Hello, everyone! I am Smithy, and I’m the developer of Stratagem Lost (formerly Project Stratagem), which has been shown off at FEE3 for several years now. I wanted to make this post to formally greet the FEUniverse community, as well as create a new avenue of communication for the game.
What is Stratagem Lost?
Stratagem Lost is an independent turn-based strategy video game developed in Gamemaker Studio 2, currently being developed for a PC release. While the game is inspired by Fire Emblem, it greatly deviates in gameplay, presentation, story, etc.
The game is notable for its focus on unique characters, a story filled with twists and intrigue, and a presentation influenced by punk, grungy attitudes. The game features hard rock music, inspired by the likes of alt rock and nu-metal. Somber. A little absurd. With an authentic spirit.
What makes it unique?
Stratagem Lost’s gameplay is reminiscent of Fire Emblem as well as other RPG/Strategy games like Codename S.T.E.A.M., XCOM, Darkest Dungeon, etc. However, the game plays very differently from all of them, crafting a fluid battle system that rewards taking action and thinking ahead.
A couple of the notable features are as follows:
Units utilize a limited amount of Stamina in their actions and movements. So long as they have enough Stamina, units can act as many times as possible.
New battle visuals! The game now features dynamic, punchy battle scenes during combat! A lot of work has gone into this feature, and the result is a much more engaging experience!
Characters do not have classes. Instead, each character is entirely unique, making each unit play completely differently from one another. Character visuals during gameplay are also completely unique. Each character is designed to be as distinctive as possible!
Practically every skill in the game is able to be shared amongst all units. Unit progression is largely dependent on unlocking skills via conversations with allies between chapters. The player has to make a major decision on which skills to shoot for, since not only are skills a universal resource, time is finite.
Players can hire Mercenaries that boost the characters on your team. Some higher ranked mercenaries also come with signature skills with unique animations!
You’ll be able to edit the color palettes of characters! This has no effect on gameplay, but it’s a fun cosmetic feature!
The list goes on! Stratagem Lost emphasizes a focus on characters and skills. There’s a lot of nuances and strategies that come from your team, ensuring a customizable, personal experience.
To answer your question, things are going very well! I’ve been quietly working hard since the last post, and I’m hoping to make some pretty big announcements soon. Still trying to get some dates set in stone, but you can probably look forward to something cool later this year in August.
I’m proud to announce a major update on the way. The game isn’t dead— in fact, it’s evolved!
Project Stratagem has become Stratagem Lost, and we’ve established our company, Hybrid Fiction Games. Check out our website, stratagemlost.com for more details!
We’re going to be revealing the game’s initial trailer this Friday on August 23rd, 2024. This trailer will be a condensed version of a future trailer. That’s also the day the game will be announced as “Coming Soon” on Steam.
There are massive changes coming to the game, such as battle visuals, voice acting, and even smaller additions like color palette editing. It’s the best the game’s ever looked, sounded, and felt to play.
I’m adopting a much more communicative approach going forward, so you’ll be able to keep up to date with things on our social medias.
We just released the initial reveal trailer for Stratagem Lost! A lot of work has gone into the game, and just about everything about it has been overhauled since last year. Watch the trailer here!
This is essentially part one of announcements, we’re releasing a demo and revealing more about the game on October 14th, 2024. There are big things on the way, so for those that would want to keep up to date, be sure to follow us on our social medias posted above!
Information about the game can be found on the game’s Steam page or the website at stratagemlost.com. Wishlisting the game will help you to be notified about it in the future!
I woke up this morning to find that we’re already at 100+ wishlists on Steam after just two days! That’s significantly more than I was expecting. Thank you for the support, everyone!
We’re still on track for the demo’s release on October 14th, but I’m sure there will be some additional announcements along the way! Hope to see you soon!
Wow, just saw this here and it looks really cool.
As someone who loves to take the FE formula and turn it on it’s head, I’m fully into what you’re doing here lol
Wish you and your team the best of luck. <3
Hey everyone, this is more of a minor announcement, but you’ll be able to see us at Steam Next Fest in October!Next Fest starts on the day of the demo’s release, October 14th.
