Steam freebie is Zelda-style RPG oozing with Stardew Valley charm

If you’re a fan of pixel-art RPGs in the style of classic The Legend of Zelda entries, then Forge of the Fae is one to add to your wishlist.

With the cosy charm of Stardew Valley, Forge of the Fae brings a “story-rich” adventure inspired by Celtic folklore, with plans to launch across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

It’s developed by Datadyne LLC with Deck13 set to be handling publishing duties, and sees you step into a mysterious world where players are tasked with mastering the ARC Crystal System to “unleash powerful magic”.

“Join Fiora, a brilliant young inventor, on her quest to uncover the truth behind a series of mysterious disappearances,” begins the synopsis.

“Step into an enchanting fantasy world brimming with magic, wonder, and danger.

“As a miners’ strike spirals into violence, the Mining Company hires mercenaries to crush the unrest.

“In the chaos, people are vanishing one by one. Tensions rise, but Fiora won’t be deterred from her search for answers.”

Deck13

Every decision is described as carrying weight that’ll dictate the outcome of Fiora’s journey.

As well as mastering the aforementioned ARC Crystal System, players will also need to upgrade “Fiora’s loyal Mechanical Faerie” which sounds like some sort of companion.

There are secrets to uncover, new skills to unlock, with your actions rippling “throughout the world”, influencing how NPCs see you and guiding the story onwards.

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Try Forge of the Fae out for free ahead of its planned 2027 release

There’s a nostalgic charm to Forge of the Fae, but it boasts a modern, dynamic turn-based combat system “inspired by the classics”.

Devs claim to have layered fresh mechanics on top of JRPG classic, although are yet to delve into exactly what that entails.

You will have to approach combat with synergy in mind, as skills, spells, and passives all need to be used in co-ordination in order to take on the toughest of foes.

Skills can handily be paired to create powerful new attacks, but there’s such a thing as an Adrenaline Surge too which unleashes a special ability that doesn’t consume a turn.

There is an elemental aspect to what Forge of the Fae offers, with players needing to use fire, wind, water, earth, nature, and magic to exploit the unique weaknesses of their enemies.

“The result is a combat experience that’s easy to pick up but deeply rewarding to master, whether you’re reliving your JRPG nostalgia or discovering the genre for the first time,” devs note.

Forge of the Fae is targeting a rough release window of 2027 but nothing has been locked in beyond that.

What you can do at this present moment, though, is sample the game for free via Steam as a demo has been made available.

The demo should introduce you to the game’s various systems and take you between one and two hours to complete.

To keep an eye on Forge of the Fae’s progress, your best bet is to wishlist it.