Hello everyone!
Happy holidays and a wonderful New Year to you all! I’m excited to share that I’ve officially started working on Dreadwoods Gatekeeper full-time.
What Is Dreadwoods Gatekeeper?
Story
It’s a narrative horror game set in a medieval fantasy world. You’ll step into the role of a new gatekeeper in the eerie town of Dreadwoods. Here, the townsfolk believe many things. They barricade themselves during the “Witch Hour,” signaled by the bell tolls of the ominous Skyward Minister, believed to curse anyone who looks at it directly. The old guard has been found dead, fueling new rumors of a monster hunting the townsfolk.
Gameplay
The game combines light simulation gameplay with a horror mystery narrative. As the gatekeeper, you’ll meet a variety of characters, manage the gate by inspecting and taxing wagons, patrol the town, and defend against threats using your bow. The protagonist is no warrior or hero—in fact, he’s more of a coward. It will be up to you whether to play it safe or push him to confront his fears, uncover the town’s bizarre secrets, and, hopefully, survive to see his job through.
My Background
I’ve been developing games for over 10 years, from browser flash games to Steam titles like Gladiator Guild Manager and Scheming Through the Zombie Apocalypse. Now, I’m taking on a new challenge: my first 3D and first horror game.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1043260/Gladiator_Guild_Manager/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/813540/Scheming_Through_The_Zombie_Apocalypse_The_Beginning/
While I’ve been tinkering with Dreadwoods Gatekeeper for a long time, it has only recently become my main focus after finishing Gladiator Guild Manager. I’ve spent a significant amount of time learning Unity’s 3D features, defining the style and gameplay, and writing the story through many iterations.
Visual Direction and Team Updates
The trailer and screenshots you see come from an early visual prototype. I’ve since started a clean slate project.
The artist from my previous game has joined the project, and we’re both learning the ropes of 3D development. We are aiming at an art style similar to what you saw in the trailer but we’ll further refine it.
(Note: Buildings other than the gatehouse are low-poly placeholders.)
Development Timeline
Plan is to have a very early demo/prototype in a few months. Then commercial demo in about 6 months and full game in a year.
I am also considering a free prologue—a standalone story set before the events of the main game.
Follow the Development
I’ll share progress updates about once a month. I’d love for you to join our journey and share your feedback as development progresses.
Join our Mailing List to receive updates sent once a month and be the first to access demos.
Say hi and connect with us directly on Discord.
Thank you for your interest in Dreadwoods Gatekeeper. I’m thrilled about this project and can’t wait to share more with you soon!
– Darko