It’s come to my attention that most people don’t know what Next Fest is, so to summarize: Next Fest is a week long event that gives coverage to upcoming games with demos. I’ve seen a lot of “I’m running out of strategy games to play” talk in the community recently—this is the perfect opportunity to find new games.
You should be able to sort by category, so you can find similar games pretty easily. I’ve found a bunch of games this way in the past. We’ll be present, but I’m sure you’ll find another game that catches your eye there too.
Also, we’ve been in the process of adjusting some aspects of the game in response to feedback. One criticism was that the quality of some maps weren’t up to snuff with the quality of the animations, which I agreed with. Earlier maps were made in a geometric style, but as the game has evolved, maps are taking on a looser, “sketchier” style to match. The map below now has a lot more of an “urban decay/slums” feeling than it originally had.
This particular menu also got adjusted, and having dedicated assets makes it much easier to understand. The previous month has brought a lot of changes like that which unify the game’s high quality of presentation.
Feedback helps the game reach its best state, so definitely feel free to let us know your opinions! We have a Discord for this purpose, but you can also communicate us on our social medias. Check the top of the thread for all of that.
Other than that, we’re going to be announcing something very important on September 30th. That’s a week from now, so I hope to see you then!
Why Kickstarter?
Crowdfunding was decided upon for one main reason: freedom. Stratagem Lost’s core identity is rooted in unbound expression. We wanted to make the game without giving up control or rights to external entities in exchange for funding.
However, the reality is that game development is expensive and time-consuming. In order to put our full focus on the game, we’re choosing to crowdfund it so that we can safely build the game on our own terms. This route has been pivotal in the success of many indie games, which has allowed developers to craft experiences they wouldn’t be able to otherwise.
What does this mean for the players?
Lowered Price: Backers will be able to get the game for lower price! We’re aiming to sell the game to backers at just $16, even less if you back early. For a 20-30 hour experience with voice acting and professional music, this is extremely low. Being crowdfunded means that we’re able to make the game more accessible since we’re not focused on maximizing profits.
Backer Creativity: Dedicated backers will be able to craft certain parts of the game, like designing characters and equipment/skills! Probably the biggest attraction are Professional Mercenaries, which are completely custom characters that can bolster units in combat. We’re encouraging creativity, no matter how outlandish it may be!
In-Progress Builds: Backers will be able to play builds of the game ahead of its release! In order to make the game the best it can be, we’ll be taking feedback from players as the game is being made.
Making a Kickstarter is ultimately asking for a lot of trust, which we firmly understand. It’s been mentioned before, but the demo coming October 14th, 2024 will provide a small slice of the game before you support us. Everything that we’ll be proposing is within scope and all of the mechanics are already functional within the game’s code.
For those that have questions, in addition to leaving a comment, please do not hesitate to open a dialogue with us on our Discord, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Please understand that we may be slower to answer since we’re currently recovering from Hurriance Helene and have limited access to power and internet, but we’ll try to communicate as best as we can.
Thank you for your time,
-Smithy, Hybrid Fiction Games
Big day today! We’re officially launching Stratagem Lost’s demo to the public, and beginning its Kickstarter campaign!
Check out the Kickstarter here! Right now, there’s a heavy discount, but it’s limited.
Also, you can try the demo here on Steam! It has 2 chapters with about 30-60 minutes of content, but also a challenge map! Everything is subject to change, but I hope you enjoy it—a lot of work has gone into it!
Last thing, we’ve released an extended trailer! Maybe there are even some secrets in it?
We’re doing our best to get the word out about the game, but we’re grateful for any help! Things like following our social medias and telling your friends is always appreciated! If you’ve got any questions about the Kickstarter, let us know!
Thank you for your time,
-Smithy, Hybrid Fiction Games
This is an update for week 1 of our Kickstarter! As of the evening of day 7, we’re already past 50% of the way there! Thank you everyone for such an amazing launch! We have a pretty good shot at getting funded, and we couldn’t do it without you all!
Also, you might have heard of the recent changes to Twitter that force posts to be fed to AI training algorithms. We’re not happy about it, but we ultimately need the presence on social media for right now while we’re still gathering a stable foothold. What we want to tell you about is that we’re now also on Bluesky! It’s like Twitter but good!
