Welcome to Varthos! The gates are open.
Dear Community,
We are overjoyed to finally invite you into the Early Access version of Varthos - Heir to the Throne.
We are the Nightshift Game Development Team. We are a small indie team with a core of only 3 developers. Varthos is our labor of love, and we have poured everything we have into this project. Today marks a huge milestone for us, but it is just the beginning of the journey. We aren't just releasing a game; we are inviting you to build it alongside us.
What is Varthos?
For those just joining us, Varthos is an up to 3-player co-op Action RPG that blends fast-paced Hack'n'Slay combat and Rogue-lite progression with a dash of Extraction gameplay.
What’s New Since the Demo?
If you played our previous demos, you will notice massive changes based on your feedback:
New Content: We have included a brand-new second biome complete with new monsters, items, and a boss fight. Also, the desert biome is no longer limited in its size.
Camera Rotation: You asked, we delivered. You can now rotate the camera to get a full 360-degree view of the battlefield.
Combat Flow: We’ve added "Movement Skills Override," meaning your dash, roll or teleport will now immediately cancel other animations to serve as a reliable escape. We’ve also started enabling casting while running for smoother combat.
Detailed patch notes can be found in the news post before this one.
The Reality of Early Access (Please Read!)
We want to be completely transparent with you. This is an Early Access release, not the final version 1.0.
Balancing: The game is still in the making, and the numbers (damage, health, costs) will most probably shift based on your feedback.
Bugs: You will encounter bugs. We are working hard to squash them, but we need your reports.
Localization: We have already received valuable feedback regarding the localization, if you have suggestions, please share them with us.
What’s Coming Next?
We have a clear direction for the road to 1.0. Here is what we are working on right now:
New Skills: We will regularly add new skills to increase the random skill pool size and to ensure build variety stays fresh.
New Biome: "Vargsfjöll" — a snowy environment inspired by Scandinavian mythology — is already 50% complete.
Narrative: We will be adding a proper tutorial and light story elements to give context to your runs. Controller Support: This is our #1 requested feature. We are working on it, but it will take quite some time. Ultimately, we want a native experience, not a "fake mouse simulation”. That being said, controller support would obviously pave the way for potential Steam Deck support as well. We will publish a roadmap plan within the next week with some must haves and then hopefully fill it with features based on your input!
Join the Hunt
We can’t wait to watch your runs — and your countless deaths. ;-)
Your feedback is crucial to shaping the features and improving the game experience.
Join our Discord: This is where the core conversation happens. Come say hi!
Leave a Review: If you enjoy the potential of Varthos, leaving a Steam review is the single most important thing you can do to help us grow.
Happy hunting,
The Nightshift Game Development Team