Summary
Stray Kite Studios has announced Wartorn, a real-time strategy roguelite boasting destructible environments, challenging moral choices, and a striking painterly aesthetic. Launching in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store in Spring 2025.
Wartorn is the debut original title from Stray Kite Studios, a team of industry veterans with credits on major projects like BioShock, Borderlands, and Age of Empires. Founded in 2025, the Dallas-based studio (approximately 30 employees) previously developed the standalone Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure and numerous creative maps for Fortnite.
Wartorn follows two elven sisters on a perilous journey to reunite with their family. This adventure will test them through difficult battles and morally ambiguous choices.
Wartorn's Chaotic Gameplay
Wartorn's fantasy world is deeply fractured and chaotic, challenging players in unexpected ways. This chaos extends to the game's physics-driven environmental destruction, ensuring each playthrough is unique. The game explores themes of finding purpose amidst chaos, with co-founder and creative director Paul Hellquist stating, "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."
Difficult Choices and Dynamic Combat
Between battles, players face difficult choices—deciding who to save, who to feed—contributing to the story-driven roguelite experience and enhancing replayability. Combat offers a dynamic magic system, allowing players to creatively combine fire, water, and lightning spells for diverse effects, such as shocking enemies in water or igniting tar-covered foes.
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.
Wartorn's roguelite progression system features persistent upgrades between runs, easing subsequent attempts. The painterly art style enhances the game's dramatic setting. For maximum accessibility, players can slow down the action for precise command input amidst the chaos. The game is slated for early access release on Steam and the Epic Games Store in Spring 2025.
