This is it! After announcing our next in-house developed project, Sandwalkers, back in August 2021, the early access is now available for you all to play with a 10% launch discount! We have also released several bundles with some of our games (Legend of Keepers, As Far As The Eye and Hero's Hour), so all our biggest fans get an extra discount, and a bundle with the great Urtuk: The Desolation! ♥
We've faced quite a few challenges internally, but after closed betas, two free prologues, a successful Kickstarter campaign, devlogs showcasing the game's progress, and tons of feedback, we are proud of where we're at now. And it's all thanks to you, so a big thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way!
The journey is not over yet, as we have a lot to do before the 1.0 launch. We will share the early access roadmap with you very soon. As always, know that each piece of feedback is truly appreciated. If you have any, or if you just want to talk with the devs, feel free to join our Discord server!
We poured our hearts and souls into this game, and we hope you will enjoy this early access version. If you do, đź’ža positive review would greatly help with visibilityđź’ž!
Have fun! -Goblinz Studio
New free prologue out now!
Hi everyone!
As we are closer than ever to release, we wanted to push the game one last time with a new prologue version! Unlike Sandwalkers: The Fourteenth Caravan, which was an introduction to the game lore, this free prologue is more focused on gameplay and is more balanced than the latest demo.
The whole team at Goblinz is so glad to finally announce that Sandwalkers will launch into early access on June 19th!
It's been a while since we first announced this game. We've gone through a successful Kickstarter campaign, released several demos, ran some betas, and tweaked the game the best we could.
Your feedback helped us a lot to optimize the game as much as we could, and we just can't wait for you to dig into this early access version. There's still a long way to go until the full release, but we hope you will enjoy this first version and we're counting on you to get your feedback on our Discord server.
To keep you waiting, here's our latest devlog about our work on management and progression mechanics in Sandwalkers. Enjoy!
For this devlog, we're diving into the management and progression mechanics that you’ll encounter as you lead your caravan through the Phithi in Sandwalkers. We're going to give you a closer look at what will keep your caravans moving and evolving, despite the challenges thrown its way.
Managing a caravan in Sandwalkers is a multi-faceted endeavor. Each caravan must carefully manage its Hope, Supplies and caravaneers’ Health points, while also considering the weight of items they carry.
Your caravan will be able to find a multitude of useful items like equipment, fetishes and consumables while exploring the map, getting into combat as well as completing quests. These items can dramatically impact the capabilities of your caravan.
Equipments bolster your stats, fetishes unlock new attacks, and consumables can be crucial in an emergency.
Experience points are pooled together, allowing you to strategically choose which caravan members to level up, enhancing their skills and stats significantly.
Each level-up not only boosts stats but also presents a crucial upgrade choice—will you enhance exploration abilities or combat skills?
By strategically assigning specific items and upgrades to certain characters, you can forge powerful synergies that significantly enhance your caravan’s survival and efficiency.
These choices play a critical role in maximizing your caravan’s potential and navigating the dangers of the Phithi.
As your caravan ventures through the lands, its actions unlock Memories, crucial to Sandwalkers' roguelite mechanics as they are shared across all runs.
These Memories not only accumulate Memory Points, used for permanent upgrades in the Crystal Library but also tie into deeper narrative elements, like the discovery of a mysterious bas-relief by the 13th Caravan.
By earning the trust of various factions and collecting fragments of the low relief, your caravan might just piece together the history and perhaps, find a way to resolve the meteorological chaos.
The Crystal Libraryhouses different upgrade slots, each corresponding to a vital aspect of caravan survival—be it maximizing supplies, enhancing damage dealt, and more.
These upgrades are tiered, and unlocking higher levels may require bas-relief fragments, adding another layer to the strategic management of your resources.
Each decision in Sandwalkers is impactful, shaping not only your current journey but also future expeditions. We hope you enjoyed this devlog and that you are excited for the early access release!
More than ever, feel free to share your feedback with us on our Discord server.
In a few days, we will share a new devlog with you. And in a few weeks, well... We will officially announce the release date for Sandwalkers early access! đź‘€ We can't wait for that moment, but until then, enjoy yourselves with this brand new demo!
