Developer Diary #19 |Early Access Launch Features & Roadmap
Lovely Couriers! Our Early Access release date is inching closer and closer, and our team is working hard to fit the most valuable improvements into the bit of time we have left to make the best first impression we can.
For today’s dev log, we want to dive more deeper into what you can expect from Early Access now that we’ve spent additional time on it, which updates to expect after the initial launch and which aspects of the game will take longer still.
[h2]System-Driven Gameplay[/h2]
In our last dev diary, we already talked a bit about systems and story, but we’ll reiterate it here because this is an important topic we want our players to be aware of: Do not expect a main story in our Early Access release. The initial version of the game will have plenty of missions and things to do, but our focus is on discovery through exploration, and the hundreds of small personal stories that emerge from the gameplay itself, depending on the routes you take and the paths you go down. This also means that what a “playthrough” of the available content will look like can vary a great deal between players!
With that being said, we do have a special narration-related treat for you today, and that is an exclusive first look at our Intro Cutscene!
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Voice Acting[/h2]
As you can hear in the video above, we are incredibly proud to introduce Erica Baatarbold as the voice of Naraa! Erica is a native speaker of both English and Mongolian, and we’re beyond thrilled to have her on board. Stay tuned to hear more from her very soon!
For the Early Access release, voice-over will only be available in English and Mongolian. Our focus is on conversations featuring Naraa herself, and we’re working with eight voice actors per language to give life to our most important side characters as well as generic NPC dialogue. Not all dialogue will be voiced over for Early Access, since many texts are still subject to change.
We’re particularly happy to offer Mongolian language support, both in the voice over as well as in all dialogues and UI: Mongolian is often a low priority in localizing video games, and very few games come in Mongolian at all. Since Mongolian people’s roles are often limited to enemy hordes shouting commands, hearing regular dialogue in the language is rarer still.
Facial animations are already in(n) as well
[h2]Recent Additions[/h2]
With the extra time we’ve had since moving our release back a few months after the Next Fest Demo, we’ve tried to improve on the most urgent fronts, based on the feedback we’ve gotten from people who played the public demo, as well as from the Alpha Playtesters who backed us on Kickstarter.
Exciting recent additions and updates include the following:
You got an interesting point there
[h2]Upcoming Updates[/h2]
As you all know by now, Early Access is not the end of the road. We’ll absolutely keep our eyes and ears open for urgent feedback and reports, but we also have a lot of specific improvements already planned for the coming months:
For example, we plan to:
Note that most of the Stretch Goals unlocked during our Kickstarter campaign will not yet be available in the Early Access release but are planned for later down the road, in time for the launch! For a closer look at what’s planned, we recommend keeping an eye on our Roadmap Trello Board!
[h2]The Game You Want[/h2]
When discussing our Early Access expectations, our Game Design Director recently put it best: Early Access is a process. There’s the game that we have, and there’s the game that our audience wants. Even after months of playtesting and improving, there will inevitably be a gap in between those two things. Early Access is the tool that allows us – through your reviews, feedback and discussions – to find out precisely where that gap is, and to fix it in time.
For that, we hugely appreciate your patience and your passion, so we can together shape The Legend of Khiimori into the best game possible.
13th century Mongolia and its diverse landscape
[h2]Khiimori Merchandise[/h2]
Missed out on the Kickstarter campaign? Then we have some great news!
Our BackerKit Shop has opened to the public and everyone can buy The Legend of Khiimori merch there!
Some hot items are already available and more will be added in the future. Please note that the merchandise from the BackerKit Shop will not be sent out until the full-release of the game, and that the game itself is not available via the BackerKit Shop.
Feel free to spread the news as this is a direct way to support the development of our game for those who have missed out on the original Kickstarter.
What deliveries will the villagers request?
Thank you for your time, and stay tuned for even more exciting news and information about the game next week!
[hr][/hr][h3]Previous Developer Diaries can be found here:[/h3]
[hr][/hr][h2]Join the Community[/h2][p]Bluesky Facebook Instagram Threads TikTok Twitter
Discord Twitch YouTube Website[/p]
For today’s dev log, we want to dive more deeper into what you can expect from Early Access now that we’ve spent additional time on it, which updates to expect after the initial launch and which aspects of the game will take longer still.
[h2]System-Driven Gameplay[/h2]
In our last dev diary, we already talked a bit about systems and story, but we’ll reiterate it here because this is an important topic we want our players to be aware of: Do not expect a main story in our Early Access release. The initial version of the game will have plenty of missions and things to do, but our focus is on discovery through exploration, and the hundreds of small personal stories that emerge from the gameplay itself, depending on the routes you take and the paths you go down. This also means that what a “playthrough” of the available content will look like can vary a great deal between players!
With that being said, we do have a special narration-related treat for you today, and that is an exclusive first look at our Intro Cutscene!
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Voice Acting[/h2]
As you can hear in the video above, we are incredibly proud to introduce Erica Baatarbold as the voice of Naraa! Erica is a native speaker of both English and Mongolian, and we’re beyond thrilled to have her on board. Stay tuned to hear more from her very soon!
