Hey Guardians!

Sunderfolk is a passion project for us. The concept started with couch coop, in-person experiences in mind. Our vision was to lower the barrier of entry to board game and TTRPG-like game experiences by utilizing the benefits of video games combined with a phone controller to allow people to easily get together in person, play together, and connect.

While we continue to see lowering the barrier for in-person play and connection as an important part of our ongoing vision as a studio and company, through your invaluable feedback we also realize that many of you want to play Sunderfolk online together in a more traditional way.

As a result of your feedback, especially from PC players, our team is spending a considerable amount of time and effort reimplementing Sunderfolk to be fully playable from your PC without the need for a phone controller. With Sunderfolk 2.0 you will be able to control your characters with a mouse and keyboard as well as create and join online games directly from your PC. 

On top of that, the team is adding an all new Hero to the game - the Vanguard - as well as two new scenarios that will be playable through the recently added One Shot Mode. 

All of this will be freely available in our 2.0 update that we’re aiming to launch early next year. We’re very excited to share more about what the team has cooked up - read on for a Deep Dive into what to expect!

• PC Mouse & Keyboard Support

• PC Online Multiplayer

• New Hero: The Vanguard

• New Missions

Your new PC main menu! 

We’ve heard loud and clear that many of you PC Players - especially our solo players - wanted the option to play with full mouse and keyboard controls. 

After a ton of iteration on UI, UX, and technical requirements, we’re excited to finally share our progress! 

Your character’s Skill Cards are directly displayed and interactable on your screen. Command units directly through mouse selection and targeting. 

Couch co-op players can continue to use the existing controller-app setup, and this new scheme won’t replace or alter existing co-op controls.

Please keep in mind we’re still actively refining this feature, so the final version may look a little different at launch.

PC Online Multiplayer

While streaming the game for others to join via their phone controllers is a viable option, many players were hoping for a more traditional online multiplayer experience. 

Our team has been hard at work adding a fully featured online multiplayer experience that will debut in Patch 2.0. PC players that own a copy of Sunderfolk can start an online multiplayer game that allows them to host or join online multiplayer sessions.

How It Works

When launching Sunderfolk, a player can select “Online Multiplayer” to host or join a lobby.
Hosts can create a lobby by selecting “Host”, which will take them to the Lobby screen. There, hosts will find an Invite Code available for sharing. Additionally, PC players can invite friends to join games through Steam’s existing right click invite feature.

Players joining the Host’s lobby can click on “Join” to type in the Invite Code provided by the Host.

Once all players are in, they can Ready Up to start the session. 

Our reworked Online Multiplayer will launch with our 2.0 update, and will be available for Steam/PC users. 

Hero Type: Tank
Abilities: Movement and Taking Hits

Arden is getting a new Hero in the form of a tanky brawler! The Vanguard will be the newest class in Sunderfolk with our 2.0 update, and will join the Berserker and Rogue in the frontlines. 

Dev’s Note:

While other classes such as the Rogue and Arcanist offer multiple off tank options in Sunderfolk, a pure tank alternative to the Berserker was missing. The Vanguard fills the role but offers different damage mitigation and board manipulation alternatives to the Berserker. We can't wait to share more in next month's update!

We’ve given a small preview of their ears in an earlier AMA, and we’ll unveil more of our scrappy new hero soon so stay tuned! 

Have some ideas on who the Vanguard is? We’re all ears. 

On top of our new tank class, we’re also introducing two new Scenarios to Sunderfolk - Sacred Sand and the Arena Rumble. Unlike the four One Shot missions that were developed for Patch 1.5, Scenarios contain missions that connect as a continuous experience. Each Scenario will tell new stories happening in the Sunderlands, with the difficulty increasing as you progress through them!

Visiting from a region known as the Sacred Sand, the Sacred Bug has traveled far to reach Arden’s Gate, seeking the Heroes’ aid in reclaiming her home from an ancient foe.

You wouldn't leave a little bug alone surrounded by skeletons, would you?

Journey alongside the Sacred Bug as she guides you through her Sacred Temple, and face new foes such as the Mummy; a cousin of the Skeleton, yet very different in many ways.

Their bite IS worse than their bark 

Navigate puzzles and trials, and help your new ally take back her home. Gather your team, dust off your weapons, and see if you have what it takes to recover a sacred totem from a colossal threat!

Wurmsbait invites you to his first-ever Arena Rumble! Prepare to face challenges unlike any you’ve seen before, as contenders from all across the Sunderlands (from the Claw Cavern to the Fungal Veil) gather to compete in this tournament. Rely on your wits, your teamwork, and, of course, those fabulous muscles as you battle for glory in the Ogre Arena!

You’ve got this, Hero! 

You will battle familiar enemies, but they are only a taste of what’s to come. In every match, you will face a boss with a unique move set and abilities that challenge you in new ways.

Fight against new foes, including the famous Warrior Twins!

Even more glorious boss battles await, worthy of the Heroes of Arden. Climb the Tournament bracket and challenge the Arena Champion, and claim their title for your own!

On behalf of Secret Door, from the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank all of you that have come along on the Sunderfolk journey with us so far. The changes we’re adding for 2.0 are the direct result of your feedback and passion and we greatly appreciate all of you that have played the game, written reviews, provided feedback, and engaged with us over the last year.

You’ve helped inspire us to continue improving the game, you’ve helped us clarify the vision for the future, and helped shape what we have planned next. We’ll have further 2.0 updates across the next several weeks as development finalizes.

