It’s been, but the legendary civilization management sim dwarf fortress finally has a release date. It will be available in both stores on December 6 for $30. While that may seem steep for a game that’s been around for 16 years and is available for free elsewhere, the latest version has some significant upgrades.
For starters, you don’t have to worry about dwarf fortress’ famous primitive statues no more. The ASCII graphics have been upgraded to a pixel art tile set. Other new features include a fresh soundtrack and sound effects, a revamped user interface and menus, a tutorial for newcomers and other quality of life improvements. All of these are designed to make the game more accessible.
Tarn and Zach Adams have been working on the game for 20 years at their studio, Bay 12. They worked with publisher Kitfox Games (of Friend Dungeon fame) for this improved version, which has an official title of Slaves to Armok: God of Blood Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress.
The main Fortress mode and Legends mode will be available from the get-go, with the original game’s Adventure and Arena modes coming later. Even then, Bay 12 is far from finished, as the studio has plans for major changes to the card system and to procedurally generated myths and magical systems. According to a press release, there is “no end in sight” for the project.
If all that seems too fancy for you, there’s still the option to get the original version of dwarf fortress from the Bay 12 . website in all its ASCII glory at no cost. So far, fans have supported Bay 12 and the game’s development through donations.
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