I recently had the chance to try out Wyldheart, the upcoming fantasy RPG from Wayfinder Studios, alongside creative director Dennis Brännvall and Marketing Director Erin Bower in a hands-on preview session. After that hour-long session, I came away convinced that the team has something special on their hands and that they are making an RPG for people like me who cannot really commit to a hundred-hour campaign but still enjoy a strong sense of discovery, especially with friends.
Back to the Mud
This is not a grand chosen one narrative where you are destined to save the world. You are, quite simply, a nobody, and the game leans into that in a way that makes its smaller-scale adventures feel refreshingly grounded. You and your team of misfits are on an adventure, quite literally one step at a time.
The structure plays a big part in that. Instead of a massive open world promising endless scope, Wyldheart is built around bite-sized, more focused adventures. You pick individual tiles from an overview map and dive in, exploring dungeons, uncovering secrets, and dealing with whatever dangers are waiting inside, almost certainly covered with slime and ooze. In my session, that mostly meant skeleton warriors, traps, and a surprising number of little environmental puzzles that made each area feel distinct.
Combat is straightforward at first glance, but it quickly becomes chaotic in the best way possible because friendly fire is always on. I cannot overstate how much this changes the co-op. Simple combat encounters turn into hilarious moments of accidental betrayal, panicked dodging, and a lot of apologizing. It encourages communication in a way that feels completely. It ended up being the highlight of my time with the game.
Outside of combat, the starting dungeons were fairly interactive and open-ended. I was constantly poking at things, triggering traps, and working through small puzzles with the team. There is also a strong sense of discovery baked into everything. I didn’t get to experiment too deeply with the stats and class systems during the session, but even in a limited preview, everything felt meaningful.
I also really appreciate the focus on shorter campaigns. The idea of a roughly ten-hour run is incredibly appealing to me right now, especially when I do not always have the time to commit to massive hundred-hour RPGs. There is some jank here and there, which is expected given that this is still an early build, but nothing I ran into felt like a deal breaker. If anything, the core loop is already strong enough to carry it.
Wyldheart is coming soon to Steam in early access, and I am genuinely curious to see how it evolves from here. Both Dennis and Erin have AAA roots, having worked for major publishers throughout their careers, and they wanted to create something with a smaller team instead of something with a massive budget. Hearing them talk about the game filled me with a lot of appreciation and hope for the state of the industry, and I believe projects like this are what will continue to push creativity forward rather than just serving the line on a shareholder’s screen.
