A lot has happened since our last update and our team is working full steam. We’ve been studying how to approach and leverage each unique feature of EARTHLOCK 2 and today we’d like to share the vehicle concepts our talented Art team has designed.
The vehicles will be a vital part of your survival in the Desert. đźš—
Surviving a Desert is not easy, we know that. But it can be done if you take your home with you! This is why the vehicles are so important in EARTHLOCK 2, and we want your home to feel like… Well, like a beautiful and purposeful home, at least.
The Art team looked for nice silhouettes, using regular cars and luxury yachts as an inspiration.
No more delays, let’s take a look at those beautiful vehicles!
Vehicles concept art.
Building the vehicles. Which one was your favorite? And how would you name it? Leave a comment and let us know! Maybe your opinion can help us shape our game.
Mood illustration. Mind that, because this is a study, those might not be the final version of the vehicles that will be available in the game. We’re still making a ton of other concepts before deciding which ones will be implemented.
Thank You For Your Support! đź’›
That’s all for today, Voyagers! Make sure you wishlist and follow EARTHLOCK 2 to receive the next updates.
What To Expect From EARTHLOCK 2? Watch the new trailer.
Hey, Voyagers! đź§
When we first started developing EARTHLOCK 2 in 2019, we had a specific vision for the game but as we were developing it, we found that it didn't work as intended. We made the painful decision to stop the production and instead started working on Ikonei Island so that we could get enough time to rework the core vision for EARTHLOCK 2.
The rework of the vision is now done and we are super stoked with the new concept. Today, we're eager to begin sharing this with you!
What is EARTHLOCK 2? 🗺️
A band of voyagers stands at the precipice of danger and glory. What lays before them - a vast desert of mystery and possibility. Explore and transform the sands into an Oasis full of life, and you will surely grow more powerful. Your trusty Desert Ship may start as a humble mode of transportation, but with time and effort, it will become your mobile base of operations, and instill fear into your enemies in the desert. Rise to become the most formidable Explorer of Umbra!
Creating Biomes and Desert Ships. ⚒️
We augmented Unreal’s Landscape system by making it dynamic and developed a full ecosystem simulator; together, this enabled a fully dynamic game world. It changes over time and responds to what the player does. The game world starts as a blank canvas, a desert, and you’ll get to change it over time.
We also spent some time developing features for base building and then we noticed that in a large, open world, building new bases over and over again as you explored it would be less fun, so we decided that a mobile base would do the trick. That’s when we came up with the concept of a desert ship.
Umbra World Map
The expedition awaits! ⌛
Just like a pirate ship is good for sailing in the sea, a Desert Ship is perfect for exploring the desert. Your Ship is your mobile base! Driving your Ship doesn’t always have to be a solo experience - having a crew of friends to join your expedition and travel across the Desert can make this experience even more fun. Use the riches collected from the Biomes or dropped by enemies and turn your mobile base into the most formidable Ship the citizens of Umbra have ever seen!
Check this update to learn more about the Desert Ships.
Desert Ship prototype If you're familiar with the friendly environment of EARTHLOCK, brace yourself for a stark contrast. In EARTHLOCK 2, the scorching sun and the dunes render life nearly impossible. Nearly. Biomes full of life and dangers emerge amidst the vast sea of sand. Tend to them well enough and you’ll be compensated with riches and treasures.
We’re excited to hear what you think about all this news, Voyagers! Wishlist EARTHLOCK 2 now to support the development and stay updated with the latest news.
We already showed you the Biomes, one of the core features of EARTHLOCK 2. And what better way to start this year than to also show you the game’s key mode of transportation and the heart of your journey? Hop on this first look at the caravans, and enjoy the ride.
The Caravan is your mobile sanctuary. 🏜️
EARTHLOCK 2 is set in a region called The Desert of Kor. Your Caravan is more than just a means of travel: It's a lifeline, a refuge, and a testament to your resourcefulness. As you traverse the vast desert, your Caravan isn't merely a static entity, but a customizable and upgradable hub. Tailor it to suit your needs and play style, enhancing not only its appearance but also its capabilities. Caravans concept. Equip your Caravan with advanced technologies, reinforce its structure for resilience against harsh elements, and outfit it with essential utilities for survival in the unforgiving desert.
