Introducing Watchers of Eldria: A Turn-Based Roguelike Adventure Begins (Devlog #1)

Hi everyone, or at least to those who somehow stumbled across this post. I’m Emil, and for the past few years, I’ve been pouring my spare time into a project called ‘Watchers of Eldria’. It’s been quite the journey, but I haven’t been completely alone in this—I’ve had the pleasure of getting some help from my beautiful and talented partner, Josephine, who’s been lending her skills to the UI/UX design before we bring it to life in the game.

The whole thing kicked off as a little experiment with randomly generated rooms, inspired by the original Rogue. But over time, that small idea evolved into something way bigger. Now, Watchers of Eldria draws from some of my favorite roguelikes, like Slay the Spire and Into the Breach. After working on this behind the scenes for so long, I figured it’s finally time to pull back the curtain a bit and share what this project is all about.

What’s Watchers of Eldria About?

So, Watchers of Eldria is a turn-based strategy roguelike where you step into the role of a Watcher—these powerful beings tasked with defending the forest of Eldria from an all-consuming corruption. As you journey deeper into the forest, you’ll pick up all sorts of augments, weapons, and abilities, each of which adds something unique to your run. No two playthroughs will ever feel quite the same, and that’s the magic of it.

Key Features

• Augment Mechanic: One of the coolest parts (at least, I think so) is how you gather these augments as you progress. They come with powerful perks but often with some tricky drawbacks, forcing you to really think about how you’re building your character.
• Diverse Weapons: You’ll find a bunch of different weapons along your journey. These aren’t just your average swords and spears—they can synergize with your augments and abilities, making each playthrough a puzzle of its own.
• Tactical Abilities: There are loads of abilities to discover, and they’re not just for show. You’ll need to use them smartly to overcome the different enemies and challenges you’ll face.
• Turn-Based Combat: Combat is turn-based and really puts your tactical skills to the test. It’s not about mashing buttons; it’s about outthinking your opponents and adapting on the fly.

Where We’re At

We’ve made quite a bit of progress so far, so here’s a quick look at where things stand:

• Core Gameplay Mechanics: Most of the gameplay systems are up and running—combat, movement, and the augments are all functional. We’re in that phase now where it’s all about refining and tightening things up to make sure every interaction feels just right.
• Art and Design: We’ve got a solid art style going, with key assets in place for characters, environments, and the UI. That said, there’s still a lot to do, especially with the environment art and UI polish.
• Story Bits: The game isn’t super story-heavy, but as you play, you’ll start to uncover bits and pieces about the forest and its inhabitants, giving some flavor and lore to your journey.

Challenges and How We’re Tackling Them

Every game has its hurdles, and Watchers of Eldria is no different. Here are a couple of the big ones we’ve been wrestling with:

• Balancing the Difficulty: Getting the game to feel challenging but fair has been a real balancing act. Sometimes it feels too easy, and other times way too hard. One thing that’s helped is introducing the idea that augments come with drawbacks—this added an extra layer of strategy and made each run feel more dynamic.
• Content Overload: One of the biggest challenges has been coming up with a ton of different abilities, weapons, and augments. It’s creatively exhausting at times, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. Right now, I’d say we’re about a third of the way there in terms of how much content I’d like to have in the final game.

What’s Next on the List?

We’re excited (and maybe a little nervous) about what’s coming up next. Here’s what we’ll be focusing on:

• Playtesting: We want to get more people playing the game so we can gather feedback and really fine-tune the experience.
• More Content: We’re working on adding more levels, characters, augments, weapons, and abilities. The goal is to make each run feel as fresh and varied as possible.
• Polishing the Game Feel: We want every action to feel smooth, snappy, and satisfying.
• UI and Fonts: This might sound small, but making sure the UI looks good and the fonts are readable can make a world of difference.

Getting Involved

We’d love to hear what you think about the game, and we’ll be sharing more updates as we continue this journey. If you’re interested in following along or getting involved, feel free to drop a comment below. Your feedback means a lot to us, and we're excited to have you along for the ride!.

Wrapping Things Up

That’s all for this first devlog! Thanks for sticking around if you made it this far. I’m really excited to share more about Watchers of Eldria as it continues to take shape, and I’d love to hear what you think so far. Until next time!