Beards & Blades

Forge it by hand

Every blade starts as a cold ingot. Pump the bellows until the metal glows the right colour, hammer it into shape on the anvil, plunge it into the quench tub in a burst of steam and put an edge on it at the grindstone. Shields and bows have benches of their own. How well you do each step decides how good the piece turns out, and your customers will notice.

Every customer is somebody

Frog knights, boar barbarians, nervous rookies and loud regulars line up at your counter. One wants a blade that fits a tiny hand, one wants something BIG, one only speaks in riddles. Expedition groups arrive together and all need to be ready before they head down.

See who comes back

When the shop closes, the heroes come back up from the dungeon. Some bring loot and a tip, some tell you how your sword saved their skin, some come back bruised and grumbling about a wobbly handle. Most of them come back.

A full day at the smithy

Dawn, open shop, the returns and a quiet night with the ledger. When the ore runs low, grab a pickaxe and dig your own in the mine.

Better with friends

Run the shop alone, or open it to up to three friends online. One works the bellows, one swings the hammer, one keeps the queue happy.

Features

• Hands-on smithing at the forge, anvil, quench tub, grindstone and assembly bench, plus shield and bow benches

• Animal heroes with their own requests, quirks and regulars who keep coming back

• A day cycle with expeditions into the dungeon and heroes returning with stories, loot or bruises

• A mine for digging your own ore

• Solo or online co-op for 1 to 4 players

• Retro low-poly look with point-filtered pixel textures