A part of the World Map

Hello, Warriors and Jarls!

It is that time of the month again where we open the gates and give you a closer look at how Northern Saga is taking shape. This month, we want to talk about the milestone we are currently pouring all our energy into: The Playable Demo.

We want to walk you through exactly what the scope looks like, what is already fully functional, and what hurdles are left to clear.

The Scope: What will you be playing?

We want to ensure this demo gives you a genuine, meaty taste of the full loop. Because we are a passionate team of just 3 developers working on this in our spare time, crafting a polished vertical slice is an arduous process, but we are incredibly proud of the depth we are packing into it.

The upcoming demo will feature roughly 2 to 3 hours of gameplay, including:

• The first 2 Chapters of the story, spanning 10 distinct skirmishes.
• 3 different biomes to battle across.
• Fully animated cutscenes and dialogue to set the narrative stakes.
• 18 unique classes (as teased in our last devlog) with their own distinct abilities, skills and grid synergies.
• A plethora of loot (weapons, armor, and accessories) to discover and equip your clan with.
• A fully composed, original soundtrack specifically tailored for the game to bring the world and atmosphere to life.

Some armor icons, not all of these are available in the demo

The Functional Work: What is DONE

The skeleton of the game is fully built and operational. We can play through the demo from start to finish. Currently fully functional:

• The Game Flow: Seamless transitions from the Main Menu all the way to the end of Chapter 2.
• The Core Engine: The tactical combat system and automated grid resolution.
• Management Menus: Complete UI pipelines for Unit Management, Gear/Inventory, and Clan Management.
• The Class Change System: Dynamically switching your units' classes
• The Macro Game: World map navigation and skirmish selection.
• Infrastructure: A fully working manual save and autosave system.

Clan management UI

The Final Hurdles: What is LEFT

As the saying goes, the last 10% of development takes 90% of the time. While the systems work, they currently lack the polish required for a public release. Our remaining checklist includes:

• UI/UX Iteration: Turning functional menus into beautiful, immersive interfaces
• Skill & Status Systems: Finalizing the backend for status effects and coding the specific visuals/logic for all 18 class skills.
• The Pixel Art: A massive mountain of asset creation, including skill icons, detailed cutscene backgrounds, and UI elements.
• Balancing & Bug Fixing: Ironing out game-breaking bugs and ensuring the Pilgrim's diagonal heals or certain frontline setups aren't completely broken.
• Adding "The Juice": Screen shakes, hit impacts, sound design, and those minor aesthetic flourishes that make everything feel weighty and satisfying.

A cutscene from Chapter 1

When can you play it?

We still don’t have an exact release date to share just yet. The finishing touches are always the most unpredictable and time-consuming part of game development, and we want to make sure your first hands-on experience with Northern Saga feels the best it can be.

Join the Clan!

We want to hear from you. Is there a specific system from the "Done" or "Left to Do" list that you want us to deep-dive into for next month's post? Let us know in the comments!

Be a part of the journey with us and follow our community at r/NorthernSaga for more regular updates.

Thank you for your support,

The Blue Tome Team