New Game Announced by BioShock and Borderlands Creators: Chaos Ensues

Stray Kite Studios Unveils "Wartorn," a Real-Time Strategy Roguelite

Stray Kite Studios, a Dallas-based developer boasting industry veterans from titles like BioShock, Borderlands, and Age of Empires, has announced its first original game: Wartorn. This real-time strategy roguelite, slated for a Spring 2025 Early Access launch on Steam and the Epic Games Store, promises destructible environments, challenging moral dilemmas, and a striking painterly art style.

Wartorn follows the journey of two elven sisters striving to reunite with their family in a fractured, chaotic fantasy world. Gameplay blends real-time strategic combat with roguelite progression, ensuring replayability through dynamic, physics-driven environmental destruction and impactful player choices. These choices extend beyond combat, forcing players to make tough decisions regarding resource allocation and character survival, significantly shaping each playthrough.

Dynamic Combat and Strategic Depth

Combat in Wartorn offers strategic freedom. A flexible magic system allows players to creatively combine elemental forces – fire, water, lightning – with varied effects depending on the environment and enemy conditions. Imagine shocking enemies submerged in water or igniting tar-covered foes. This dynamic system, coupled with the destructible environments, guarantees unique encounters each time.

A Focus on Moral Choices and Purpose

Co-founder and Creative Director Paul Hellquist emphasizes the game's thematic depth: "We’ve poured our hearts into creating a game that not only entertains but also makes players think deeply about sacrifice, survival, and the bonds that unite us." The narrative-driven roguelite experience is heavily influenced by the moral choices players make, adding layers of complexity and emotional weight to the gameplay.

Accessibility and Progression

Wartorn incorporates accessibility features, including the ability to significantly slow down gameplay for precise command input, making it more approachable for a wider audience. The roguelite progression system allows upgrades to carry over between runs, gradually easing the difficulty as players learn and adapt. The game's painterly aesthetic enhances the dramatic atmosphere of its world.

Wartorn is set to launch in Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store in Spring 2025.