Folklore Hunter News

[p]Hey everyone!

Today I'm excited to announce the release of the Folklore Hunter demo. If you have been waiting to sink your teeth into Folklore Hunter, now is a great time to check it out and see if its for you!

In the demo you will find the first story hunt, Night of the Wendigo available to play in its entirety, free of charge.

While we feel the demo is generous in its amount of content, please check out the full game if you are wanting more. A few features that are exclusive to the full version are as follows:[/p]

• [p]Full online co-op multiplayer[/p]
• [p]Story hunt: Blood fang Forest[/p]
• [p]Contract jobs (randomized repayable hunts)[/p]
• [p]Gear store, exclusive items, leveling up and currency.[/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]In other news, we are steadily marching on toward the 1.0 release of Folklore Hunter on January 30th, and we are super excited for fans to get to experience our most expansive story hunt yet. "Operation: Blackwing" which will contain an entirely new handcrafted environment, new gear, new mechanics and a never before seen Creature, the Mothman. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements both on steam and in our Discord. We can't wait to show you all what we've been cooking up.

Thanks again for your continued support throughout the early access of Folklore Hunter, the game wouldn't be the same without you!

Happy hunting!

[p]Prepare to hunt the Mothman in new trailer at DreadXP Indie Horror Showcase[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]NEW ZEALAND — Oct. 23, 2025 — Folklore Hunter, the co-op urban legend hunting survival[/p][p]game developed by Liquid Donkey Games, takes aim at the Mothman when it graduates from[/p][p]Steam Early Access on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, as revealed at DreadXP’s Indie Horror Showcase[/p][p]today with a brand new trailer.[/p][p][/p][p]Liquid Donkey Games has also revealed a new update available today, with full Steam[/p][p]Workshop support now implemented for the community to create and share their own custom[/p][p]content and mods. Versions for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch platforms[/p][p]are also in development, set to launch later in 2026.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]When a father goes missing under mysterious circumstances looking for his kids, a village finds[/p][p]itself cursed by creatures of the night, or strange things are afoot at abandoned military biolabs,[/p][p]they call you. Dropped in uncharted lands with limited supplies and supernatural threats, your[/p][p]team has the skills to find an explanation for the unexplainable.[/p][p][/p][p]Track and hunt three mythic creatures in a fully-designed main campaign through a series of[/p][p]Story Hunts supporting single and multiplayer modes. Set up traps and cameras to capture the[/p][p]location of the horned Wendigo. Solve cryptic riddles and uncover hidden storylines that brought[/p][p]the vampiric Strigoi to a now vacant village. Find a way to communicate with the Mothman via[/p][p]electromagnetic radiation, but don’t linger. Whatever’s out there is tracking you, too.[/p][p][/p][p]Wander through wooded forests, dank caves, mysterious shrines, sealed catacombs, haunted[/p][p]churches, cult lairs, abandoned military outposts, and other handcrafted environments on a hunt[/p][p]for the world’s most fabled creatures of the night. Discover clues from bloody notes, obscurely[/p][p]placed skeletons, and other oddities to combine wit and intuition and outsmart otherworldly[/p][p]dangers.[/p][p][/p][p]Learn what brought each creature into this world and find a way to contain it before it takes any[/p][p]more lives. Take these lessons and apply them to shorter Contract Hunts to tackle randomized[/p][p]locations and puzzles, and earn rewards for living to unlock new gear, traps, and other helpful[/p][p]equipment to personalize your own hunting techniques.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]“There are so many approaches to hunting these supernatural beings,” said Jayde Cohen,[/p][p]Founder and sole developer at Liquid Donkey Games. “Shotguns, crossbows, exploding gas[/p][p]cans, crucifixes — even runes with inscription tools to help survive. Pick your poison. How you[/p][p]use them, though? That’s a story for you to tell.”[/p][p][/p][p]Folklore Hunter chases after dark rustlings from the woods in Q1 2026 on PC via Steam. For[/p][p]more information, follow developer Liquid Donkey Games on Twitter and join everyone huddled[/p][p]around the fire over on Discord.[/p][p][/p][h3]Assets[/h3][p]Streaming Trailer[/p][p]Press Kit[/p][p]Liquid Donkey Website[/p][p][/p][h3]About Liquid Donkey Games[/h3][p]Liquid Donkey Games is an independent game development studio based out of New Zealand,[/p][p]founded and operated by solo developer Jayde Cohen. Creativity and fun fuel Jayde’s creations,[/p][p]and when combined with his passion for the suspenseful and foreboding bring about survival[/p][p]horror experiences like Folklore Hunter supported by the chaotic camaraderie of co-op. Jayde’s[/p][p]storytelling techniques embed themselves into the very worlds he creates, and offer a unique[/p][p]perspective of humanity told through interactive, emergent scenarios.[/p][p][/p][h3]Media Contact[/h3][p]Zachery Bennett / Carter Dotson
Stride PR for Liquid Donkey Games
[email protected] / [email protected][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Hey hunters[/p][p][/p][p]This update is a small hotfix for some of the notable issues discovered in the latest 0.9.1 update.[/p][p][/p][p]Your feedback matters. Please join the Discord and the Steam discussions;[/p][p]— ❤️ Smirk [/p][h2]
Changes[/h2]

