- Closed Alpha 0.23.0 - Armor & Hotbar - 11 September 2026
Main featuresNew armor slots and equipment. The number of slots for armor has been increased to 11, and there’s 15 new armor pieces that allow you to create way more personalized loadouts. Most old armor has been redrawn as well;Hotbar management. You can now reorder items in the hotbar, change the number of rows, and add consumables to the hotbar;Weapon sets. With a belt, hold up to two different weapon sets, and quickly switch between them with a single button;Patch notesGameplayItems in the hotbar are now sortable, and are saved;You can choose between 1 and 4 rows for the hotbar;You can add consumables to the hotbar;Hotbar has 5 pages;You can drag skills from the skills menu into the hotbar;Reworked armor slots, increasing their number to 11 slots;15 new armor and clothing pieces, all craftable;Updated the art and stats of most old armor pieces;Reviewed and updated the colors of most…
- Closed Alpha 0.22.0 - Primeval Forest - 26 August 2026
Wishlist on SteamJoin the DiscordBecome a Patron and play the full release earlyMain featuresNew high tier biome: Primeval forest. High tier biomes spawn in medium and small pockets around the world, and provide higher level challenges and rewards to the player;New quest and enemy type in the primeval forest. Without spoiling much, you can find the quest in towns close to Primeval Forests, and you might find a little hut while exploring;Blood surfaces now spawn when creatures are bleeding, take critical damage, or die. Blood accumulate and evaporate over time, and if you’re standing in enough blood, you might get the “Slippery Surface” debuff;New “Lost in the wilderness” scenario: Start in the middle of the wilderness, and use your wits to survive and find your way back home. New improvised tools and weapons, and a new “Crafting” skill tree come along to make this journey possible;Some…
- Public Playtest is LIVE! From today to the 27th of July - 20 July 2026
Hello everyone! We're excited to announce that the public playtest is live!Come try out the game, and help shape the future of development through your feedback! The playtest will be open from today to the 27th of July, next monday.
- Public Playtest announcement & Alpha 0.20.0 - 9 July 2026
Hello everyone! We're excited to announce that in the following days we'll be running the first public playtest for Tales of Kathay!Come try out the game, and help shape the future of development through your feedback! This playtest will run for a limited time, so be sure to grab your spot.To join the playtest, access the game's Steam store page and click the "Request Access" button:Alpha 0.20.0 - Of Scenes & ShineMain featuresScenarios: when starting a new game, you can now choose between different scenarios to play the game. The scenario specifies the starting situation your character will find theirself;New dungeons & Cutscenes: New dungeons and a cutscene system have been added to the game in support of the scenarios. Predator dens and bandit camps got some new underground areas as well;Doors and gold: villages and dungeons will now have doors separating the different areas. In some…
- Alpha 0.19.0 - Of Roads & Travel - 20 June 2026
Join the DiscordPlay the Alpha Demo on ItchBecome a Patron and play the full release earlyWishlist Tales of Kathay on SteamMain featuresNew Road Generation: roads will now spawn connecting different villages and other sites;New traveling system: Fast-travel has been removed from the game, and replaced with a travelling system, that allows you to move to any area in the world tile, as long as it’s connected to a major or secondary road;Vision and fog of war on the worldmap: you will no longer have the whole map revealed when you start the game, but only a small selection of closeby villages. You can reveal this map by exploring the area on foot or via roads, or also by asking directions to guards;Patch notesGameplayNew travel scene that allows the player to move around the world using major and secondary roads;You can no longer fast-travel to discovered locations, unless they’re connecte…
- Dev Diary 1 - Roadmap overview and travel system in the works - 16 June 2026
Hello, and welcome to the first Dev Diary for Tales of Kathay! We go over the roadmap for the game, what has already been done, and a sneak peek at what's in development at the moment.