Caravans customization concept. As you progress through the game, the Caravan becomes a reflection of your journey, showcasing the challenges you've overcome and the triumphs you've achieved. Whether you're a lone wanderer or leading a convoy of fellow adventurers, your Caravan is the heart of your journey in EARTHLOCK 2.
Thank You For Your Support đź’›
That’s all, Voyagers! We are almost ready to show you the new vision we have for EARTHLOCK 2, so make sure you wishlist the game to receive the next updates.
We promised to show more of this ambitious open-world RPG EARTHLOCK 2 is bringing up so here we are.
Today we want to cover one of the integral aspects of the game with you: Biomes. Let’s dive into it.
The Desert of Kor 🏜️
EARTHLOCK 2 is set in a vast and sprawling arid region called The Desert of Kor. If you played EARTHLOCK, you noticed that the environment is quite friendly. That’s not the case in EARTHLOCK 2: The heat of the sun makes life almost impossible here, so why would anyone want to go there?
Rumors of wealth and unimaginable riches have started to flow, as people speak of forests springing up in an instant, mysterious vaults of treasure, and ancient relics with limitless power. These promises and the fame that they bring, drive people to The Desert of Kor. All are in search of greatness, but will they find what their dreams are made of or will they be claimed by the sands?
EARTHLOCK 1 And 2 World Map.
Where Biomes Appear, Life Begins! 🌴
Lush Biomes full of life and danger spring into existence in the middle of the ocean of sand. What causes this? That’s one of the main mysteries to solve through the gameplay. These vibrant ecosystems within the sandy expanse are not just picturesque landscapes, but living entities with secrets waiting to be unraveled.
Your travels will take you on expeditions, navigating the harsh desert to our lush Biomes. Plant, nurture, but remember: Control isn't absolute. The world thrives independently, with others hunting for resources or disrupting the ecosystem. It's a delicate balancing act and you’ll have to discover how to properly tend to each Biome.
Biomes Concept Art.And what makes each biome unique and valuable? Well, every biome is different! That means you will encounter different Fruits, critters, and other life forms and together they make up that biome's distinct dynamics.
Each Biome has distinct Levels and Biodiversity Requirements, allowing them to transform into more vibrant or dangerous versions. However, beware – If you get too greedy and take too much from the biome, you might end up killing it. So take good care of your Biome!
“What can I do with those resources?”, you may ask us. As you return from your expedition to the Outposts, they will happily buy and request new resources from Biomes for your next expedition.
How Do Biomes Come To Life? A Mystery To Be Solved.The Biomes provide the backdrop for an epic adventure where every step you take and every resource you harvest shapes the desert's destiny and, in turn, your own. As you embark on your Expedition, the desert won't initially be adorned with these Biomes though. A formidable challenge awaits. Shape the desert's destiny and your own!
Thank You For Your Support đź’›
That’s it for today’s update, Voyagers! Let us know what you think about the Biomes. We can’t wait to share more with you, but that will come in time.
Year-End Recap & Important Updates For Our Snowcastle Community
Hello there, Voyagers! 🏜️
As we approach the end of the year, it's time to reflect on the milestones we've achieved together and share some important updates.
🎉 Ikonei Island Launched on Steam and Epic
We're thrilled to announce the successful launch of Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure on November 9th, now available on both Steam and Epic platforms. We worked hard to implement the “Friends’ Pass”, which also functions as a demo! The “Friends’ Pass” allows a group of up to 4 players to play indefinitely on the host’s island, provided the host owns the game. We hope this fosters a sense of community and collaboration among players.
We are not done with Ikonei Island yet - On December 14th, Ikonei is celebrating “Lystide”! Players will be visited by “The Spirit of Lystide Past” - so make sure to check out the Hamlet!
Lystide sneak peeks! Your support has been instrumental in making this launch a success, and we're excited to continue building and expanding Ikonei Island in the coming months.
🌱 Earthlock's Epic Store Free Week
Our first title, Earthlock, was originally released in 2018. We have seen a huge boost in activity since it was available for free on the Epic Store for a week in November. Over 5.9 million people claimed the game! We hope you enjoyed revisiting the world of Earthlock. Be sure to check out our comics on Steam and Epic if you want to delve further into the Earthlock lore.