• [p]Added AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4) support.[/p]
• [p]Added dynamic news feed to Main Menu via steam RSS feed.[/p]
• [p]Added more Resolution Scale options to video settings.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted lighting & visuals in various story hunt maps.[/p]

[h2]Bugfixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed crash on launch on Steamdeck.[/p]
• [p]Fixed various crashes in Bloodfang Forest caused during the upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Strigoi hunt contracts sometimes not loading you into the correct level.[/p]
• [p]Fixed garlic being non interactable in the Bloodfang Forest hunt.[/p]
• [p]Optimized textures and VRAM usage in Bloodfang Forest.[/p]
• [p]Continued work on Mod support backend.[/p]
• [p]Integrated steam workshop modloading. (WIP)[/p]

[p]Hey hunters [/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for sticking with Folklore Hunter and this community over the years. I know it’s been quieter than either of us would like. As a solo developer on a large 3D multiplayer project, shipping Folklore Hunter has demanded more than I ever imagined—code, design, environments, animation, networking—nearly everything you see in the game has been meticulously created by me and the team.[/p][p][/p][p]That scope became overwhelming at times, and I chose to go heads-down to push the game toward a healthy, finished 1.0 rather than ship small patches and constant updates. I’ve been too quiet for too long. That changes now.[/p][p][/p][p]Folklore Hunter is not abandoned—far from it. Work in 2024–2025 has moved the project forward, the finish line is in sight, and I’m targeting 1.0 in Q1 2026. Here’s what to expect next and what’s in today’s build.[/p][p][/p][h2]What’s in today’s update[/h2][p]This release upgrades the game to Unreal Engine 5, improves netcode and client-side prediction for smoother play at higher ping, adds a new location ping system, introduces the Magnum, and delivers UI/UX polish, performance gains, and world fixes requested by the community. Full notes are below.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Version 0.9.1 Patch Notes[/h2][p][/p][h3]Highlights[/h3]

• [p]Upgraded to Unreal Engine 5.[/p]
• [p]Improved netcode for inventory management with client-side prediction and better responsiveness in high-ping environments.[/p]
• [p]New location ping system; pinged locations now center in the HUD when placed.[/p]
• [p]Added the Magnum (with proper sounds).[/p]
• [p]New in-game tutorials, including a “Folklore Hunter” intro tutorial.[/p]
• [p]Laid groundwork for mod creation and loading (initial framework in place).[/p]

[h3]World & Contracts[/h3]

• [p]NOTW (Night of the Wendigo) swamp landscape adjusted to prevent the Wendigo from getting stuck underwater.[/p]
• [p]Fixed stuck spots in NOTW contract caves.[/p]
• [p]NOTW cave water now affects navigation so water isn’t a safe spot.[/p]
• [p]Bloodfang: fixed floating rocks.[/p]