Devlog #8 - Quests & Environmental impact
Hello everyone,
Welcome to our latest Devlog! Today, we’re going to talk about the details of quests and how they will affect the environment in Sandwalkers.
We also have some exciting news to share. Sandwalkers is almost ready for release! You will be able to play it with all the content you’ve been seeing in the devlogs so far, and more! Thank you for your support, the finish line is almost there and we’ll be back soon with the release date for our game. Stay tuned!
The quest system will be at the heart of your experience. Players will encounter various objectives, each offering unique rewards that will be useful and necessary to your progress.
The main quest, “Healing Umama”, will be a constant element on your Screen to which you will be guided with a compass that will always point in the right direction.
The backbone of our approach lies in two types of quests: one-shot and repeatable.
“One-shot quests” will only appear once and will provide significant roguelite rewards. They play a great role in shaping the game's world.
Completing a quest in a specific environment, like an arid desert, could trigger changes, such as the growth of vegetation- influencing the world for future explorations.
“Repeatable quests” will provide a constant source of progression during a run with random spawns.
You might encounter some objectives that will modify a zone permanently through the story you will get to play.
As for the impact on the environment - there are a few types a player can create. The environmental impact system will be designed to make the game world dynamic and responsive.
“Explo Skills” will allow players to make minor systemic changes that won't be preserved between runs. For example, when harvesting elements for consumption and breaking a tile in the process, the used tile will not remain in the world at respawn.
“Environmental variations” will be both permanent and random. It will allow you to perform different actions to help you out when exploring. For example, transform a desert into fertile land to grow a lush forest, facilitating the caravan's journey through a once challenging area.
We hope you liked this devlog! We're getting ready to launch in Early Access soon, so keep an eye out for the official release date. Your support has been awesome, and we're almost there! Thanks a lot for being part of this journey with us. We can't wait to see you play the game!
Devlog #7: Updates since the Demo!
Hello everyone, welcome to the 7th devlog for Sandwalkers!
Last time, we delved into the Weather System, and since then, Sandwalkers has moved to its Alpha 2 phase undergoing significant changes that enhance the roguelite and exploration aspects of the game. Among these changes are a new user interface, the introduction of a Hope system, changes to the map, and modifications to combat!
The in-game user interface has undergone a transformation
Quests and your characters can now be found on the left side of the screen, while general information, weather updates, and caravan effects are displayed at the top. And as you may have noticed… There's something new! One of the most significant additions to Sandwalkers is the Hope system. This new resource is indicated by a flower icon at the top of the screen, representing your caravan's mood and hope in their quest.
The state of Hope fluctuates based on your actions. For example, making an unfortunate choice during an event might lower hope, causing the flower to wither. Conversely, taking care of your caravan, such as avoiding combat, will increase Hope. There are five levels of Hope, each providing bonuses or penalties to your gameplay.
Each level of Hope significantly influences both the exploration and combat capabilities of the caravan, as well as its relationships with factions and the overall morale of caravan members. This, in turn, can lead to a cascade of positive or negative events.
Changes have been made to the game map as well. It was previously split, but is now a single, expansive map with 19 regions featuring different enemies, weather conditions, events, rest areas, and intense zones with bosses.
Side quests guide you through different regions, each presenting unique challenges depending on weather and enemies. Progress is notably obstructed by bosses who guard access to the next region. To overcome this obstacle, players must strategically navigate the current region, completing quests and gaining power. Your actions in these regions can also modify the terrain, making it more fertile, especially when you help factions.
These modifications will persist over your next runs, making progression easier and rewarding! Lastly, we are currently working on changes to the combat system, which may trigger after a certain number of moves providing you with multiple ways to encounter enemies.
We hope you enjoyed this devlog and the changes that have come to Sandwalkers with this update. Stay tuned for future devlogs!
đź”´ Sandwalkers Live Stream - Steam Next Fest
Sandwalkers is a roguelike turn-based exploration game where you lead a team through Phiti's unpredictable climates and hostile environments. On your journey, you'll face many dangers, gather knowledge and seek to locate and revive the ancient Mother Tree Umama.