🏜️ Earthlock 2 Delay and Updates
We have restarted the Earthlock 2 project and with that put the date to TBA. For the last year, we have been in pre-production totally redesigning the main concept and direction of the game. We are super excited to share this new vision for E2 with you and will be doing so in the upcoming months.
Our team made the choice to switch from Unity to Unreal Engine a couple of years ago. This has been a huge undertaking, and we have learned a lot about the engine, and the way we work as a studio. Another major challenge we have taken on is working on our first multiplayer game in Ikonei Island. We have grown as a studio tackling these challenges, but it has cost us more time than initially anticipated.
We are working on making this vision presentable to the community and will begin posting about this soon. We’re excited to share these new features and more news about the development process going forward, so wishlist Earthlock 2 to keep up to date!
Speaking of new features… What’s this?
As we wrap up the year, we want to express our gratitude for your unwavering support, feedback, and enthusiasm. Our community plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of our games, and we look forward to embarking on new adventures together in the upcoming year.
Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a fantastic New Year filled with exciting gaming experiences!
đź’™ Join Our Discord Island
Join our community on Discord! We've got contests, and channels where you can share feedback, report bugs, get help with the game, and find friends to play with. Aside from the magnanimous presence of your favorite Frogboy!
And please consider wishlisting Earthlock 2! It's the best way you can support Snowcastle and our next project right now (updates + adjusted release date coming to the page soon) ♥
We'll see you at the Lystide event! Check out the central area of Ikonei Island on December 14th 🎄 Snowcastle Games
Announcing a new game - Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure!
Exciting Announcement from Snowcastle Games!
Last time we told you that we have a secret project that we will tell you about soon, and here we are! We are happy to announce our new, upcoming game Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure! Ikonei Island will be an early access game coming soon to PC, and eventually make its way to consoles.
Taking inspiration from titles like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure offers a unique take on the genre, adding to compelling resource gathering and crafting systems with perilous pirate camps, the ability to enlist the unique talents of the island’s wildlife to help you out and many more exciting additions to be announced as we lay out the roadmap for Ikonei Island’s early access journey.
Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure builds on the success of the Earthlock RPGs, taking the rich world-building and magical setting of the franchise into new territory. Set on a deserted island, the game tasks players with exploring its diverse and intriguing landscape as they collect resources for crafting and befriend wildlife to employ their unique abilities to progress to new areas of the island.
You will discover ancient ruins from a bygone civilization, deal with treasure-hungry pirates, and unlock a host of different biomes, ranging from icy mountains and parched deserts, to dense jungles and humid swamps, as you uncover the secrets the island has to offer.
You will also have the opportunity to make the island your own. An upgradable hamlet serves as a base of operations and unique placeable items allow you to customize the island to your liking!
There’s a lot more to learn about the game’s intriguing environments and expansive web of gameplay systems. Your feedback will be vital in informing the tweaks and additions made to the game during its time in early access, so you are encouraged to join our Discord and get involved in helping to shape Ikonei Island.
We have been awfully quiet about Earthlock 2, and we are sure you are wondering what is happening. đź‘€ Rest assured, Earthlock 2 is coming!
But before we update you on Earthlock 2, we want to tell you about our studio and what we have been up to.
First, we want to thank you for your continued support! Our fans keep messaging and tweeting us about our games and asking about our team - it means the world to us!
What has Snowcastle Games been up to last year?
We have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that, unfortunately, Earthlock 2 is delayed and will not be released this year. Don’t worry, we are still working on it! Since we began the game, our team has doubled and we have had to come to grips with switching from Unity to Unreal. This has been a huge undertaking, and we realized that we needed to rethink how we work.
Earthlock 2 Character Concepts
Earthlock 2 In Engine Capture
The good news is that the changes we’ve made internally have been a huge success! Earthlock 2 is an ambitious project. We know you have high hopes for it and so do we. Now we are confident that we’re on the right road to meeting those expectations.
We hope you continue to support us, and promise to share updates a lot more frequently in the future, both about Earthlock 2 and our secret new project! Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://www.snowcastlegames.com/newsletter
Vehicles concept art.
Mood illustration.
