Dawnfolk News

My game Dawnfolk is finally out! Thank you so much for sticking with me until the end. ❤️

Are you ready to rebuild your realm and bring light back to the world? 🔥

I released the game during a live stream, answering tons of questions about the game, about me and the future. You can watch this here.

Ready for some fun facts about the development of the game? Read more below!






I made the whole game on my own at this desk for the past two years. I don’t even want to imagine the total hours I’ve spent here. And YES, I’m using only one screen.



I completed 1,678 different tasks while making this game. But don’t take that number too seriously; One of those tasks was literally “Add 99 achievements.” Quite the task.



This is the LAST thing I added to the game, five hours before release: the control scheme in the options. This task had been sitting there for about a year, but I just kept pushing it back.



Here’s the most up-to-date wishlist graph before release. More than 35k wishlists! I'm so grateful to all those player believing in my game and waiting to get their hands on it.



The first version of the game was made during LowRez Jam, where my goal was to make a minimalist city builder that fit within 64x64 resolution. Kind of crazy to look back on that after two years.



The original name of the game was “Lueur”, which means “glimmer” or “low light” in French. But I had to change it. Why? If you don't speak french, go do something else for 5 minutes, then try to write the name back in the replies of this post. You'll understand!



Meet my project manager, Oréo (or "Loulou" for family and friends)! His main job? Forcing me to take breaks by sitting on my keyboard and demanding hugs.




One of the beta testers actually beat the game before release: all 99 achievements completed in 40 hours (and he rushed!). That’s crazy.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

For two years, this was the only music in the game. I have no idea how testers put up with it all this time, because I know I couldn’t. Two weeks before launch, I finally added seven more tracks.

Thanks for reading the thread, I hope you had fun!

Please share the game with your friends, and take care.

- Darenn

Hey everyone!

I’m Darenn, the solo dev behind Dawnfolk, a quirky arcade strategy builder. And guess what? The game runs perfectly on the Steam Deck.

No tweaking, no weird workarounds. Just install and play. Let’s go over why it's such a great fit for the Deck! Definitely check out the video below if you can, otherwise read more below.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

• Full Input Compatibility – Works seamlessly with the Steam Deck’s controls. Just pick it up and play!
  
• Optimized Controls – Surprisingly for a strategy game, Dawnfolk was designed with gamepads and handhelds in mind. Controls feel natural and responsive. You can move with either the analog stick or D-pad and handle everything else effortlessly with the other buttons.
  
• Docked Mode Support – Want to play on the big screen? No problem. Connect a Bluetooth controller or keyboard and enjoy it docked.
  
• Big and Readable Text & Icons – No squinting required. The UI is designed to be crystal clear and easy to read on the Steam Deck’s screen.
  
• Battery Life – Optimized for long sessions on the go. Expect 6h30 at 60 FPS and up to 8h30 at 30 FPS on the OLED model.
  
• Smooth FPS Performance – Stable and fluid gameplay: 60 FPS on the LCD version, 90 FPS on the OLED.
  
• Steam Cloud Saves – Seamlessly switch between PC and Steam Deck without losing progress. No extra setup needed!
  
• Native Steam Deck Compatibility – Runs natively on Steam Deck (Linux) with zero tweaks required. Just install and play.
  
• Quick Resume & Suspend Support – Pause anytime with the Steam menu and pick up exactly where you left off—no crashes, no issues, just smooth gaming.
  

So yeah, Dawnfolk is 100% Steam Deck ready! Whether you play handheld, docked, or switch between PC and Deck, it's smooth sailing all the way.

Dawnfolk launches on February 13th, so if you’re looking for a chill yet engaging strategy builder that plays great on the Deck, wishlist it on Steam!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have fun bringing light back to the world!

- Darenn

I really don't have anything else to say, just a huge thank you!
(oh and share with your friend so they can wishlist too)

SURPRISE! 🎉 Another playtest. 😏

It's so close to release, and I still need your precious feedback! Very few Beta Testers had the time to play the Expeditions and puzzles. I know they work, I know they're beatable and supposedly fun. But I'm not sure about the difficulty. I'll add to the credits anyone who can play all of the expeditions (reply to this post if you did and I'll verify it and add you).
You can join the playtest directly on the steam page.
Send your feedback right below or in the steam forum. Let me know which ones you've beaten, how hard it was and which levels are your favorite. Thank you!

Hey settlers!

For scientific research, I´d like to know if Dawnfolk players also happen to be Civilization players.
Are you? Let me know in the comments of this post please!
Are you not? Let me know too, otherwise I can't really use the results for research.
If you like discord, join the discord server and reply directly to the poll with one click in #announcements.

Thank you, take care!