Beyond 2.0 we have another surprise in store to share soon, so stay tuned, Guardians. Additional journeys await… 👀!

Excited for what’s coming? We want to hear about it! Join our Discord[discord.gg], or follow us on all the social things[linktr.ee].

See you in Arden!

The Sunderfolk Team

By: Neo Zhang

Hello! Neo here, a Game Designer on Sunderfolk. Last time, I shared with you on how we create cinematics, but today, we’ll be diving into monster design, using the Wurm as our star example.

This was the first enemy I worked on after joining the team and learning the ropes of character design under our Lead Encounter Designer (Kara Centell-Dunk). I’m excited to share how we brought this big, scaly, wiggly menace to life!

When the Wurm was officially greenlit, the first step was to define its core fantasy, in-game behavior, and personality. Using concept art from our talented art team as a foundation, I began pulling inspiration from both media and nature. Around this time, Dune: Part II had just come out, and I was especially drawn to the Sandworm, an unseen threat beneath the sand, swallowing anything in its path.

I also looked at the Sarlacc from Star Wars and antlion traps from nature documentaries, both of which pull prey into a central pit. With those ideas in mind, I began writing out concepts that take elements from them.

With a solid starting point, I moved on to pick out a few concepts with strong potential that could really make the Wurm stand out. At the same time, I also started cutting ideas based on my understanding of how difficult it would be to implement, if our tools supported the design, and whether the idea was aligned with the overall monster design direction established by Kara.

After some careful thinking, I landed on the following key ideas that I felt would define the Wurm’s identity and bring a fresh challenge to players:

• An Immovable Force

  • I loved the idea that the Wurm is so massive and mostly underground, that it simply can’t be pushed or moved by any means. It adds to its presence and reinforces its weight and scale!

• Manipulates Player Positioning

  • I wanted to challenge players’ spatial awareness in a new way, especially in the late game. A spell that forcibly shifts player positioning feels like a unique mechanic that requires careful planning.

• Burrows Underground

  • When threatened, the Wurm can burrow underground for a turn, avoiding all damage. On its next turn, it resurfaces in a more dangerous state. This mechanic adds a layer of complexity and gives the monster a sense of danger.

With the core concepts set, the next step was designing the Wurm’s kit—its spell cards and passive abilities. I brainstormed spells and passives that would reinforce the Wurm’s core mechanics. A key focus was ensuring each design plays into both the combat and the team-based, collaborative play that is central to our game.

After some more thinking, I settled on the following design!

Passive Ability: The Wurm retreats underground when its health drops below a certain threshold and is immune to any involuntary movement from external sources. While submerged, it is untargetable and safe from any player actions until it reemerges on its next turn.

Spell Cards: The Wurm has two spell cards, which is unique for a non-boss monsters:

• Standard Tactic: Performs two attack actions, including an AoE that hits all characters.

• Emergence Attack: Activated when the Wurm resurfaces, it uses a wide-range pull to drag all characters several hexes closer before unleashing a powerful attack.

After a few rounds of feedback and iteration with Kara, I finalized the design and got the Wurm ready for its next big step: PLAYTESTING!

Using Miro, I organized a paper playtest session with team volunteers. These early tests offered valuable insights—highlighting which parts of the Wurm were fun, which mechanics felt strong, and which ones missed the mark. For anything that fell flat, I explored possible changes and shared them with Kara, who provided some actionable feedback to help polish the design forward.

What was fun?

• Players have shown a lot of interest in the Wurm’s Pull mechanic in its emergence spell. 

• Many find the pull both chaotic and challenging, as it can disrupt their positioning and potentially ruin carefully planned setups. 

• Wurms can be utilized as a tool for the player, especially since it doesn’t distinguish between friend or foe when using this ability.

What was weak?

• Players found tracking the Wurm’s health and its threshold for submerging confusing and math-heavy. 

• The passive ability was difficult to grasp due to too many moving parts.

• Because of how rare the Wurm does its pull spell action, fighting the Wurm didn’t always feel rewarding or exciting.

Moving forward!

• We removed the health threshold mechanic. Instead, the Wurm now submerges when its health drops to zero, reemerges with lower full health, and does so only once.

• We gave the Wurm two distinct phases: after resurfacing, the second phase features more powerful attacks, adding an element of surprise and fresh challenge. 

• Rather than switching between two spell cards based on emergence, we give one card per phase, with the pull mechanic reserved for the later, more aggressive phase.

After two to three rounds of paper testing, it was time to bring the Wurm into the engine. Using tools built by our engineering team, I implemented the monster into a test encounter and made sure everything functioned smoothly. Once it was in a good place, it was time to set up a playtest where our whole team got to play the new monster. Just like before, I documented what worked, what didn’t, and continued refining the design based on team feedback.

After several rounds of iteration, it was time to hand the Wurm off to other team members to work their magic. Our animator brought the monster’s attacks and movements to life with more organic motion, while the VFX artist added details like dust particles during its emergence and impactful effects on its attacks.

Meanwhile, the QA team dove in to uncover any bugs or edge cases I hadn’t anticipated, helping ensure a polished final experience.

Conclusion

And just like that, our monster is alive and ready to kick the Hero’s butt! 

Creating the Wurm was a blast, but what I’ve shared here is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how we design our monsters. For a deeper dive, I’ll hand things over to our incredibly talented Encounter Design Lead, Kara, who crafted most of the encounters and creatures you face in the main game, and established the very design philosophy that forms the backbone of Sunderfolk.

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoy playing Sunderfolk now that you’re officially a pro at how our game comes to life. Until next time!

Neo Zhang