The Piper of Dawn

The Piper of Dawn

Released Sep 2026

Grow magical crops—and your own workforce. Run an alchemy shop in a city trapped in a time loop, forge bonds with humans and non-humans, and shape its fate. A dark fantasy management sim with branching stories and multiple endings.

84% positive · 753 reviews
Not yet
Released, but content still planned
High confidence
Content Planned
Not yet
Released, but content still planned
High confidence
Content Planned

Where to buy

Steam $12.99
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Evaluation

The Piper of Dawn launched on September 22, 2026. In the launch announcement post on that same day, developer Bone Nail explicitly stated: "Some of your feedback has even given us new ideas for the game's mechanics and story, and we'll be bringing some of them to life in future major updates." This is a direct, post-release commitment to future major content updates, even though no specific DLC or expansion has been named yet. The day after launch (September 23, 2026), the studio shipped v1.0.1 with bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements, showing the team is actively engaged with the game. This is a brand-new release — the game launched just one day before today's date — but the developer's own launch post removes any ambiguity about content plans: more substantial updates are coming.
Evidence
In the launch announcement, developer Bone Nail stated that player feedback has given them new ideas for the game's mechanics and story, and that they will be bringing some of those ideas to life in future major updates.
news post · Sep 23, 2026 source content planned
high
Game officially launched on September 22, 2026 at $12.99 with a 10% launch discount.
news post · Sep 23, 2026 source content shipped
high

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
Bone Nail
Achievements
91
Platform
Windows
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this game

Become an alchemist in Diamond City, where growing a business means growing your own workers. Farm, craft, and sell your creations as you build relationships and navigate a dark fantasy story with multiple endings.

  • Build Your Alchemy Business: Grow magical crops, craft valuable goods, and put your homegrown workforce to work.

  • Meet the City's Unusual Residents: Discover over 40 NPCs and relationship paths for six central heroines.

  • Shape the City's Fate: Earn the trust of six factions and explore branching stories shaped by your choices and reputation.

Grow ingredients, turn them into valuable creations, and sell them to fund your next expansion. Along the way, fulfill orders, build relationships, and uncover the city's stranger side.

Cultivate the Extraordinary

Grow over 100 crops and experiment with traits to improve your harvests. Expand underground and use alchemical circles to build a flourishing, self-sustaining farm.

Turn Curiosities into Profit

Decorate your shop and stock its shelves with crops, potions, and rare curiosities. Build your reputation to attract non-human customers and unlock lucrative special orders.

Grow Your Own Workforce

Meet the Peoplesprouts: workers you grow yourself. Assign them to farming, retail, and manufacturing to automate your business.

Match their talents to the job—and give them time to recover. Overwork takes a toll on their Sanity.

Turn Experiments into Opportunity

Transform materials into valuable goods or grant your Peoplesprouts powerful abilities. Experiment with volatile elements and combine alchemy with Oracles to discover extraordinary results.

Borrow the Power of Ancient Gods

Collect and combine divine blessings for powerful bonuses during each time rewind. Just beware of the gods behind them—and the influence of their whispers.

Decide Who to Trust

Win the favor of six rival factions to unlock special orders and new story possibilities. Your reputation and choices help determine how Diamond City's story ends.

Oracle Summons

Try your luck summoning blessings from Ancient and Outer Gods. Their gifts could be just what your next experiment needs.

The Golden Cage Card Parlor

Challenge the city's residents to Blackjack. When luck fails, remember your two favorite gods: Save and Load.

Fishing

Cast your line across Diamond City and reel in fish, strange surprises—even an Ancient God.

Sissi

A barmaid blessed with superhuman strength—and your very first full-time hire. She originally dreamed of becoming a housemaid, only to discover a surprising natural talent for farming.

Nene

The daughter of a mathematician, Nene has a brilliant mind, razor-sharp intuition, and the combat skills to back them up. But her true talent shines through in the end: after becoming a Peoplesprout keeper, Nene finally found the perfect place to put her skills to use.

Gretel

Feel like adventuring alone is far too safe? Then bring this amazing trouble magnet along! She'll bring a never-ending stream of danger your way.

With shimmering rose-gold fur, a fluffy tail, and incredible marksmanship, Gretel seems to encounter mysterious incidents wherever she goes, recording each one in her Field Notes.

Jimo Li

Meow? Meow, meow!

Aurora Ludwig

Princess, goddess, sacrifice... Aurora bears many identities and possesses extraordinary magical power that greatly influences Diamond City itself.

A woman shrouded in mystery, her true nature remains impossible to discern.

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About Bone Nail Studio

Bone Nail Studio is a team of passionate game developers (and cat lovers) dedicated to creating fun and engaging games. We strive for quality in everything we do, though we occasionally go a little off the rails. This is our fourth game and the official sequel to Yog-Sothoth's Yard. Anyway, we hope you enjoy exploring the world we've created!

Thank you all for your continued support!

—Bone Nail Studio

Last evaluated Sep 23, 2026
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