- Alpha 0.18.0 - Of Hunt & Prey - 4 June 2026
Join the DiscordPlay the Alpha Demo on ItchBecome a Patron and play the full release earlyWishlist Tales of Kathay on SteamMain featuresNew Bow weapon class, with 4 different bows, 2 ammo types, and a new skill tree with 9 new skills to choose from;11 new animal species added for your hunter needs, and some of the existing ones got some new abilities too;New Hunter and Tracker Armor that provides bonuses versus animals, and is in general great for bow play;New Hunter NPC that sells all of the new equipment, and has a few new quests too;Patch notesGameplayAP recovered per turn is now a stat that changes with injuries;You AP can carry over between turns up to 125;New weapon: “Carved Shortbow”;New weapon: “Hunter’s Shortbow”;New weapon: “Recurve Bow”;New weapon: “Longbow”;New armor: “Hunter Tunic”;New armor: “Hunter Hood”;New armor: “Hunter Leggings”;New armor: “Tracker Cloak”;New armor: “…
- Alpha 0.17.0 - Of War & Conquer - 19 May 2026
Join the DiscordBecome a Patron and play the full release earlyWishlist Tales of Kathay on SteamMain featuresNew Faction System creates a new territory-bound entity in the game, that governs over several villages. These factions have diplomatic interactions between them, fight over territory, and can declare war and peace;New Ongoing Battles that you, the player, can jump in to try to sway the battle in favor of your allied faction. This includes the already existing bandit and grokker attacks;Faction opinion allows you to strengthen your relationship with factions, and get perks such as trader discounts;Better investigating AI: NPCs that are investigating will now look around for a bit, then give up;Patch notesGameplayVillages & Tribes now belong to the new Factions;Sites exert influence on the nearby region, blocking other factions from settling there;Factions have opinions of eachoth…
- Alpha 0.16.0 - Of Skills & Trees - 22 April 2026
Play the Alpha Demo on ItchBecome a Patron and play the full release earlyWishlist Tales of Kathay on SteamMain featuresNew Skill Tree system that replaces the previous milestone (linear) format. You can now choose what unlocks to prioritize, creating distinct builds along the way;New abilities for you to unlock in all the weapon skill trees. Push all enemies away, deal strikes with extra crit chance, or lunge at your enemies;New stats for block chance, counter-attack chance, bleed chance and stun chance;Smoother start for new playthroughs, revealing the starting city and making blacksmiths more common;New artwork from the incredible Marvin Blattert @/komarca.art/, being showcased in the main menu and the game’s visual identity;Patch notesGameplaySkills are now defined in unlock trees instead of the previous milestone (linear) format;New stat: Block chance - allows you to block incoming…
- Alpha 0.15.0 - Of Eyes & Weapons - 8 April 2026
Play the Alpha Demo on ItchBecome a Patron and play the full release earlyWishlist Tales of Kathay on SteamMain featuresNew Field of Vision mechanic that hides the terrain and NPCs where the player can’t see;New way of inflicting Bleed and Stun and other effects, allowing for better weapon progression;Reworked protection and resistances, allowing for better armor progression;Added 3 new Weapons, the Longsword, War Axe, and Maul, completing 3 tiers for each weapon line;Updated several weapons stats and sprites;Several balance changes in the game;Patch notesGameplayNew “Field of Vision” mechanic;New “Fog of War” mechanic;New “Vision Distance” stat that specifies how far an NPC can see;Replaced NPC “aggro range” for their vision;Objects can now block movement and/or vision separately;Interacting with the towns notice board now clears the Fog of War of the whole area;Weapons and Actions can…
- Alpha 0.14.0 - Of Quests & Flesh - 31 March 2026
Important update about the Open AlphaThis will be the last update for the Open Alpha for Tales of Kathay, transitioning to a Closed Alpha exclusive for Patreon supporters.You’ll still be able to play a demo version of the game for free on Itch, with limited options for world size and playthrough duration.The game will still be updated regularly, but the access will be restricted to Patreon supporters of any paid tier.To continue playing the updated versions of Tales of Kathay, consider becoming a member on Patreon. I still have a few updates planned for the Open Alpha, so you can wait a bit before becoming a member.If you have donated through Itch, I’ll figure out a way for you to still have access to the updated Alpha versions.Hey everyone!The Open Alpha 0.14.0 is now available for download on Itch.io!Main featuresRevised quest system to allow for more flexible, intricate, and multi-st…