Join us for a preview of the game during our pre-recorded live broadcast scheduled for October 15 at 1pm PDT/10pm CEST!
You can also try out the game by playing the demo, available until October 16.
Sandwalkers is a roguelike turn-based exploration game where you lead a team through Phiti's unpredictable climates and hostile environments. On your journey, you'll face many dangers, gather knowledge and seek to locate and revive the ancient Mother Tree Umama.
Join us for a preview of the game during our pre-recorded live broadcast scheduled for October 13 at 12pm PDT/9pm CEST!
You can also try out the game by playing the demo, available until October 16.
Welcome back for this brand new Devlog! In our previous update, we introduced you to the concept of caravan actives, and today we're excited to talk about our upcoming weather system!
But before we dive in, we have an important announcement to make.
We've chosen to push back the Early Access launch of Sandwalkers to the beginning of 2024. This extra time will give us the opportunity to fine-tune and perfect the game, so we can offer you the best possible experience. We're grateful for your patience and support throughout this project. In the meantime, please stay tuned for many more development updates and exciting surprises. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us!
In the vast world of Uwando, you'll encounter weather phenomena that can make survival challenging for wandering caravans. This meteorological chaos is known as the Phithi.
During your travels, you may come across various weather types such as Sandstorms and Acid Downpours :
In each playthrough, you'll discover different weather phenomena depending on the regions you explore, which will significantly impact how you approach your journey on the world map. The choice is yours – whether to brave these challenges or take a more cautious path.
You might ask, why would you choose to go through this chaos? Well, these weather phenomena seriously limit your visibility and, at the same time, present their own set of unique challenges and rewards!
In them, you will encounter some new types of enemies.
These elementals can only be found within the weather phenomena on the map, as they are a manifestation of the Phithi's unrest.
The weather you encounter can modify certain elements of the map, causing watchtowers to collapse and wells to become contaminated with acid.
In conclusion, as you start your adventure in Uwando, the chaotic weather can be both your greatest challenge and a source of unique rewards.
Thank you for following Sandwalkers’ development, stay tuned for more updates soon!
Welcome to another Sandwalkers devlog! Today we're going to introduce you to two essential features of the game: Biomes and Active Caravan Capabilities.
In Sandwalkers, every expedition begins with the carefully designed placement of Biomes.
These unique regions define the terrain of your adventure and greatly influence your strategy. Our team has worked hard to create a diversity of Biomes, from welcoming territories to the most hostile lands.
One of our key goals is to ensure that no two runs in Sandwalkers are the same. To achieve this, we have implemented a dynamic weather system, which we'll discuss in detail in a future devlog. This system introduces variations between runs, making each playthrough a fresh and exciting experience.
Moving through these Biomes is a captivating experience, as their cost varies according to their nature. Some of the friendlier Biomes will only require 1 travel point, while others, such as the dangerous Sand Dunes, will cost up to 5, so choose your route wisely to bring your Caravan to its destination.
What's more, each Biome has a list of specific cells that can appear, each with its own probability of occurrence. For example, the Arid Biome is more likely to offer you dried-out cacti, while the Sand Dunes Biome may be home to grazing herds. Each Biome has its own character, making each exploration unique and exciting.
Your Caravan is made up of members specialized in different trades, and each has an Active Exploration Ability. These skills are essential for survival and prosperity in the world of Uwando.
Take, for example, the Hunter, whose active skill is tracking wild beasts. This skill can be used to obtain valuable resources or to escape perilous situations.
Some of these abilities allow you to influence the environment's Biomes, opening up exciting possibilities for shaping your adventure. For example, the Botanist possesses the power to rejuvenate the soil. On the other hand, the Hydromancer harnesses the elements to extract moisture, transforming it into precious drinking water. However, this process unintentionally causes the surrounding huts to become dry and arid, making the choice crucial.
It's important to note that each Active Ability can only be used once, before having to recharge when you rest in town. This adds a tactical dimension to your expedition, where you'll have to decide wisely when and where to use these skills to optimize your journey.
Thank you for taking the time to read this devlog update for Sandwalkers! We hope you enjoyed learning about the handcrafted Biomes and the exciting Active Abilities of the Caravan. See you in the next one!