For the Early Access release, voice-over will only be available in English and Mongolian. Our focus is on conversations featuring Naraa herself, and we’re working with eight voice actors per language to give life to our most important side characters as well as generic NPC dialogue. Not all dialogue will be voiced over for Early Access, since many texts are still subject to change.
We’re particularly happy to offer Mongolian language support, both in the voice over as well as in all dialogues and UI: Mongolian is often a low priority in localizing video games, and very few games come in Mongolian at all. Since Mongolian people’s roles are often limited to enemy hordes shouting commands, hearing regular dialogue in the language is rarer still.
Facial animations are already in(n) as well[h2]Recent Additions[/h2]
With the extra time we’ve had since moving our release back a few months after the Next Fest Demo, we’ve tried to improve on the most urgent fronts, based on the feedback we’ve gotten from people who played the public demo, as well as from the Alpha Playtesters who backed us on Kickstarter.
Exciting recent additions and updates include the following:
- We overhauled various aspects of the the horse riding controls, as explained in more detail here. The changes include animation reworks, physics-based movement and iterating on controls while keeping what was already working well.
- We added new items to craft and use, such as additional arrow types, powder pouches and other recipes
- We created additional mission types and updated our cargo missions
- We added Outpost Stables that allow for the player to change horses while on a long journey, including options to upgrade them
- We added places where your hard-earned in-game resources can be invested for permanent upgrades such as building bridges or upgrading certain locations.
- The map now contains more points of interests with specific rewards and challenges – we won’t spoil the details on this one though!
You got an interesting point there[h2]Upcoming Updates[/h2]
As you all know by now, Early Access is not the end of the road. We’ll absolutely keep our eyes and ears open for urgent feedback and reports, but we also have a lot of specific improvements already planned for the coming months:
For example, we plan to:
- Overhaul portions of the user interface for better looks and easier understanding, such as the Horse Overview, Merchants, Crafting and parts of the HUD
- Improve direct player feedback on things that are affecting your horse, e.g. what is causing its stamina/health conditions
- Add more NPCs for the player to interact with, and making those NPCs feel more alive by making them busier and more emotive
- Improve animal behavior AI for both horses and wildlife
- Add more prominent wind and weather effects that affect you while riding, e.g. with the wind at your back giving you a speed boost
- Further planned changes on our immediate to-do-list are iterating on cargo balancing, active item collecting and powder pouch gameplay feel.
Note that most of the Stretch Goals unlocked during our Kickstarter campaign will not yet be available in the Early Access release but are planned for later down the road, in time for the launch! For a closer look at what’s planned, we recommend keeping an eye on our Roadmap Trello Board!
[h2]The Game You Want[/h2]
When discussing our Early Access expectations, our Game Design Director recently put it best: Early Access is a process. There’s the game that we have, and there’s the game that our audience wants. Even after months of playtesting and improving, there will inevitably be a gap in between those two things. Early Access is the tool that allows us – through your reviews, feedback and discussions – to find out precisely where that gap is, and to fix it in time.
For that, we hugely appreciate your patience and your passion, so we can together shape The Legend of Khiimori into the best game possible.
13th century Mongolia and its diverse landscape[h2]Khiimori Merchandise[/h2]
Missed out on the Kickstarter campaign? Then we have some great news!
Our BackerKit Shop has opened to the public and everyone can buy The Legend of Khiimori merch there!
Some hot items are already available and more will be added in the future. Please note that the merchandise from the BackerKit Shop will not be sent out until the full-release of the game, and that the game itself is not available via the BackerKit Shop.
Feel free to spread the news as this is a direct way to support the development of our game for those who have missed out on the original Kickstarter.
What deliveries will the villagers request?Thank you for your time, and stay tuned for even more exciting news and information about the game next week!
[hr][/hr][h3]Previous Developer Diaries can be found here:[/h3]
- [p]#02 | An Open World[/p]
- [p]#03 | PC Early Access[/p]
- [p]#04 | Horse Training and Horse Care[/p]
- [p]#05 | All Eyes on Khiimori[/p]
- [p]#06 | Cantering towards Crowdfunding[/p]
- [p]#07 | Looking Forward to Next Year[/p]
- [p]#08 | Updates from the Steppe[/p]
- [p]#09 | Survival on Horseback[/p]
- [p]#10 | Early Access Expectations[/p]
- [p]#11 | Thousands of Bugfixes and Other Improvements[/p]
- [p]#12 | Join Us at Gamescom! (and Other Updates!)[/p]
- [p]#13 | EA Release Date, Gameplay Trailer & Gamescom Highlights[/p]
- [p]#14 | News about Game’s Title, Languages & Alpha Playtest Survey[/p]
- [p] #15 | Breeding in our Demo, Performance Considerations & More[/p]
- [p]#16 | Our Updated Roadmap to Early Access[/p]
- [p]#17 | 2025: A Year in Review[/p]
- [p]#18 | Taming the Open Wilds of 13th Century Mongolia[/p]
[hr][/hr][h2]Join the Community[/h2][p]Bluesky Facebook Instagram Threads TikTok Twitter
Discord Twitch YouTube Website[/p]