- Alpha 0.13.0 - Of Forts & Ruins - 18 March 2026
Important update about the Open AlphaI’ll be ending the Open Alpha for Tales of Kathay shortly, transitioning to a Closed Alpha exclusive for Patreon supporters.You’ll still be able to play a demo version of the game for free on Itch, with limited options for world size and playthrough duration.The game will still be updated regularly, but the access will be restricted to Patreon supporters of any paid tier.To continue playing the updated versions of Tales of Kathay, consider becoming a member on Patreon. I still have a few updates planned for the Open Alpha, so you can wait a bit before becoming a member.If you have donated through Itch, I’ll figure out a way for you to still have access to the updated Alpha versions.Hey everyone!The Open Alpha 0.13.0 is now available for download on Itch.io!In this update, the focus was in creating some more interesting and proper dungeons, while foll…
- Alpha 0.12.0 - Of Traits & Tales - 24 February 2026
Important update about the Open AlphaI’ll be ending the Open Alpha for Tales of Kathay shortly, transitioning to a Closed Alpha exclusive for Patreon supporters.You’ll still be able to play a demo version of the game for free on Itch, with limited options for world size and playthrough duration.The game will still be updated regularly, but the access will be restricted to Patreon supporters of any paid tier.To continue playing the updated versions of Tales of Kathay, consider becoming a member on Patreon. I still have a few updates planned for the Open Alpha, so you can wait a bit before becoming a member.If you have donated through Itch, I’ll figure out a way for you to still have access to the updated Alpha versions.Hey everyone!The Open Alpha 0.12.0 is now available for download on Itch.io!In this update I’m adding a new system to the game, called Traits. All characters spawn with ra…
- Alpha 0.11.0 - Of Trees & Tonics - 6 February 2026
Hey everyone!The Open Alpha 0.11.0 is now available for download on Itch.io!In this update I’ve reworked the biomes of the game, making them more distinct, and adding a third biome: The Taiga.New biomesPreviously, the biomes only had a tiny impact on the game, changing the sprite in the map screen, and choosing what creatures to spawn.Now, they’re truly different from one another. Each biome can generate different trees, plants and animals, with different densities. The 3 current biomes are:Temperate PrairiePreviously called grasslands, this biome is rich in healing herbs and coyotes, but you won’t find many trees around. Grokker really like to live here.Temperate Deciduous ForestPreviously called forest, this biome is composed of dense oak and birch woodlands populated by wolves and bears.TaigaThe new biome, a cold forest composed mostly of pines. Grokker avoid the colder regions, leav…
- Alpha 0.10.0 - Of Slings & Tribes - 28 January 2026
Hey everyone!The Open Alpha 0.10.0 is now available on Itch.io!In this update we focus on adding a new full-fledged tribal species to the game, the Grokker! We also add lootable containers, traps, and AI improvements.GrokkraThe grokkra are small humanoid creatures, hostile towards humans, but not very technologically advanced. They live in small tribes, and rely on makeshift weapons, slings, and crude traps.However, they have a skill that no human can replicate, they can create “Grokker Amber”: A dried and polished resin that they make from their bodies. It’s better not to think much about it, but it has some unique properties when imbued into weapons!Grokkra will often attack human settlements, and you can likely find village leaders with open contracts for the grokker leader!To support the grokkra, they have access to a new weapon: the sling. It is not very powerful, but allows you to…
- Alpha 0.9.0 - Of Hide & Metal - 7 January 2026