[h3]Weapons & Combat[/h3]

• [p]Improved crossbow replication while reloading.[/p]
• [p]Crossbow now loads a bolt slightly earlier.[/p]
• [p]Magnum added to the game (with proper SFX).[/p]
• [p]Lowered deer, feral, and wolf health to 5 (Magnum can one-shot).[/p]

[h3]UI/UX[/h3]

• [p]Improved main menu.[/p]
• [p]New loading screens.[/p]
• [p]Fixed UI scaling issues with the ammo counter.[/p]
• [p]HUD: hotbar slots no longer highlight when the cursor hovers over them during gameplay (inventory behavior unchanged).[/p]
• [p]Minimap performance improved.[/p]
• [p]Removed “Push-to-Talk” from Settings.[/p]
• [p]New credits.[/p]

[h3]Audio[/h3]

• [p]Vampire: fixed scream layer not triggering.[/p]

[h3]Economy & Progression[/h3]

• [p]Standing torches unlock moved from level 15 → 9.[/p]
• [p]Shotgun ammo is slightly more expensive.[/p]

[h3]Systems & Tutorials[/h3]

• [p]Added “Folklore Hunter” tutorial to explain core gameplay.[/p]
• [p]Additional in-game tutorials across key systems.[/p]

[h3]Modding Foundations[/h3]

• [p]Initial mod framework laid for future mod creation and mod loading.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]What’s next[/h2]

• [p]I’ll be more present: expect regular posts, active Discord participation, and a return of dev streams (they’ll be spoiler-heavy as I work on the third hunt and unrevealed content).[/p]
• [p]In Q4 2025, I’ll share new footage, details, and exact timing toward 1.0.[/p]
• [p]The new hunt is well underway and I'll be ready to share more about it and its progress soon.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Your feedback matters. Please join the Discord and the Steam discussions; I’ll be listening and responding as we bring Folklore Hunter home.[/p][p]— Smirk ❤️[/p]

Hey everybody!

Today we have a slightly larger hotfix, which is focussed on Quality of life changes (such as the ability to sell items and an improved "multiplayer" menu) and many much-needed bugfixes. This update came much later than we planned as we also hoped to include a massive overhaul to how the game handles latency and packet-loss, however that system has taken much longer than anticipated and will most likely be released in January when we come back after Christmas.

Happy Holidays, Hunters!

[h3]Changes[/h3]

• Added the ability to sell items in the shop
  
• Strigoi and Wendigo now consistently scream before fleeing
  
• Added a tutorial for Hunter Senses
  
• Weapons will now reload automatically if firing with an empty magazine
  
• Changed the "Host Menu" settings page to be named "Multiplayer" which all players can now access, rather than only the host
  
• Added a friend invite section to the Multiplayer menu
  
• Lowered the Shotgun sound effects volume by 50%
  
• Removed halloween decorations
  

[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]

• Fixed a bug that makes shotguns unusable
  
• Fixed an issue that causes weapons to be held incorrectly
  
• Fixed floating paths in Night of the Wendigo
  
• The contract win screen no longer appears multiple times in a single contract
  
• Fixed bug causing deer kills to be counted twice in the objective
  
• Bloodfang Forest's decorative braziers will no longer incorrectly highlight in hunter sense
  
• Interactable salt will now properly highlight in hunter sense
  
• Weapon HUD elements now consistently display the correct ammunition count
  
• Fixed a potential soft-lock on the main menu if account data fails to load
  
• Fixed bug that keeps the flashlight enabled after dying
  
• Fortress effects now appear correctly if a contract has been selected before a player joins
  
• Interaction hit-box made larger for ladders
  
• Sprint animation now always ends for clients when they're not moving but still holding the sprint key
  
• Fixed issue that can remove held items while using a bandage
  
• Removed floating rocks and trees from the Bloodfang Forest story hunt and contracts
  
• Fixed an issue causing items to be non-interactable on Night of The Wendigo contracts
  
• Fixed an issue which prevents players from finding the Wendigo's hunting ground on contracts