You can follow us here as an alternative to Twitter! This won’t affect social goals, we’re still focused on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook followers for those. If you have one of those, following us will help us reach our social goals. We’ve already cleared 2/4. Up next is New Game+, and then “bowling with the gang” (no seriously, trust us). Links are up top in the thread’s start!
Also, small side note, we’re gonna have a little devlog video at FEE3 this year! We’re slotted for this Friday, October 25th at 6PM EST! It’s gonna be a video that goes over our process transitioning from Project Stratagem to Stratagem Lost!
But yeah, we’re gonna keep pushing! Some projects don’t even make it past the 50% mark, so we’re incredibly happy that we’ve had your support! You might want to look forward to something cool later this week, but we’ll let you know when it’s ready.
Just checking in again to let you know of some of the things that have been happening with us!
We recently had the pleasure of commissioning DJSATURN to celebrate us getting over halfway there so soon! Thanks for the support, let’s keep up the momentum!
Today, we were fortunate to show the game off at FEE3! We’ve got a small devlog that goes over some of the transitions from Project Stratagem to Stratagem Lost! It took a lot of work, experimentation, and bravery, but the end result is been a much stronger experience!
Also, thanks to those that have played the demo—leaving a Steam review is always helpful! It’s really good to see that reception has been super positive so far!
As always, you can support our Kickstarter to help us make the game a reality. We’re in a strong spot, but we still can’t do this without you!
Other than that, feel free to ask questions if you have them! There’s already been questions about the game’s release plans, Professional Mercenaries, etc. Just let me know!
Thank you for your time,
-Smithy, Hybrid Fiction Games
Hey everyone, we did it! We hit $18,000 today! That means we’re funded! We can’t say thank you enough, the whole team is so incredibly grateful for your support. Every dollar and every spreading of the word has enabled us to pursue our dreams!
We also have the luxury of reaching our goal with about 12 days in the Kickstarter left! To that end, we can try to reach stretch goals! Up next is custom campaigns! That’s gonna include such like randomizing characters, adjusting their skillsets, modifying some mechanics, etc. Check out the Kickstarter here!
Even if we don’t hit the stretch goals, we’re still very lucky to have gotten this far. From all of us at Hybrid Fiction Games—thank you! The future is looking bright!
Hope everyone had a great Halloween last week! Fall is one of my favorite seasons, and part of it is that all of the holidays are really fun. Halloween fits right in with the game too.
Work has already begun on the next update, in the time that we’ve had between managing social media and the campaign! We’ve taken note of experiences that people have had with the demo, and we’re using them to revamp and adjust mechanics and game balance, as well as developing assets needed for the future! You can expect more on this after the Kickstarter!
Sneak peak of upcoming visuals, subject to change.
Also, we’re happy to say that we’re doing an Ask Me Anything on the r/JRPG Reddit right now! You can ask us questions about the game alongside other users!
Thank you for your time,
-Smithy, Hybrid Fiction Games
Hey, this is just a small bump to let people know that we’re down to less than 48 hours left on our Kickstarter! We’re currently trying for our stretch goal of custom campaigns—allowing randomized units, editing stats, and changing game mechanics!
Thanks so much for all of the support! Development is already in the works, and we’re determined to make it great. We couldn’t have done this without you!
Thank you for your time,
-Smithy, Hybrid Fiction Games
Despite the thresholds for Stretch Goal #1 (Custom Campaigns) and Social Goals #3 and #4 (New Game+ and Bowling) not being met, we’re going to do them anyway, as a thank you to the backers and in response to the unpredictable times in the world!(twitter is highly questionable lmao)
One last thing too, late pledges are active on the Kickstarter page! Despite the campaign being over, you can still back the game before it releases, and you’ll get access to alpha/beta testing and even the creative rewards like other backers!
Development on the full game is already put into motion, but know that we’re thankful for all of the support! Hope to see you again in the future!
Hey, it’s been a while! Since our funding last year, we’ve been hard at work on the game! I figured that I would occasionally post some of our devlog updates here for people that are interested in following the game’s development.
We’ve done 3 devlogs so far, detailing things like new characters, mechanics, etc.
Fortunately, development has been progressing at a steady rate, and we’re still on track to finish the game in the timeline we’ve laid out! I’ll keep you posted on future updates!
