When development began, Triarchy fit the game perfectly. The world was ruled by three powerful leaders, the main quest centered on hunting down three major bosses, and online co-op supported up to three players.
But the game hasn't stayed that way.
Early playtests showed us that players were enjoying the combat and boss fights, and they wanted an even greater adventure with more exploration and discovery. So we rebuilt the world as an open archipelago and introduced a ship for players to make their own as they sail to discover new islands.
Through our monthly playtests your feedback has helped shape the game by letting us know what worked, and importantly what didn't. This has brought big changes to Keelblade, like expanding the game to support crews of 1-6 players, and many of the features for sailing and ship building. Thank you for playtesting, providing us with your feedback and bug reports, and letting us know what you wanted more of. Keelblade would not be the game it is today without you.
One of the biggest updates is when we introduced ship building. Some of you built tasteful sailing vessels. However, many of you correctly determined that subtlety is for people with smaller ships.
We saw you all making the coolest builds for your ships. And when someone has a badass pirate ship, they're naturally going to want to become the biggest, baddest pirate to go with it.
So, somewhere between the giant sailing ships, treasure hunts, and looting from Gribbles along the way, we began to suspect we were making a pirate game. With new dreams of becoming legendary pirates, we needed a new name to match.
Keelblade better reflects the game today. Our unique mix of challenging souls-like combat, island exploration in a fantasy world, and the ship you build into the home for your pirate crew.
It's also more than just the game's name. In the world of Keelblade, it's also a legendary title.
A Keelblade is a pirate who has risen above the rest. They have a mighty ship, a dangerous crew, hoards of treasure, and a reputation known across the isles. A Keelblade is a pirate whose adventures have become legends. A Keelblade is a pirate destined to be remembered.
The old gods and shadowy triad that once gave Triarchy its name haven't disappeared, they're still out there lurking among the isles. But this isn't their story anymore. It's yours.
How will you forge your legend as a Keelblade?
Wishlist and follow Keelblade on Steam to keep up with our development as we prepare our BIGGEST demo yet for Steam Next Fest this October!
We will be running a final Steam Playtest on September 11th, so sign up now for a guaranteed invite!