Hey everyone!The Open Alpha 0.9.0 is now available for download on Itch.io!In this update we expand the crafting system, adding blacksmithing and tailoring, as well as specific skills for different crafting types. There are several new materials with unique properties, new armor pieces, and multiple new crafting recipes.Obtaining materialsThe largest change in gameplay from this update is working and progressing throught different materials. You can now collect hides, bones, purchase linens and metal ingots, all with different properties and bonuses. Mix and match all of these materials into the equipment you craft, inching closer to thew perfect build.Hides and bones can be aquired by butchering the corpse of different animals that you’ll encounter through your playthrough. Bones can be used in certain weapons as handles, hilts or pommels. The hides are the primary material for most le…
- Alpha 0.8.0 - Of Stacks & Systems - 19 December 2025
Hey everyone!The Open Alpha 0.8.0 is now available for early download for the Patreon Members!In this update, the focus reworking a some of the basic systems of the game into systems that can withstand the future development of the game.New Injuries & HealthThere are now individual injuries for the body parts, instead of just an HP value per body part. Each attack causes an injury of a specific type to that body part, depleting the body part health and it’s efficacy.Each body part contributes to 3 health stats: Manipulation (Your ability to manipulate weapons and objects), Movement (your ability to move around), and Consciousness. These stats by themselves don’t change anything in the gameplay, but they affect the other stats. For example, your fumble chance will be affected by both the Manipulation and Consciousness health stats.The new health panel reflects all of these chances:StatsT…
- Alpha 0.7.0 - Of Arts & Crafts - 8 December 2025
Hey everyone!The Open Alpha 0.7.0 is now available for download on Itch.io!In this update, the focus was the creation of a basic crafting system and improving the controls and balance of the game.New crafting systemI have added a new simple crafting system. Currently, there are three recipes, but the basis is present to expand and add more.Two of those crafting recipes require a workstation, a tile in the world that works as said workstation, like a Cauldron for potion brewing or a campfire for cooking.Patch notesGameplayNew crafting screen accessible via Hotbar;New object that spawns in villages and camps: Campfire (allows cooking);Cauldron now allows the crafting of Health Potions;New materials: Red, Green and Blue linen;WASD and Numpad movement;New settings screen;Hotbar skills accessible via numeral keys;You can now butcher animal corpses to get raw meat;Objects that obscure the pla…
- Weekly Devlog #13 - Of Arts & Crafts - 5 December 2025
Hello everyone!After the release of version 0.6.0 last week, I quickly jumped into what I had planned for version 0.7: the creation of a basic crafting system. Now, surprisingly, this system is already pretty much done, and I plan to release version 0.7.0 probably during the weekend, so keep an eye out for that!CraftingThe focus of this week's work was the creation of the crafting system. I didn't focus too much on adding tons of crafting recipes and items, but just enough to test the little quirks of the crafting system.You can now craft a few items, some of them you can craft on the go, like the new "Healing Salve" item (a weaker healing potion made with herbs), others might require workstations, such as cooking raw meat at a campfire or brewing a health potion in a cauldron.All crafting is done in a single UI, inspired by Project Zomboid's crafting system. This might change in the fu…
- Open Alpha 0.6.0 - Of Quests & Hunters - 26 November 2025
Hey everyone!The Open Alpha 0.6.0 is now available for \(https://jouwee.itch.io/tales-of-kathay)!In this update, the focus was reworking quests for a system that is more interesting and hopefully will remain indefintely in the game.New quests and quests system.The main update in this version is the quest rework.Now, quests are created through the history simulation, based on events that happened and NPC needs and wants. To support these new quests, a new concept of "encounters" was also added. They are basically small structures that show the event in a concrete form in the world. For instance, if a caravan was attacked by a pack of coyotes, you might find their corpse, a broken cart, and some other details that tells this story. In total, 5 quests/encounters were added.There's also the new notice board, an object that will always spawn in front of the townhall of villages, and will con…
