We hope you’re as excited as we are to keep playing and helping shape Northwind![/p][p]Thank you again for being part of this journey with us.
Without your feedback, Northwind wouldn’t have come this far. We’re deeply grateful for your support![/p][p]— The Northwind Team at Barking Kitten Interactive 🐾[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Hello everyone!ːsteamhappyːThe beta date is confimed! See you all TOMORROW![/p][p][/p][h3]BETA DATE: 23–29 August 2025[/h3][p]Steam keys will be delivered via email on 23 August![/p][p]🕘 9:00 PM ICT | 7:00 AM PT | 2:00 PM UTC  [/p][p]Register for the Beta Test[/p][p]If you know anyone who enjoys deckbuilders, please invite them!
The Registration form closes on 22 August!
Less than 24 hours before we close our registration form! [/p][p][/p][h3]Don’t forget to join our communities for the BETA Test!
We’ll be sharing updates and have our discussion so see you there![/h3]

• [p]Join our main community on Discord for discussions, updates, and feedback![/p]
• [p]Thai Players! We’ve created the Northwind: Thailand Community Facebook group! Make sure to join and connect with fellow Thai players.[/p][p][/p]

[h3]New screenshots coming soon, but here are some spoilers![/h3][p]The path will now show the loot you can obtain, allowing you to make more strategic choices based on the resources you want to collect and spend in Northwind Outpost.[/p][p][/p][p]Card UI: We received feedback that rarity wasn’t obvious, so here you go! We hope the rarity is clear for you all in this version.[/p][p][/p][p]Wandering Merchant cards or Neutral Faction cards can now be smelted into the + version. Mix and match to your heart’s content! These Neutral card archetypes are badass! This means all duplicate cards can now be smelted, except for cards obtained from events.[/p][p][/p][p]That's it for now! [/p][h3]If you know anyone who might also be interested
in trying the game, please invite them!
We hope you’ll spend Saturday, 23rd August with Northwind![/h3][p]We specifically picked the weekend! We’re very excited to hear your thoughts. Let’s goooo!! 🚀[/p][p]— The Northwind Team at Barking Kitten Interactive 🐾[/p]

[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]