Varthos - Heir to the Throne

Varthos – Heir to the Throne entered Early Access on December 16, 2025. The developer, Nightshift Game Development, is a small 3-person indie team who have been consistently transparent about the game's unfinished state and their roadmap to a full 1.0 release. At launch, the team outlined several upcoming features including a new snowy biome called "Vargsfjöll" (described as 50% complete at launch), new skills, narrative elements, and controller support. In February 2026, they published a formal Early Access roadmap reiterating these commitments and adding more planned content such as new random events, expanded loot systems, and additional lore. Since launch, the team has been actively shipping updates. A story book DLC ("The Last Oath") released on March 12, 2026. Feature patches in April, May, June, July, and August 2026 have added controller support, difficulty levels, new item types, boss set drops, a bleedout system, native voice chat, and more. As of July 1, 2026, the developer explicitly stated they are "officially in production of the upcoming boss fight" for the next biome. The most recent update posted on August 31, 2026 confirms the team returned from a summer break and is back at "full force." The game remains clearly unfinished by design, with significant content still in active development and a 1.0 release yet to be announced. There is no sign of development slowdown — the team has been communicating and shipping updates regularly throughout 2026.