Sword & Soil

Fight in real time on the road, and pay for your gear with what the farm grows.

Instruction bookletFree demo for Windows, Mac, Linux

Get the free demo on itch.io

Made by one developer at Critbyte Studios, in Godot.

Getting started

You start with a small farm and a family who needs you on it. The roads out of town are not safe, and the gear that lets you walk them costs more than a good week of chores will pay.

Pick a class, work the land by day, and take the road when you are ready. Fights are real-time, and enemies wind up before they swing, so you can get out of the way.

The demo is the first chapter, from the farm down the forest road to Riverford and home again.

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The farm pays for the sword

Better gear costs coin, and the farm earns it.

Every item has one price, the same in every shop, all game.

A wizard freezes three drowned with Chill in Blackford Marsh.
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From field to fight

  1. Turnips in rows on the farm, the player tending them

    Grow

    Till, plant, water, harvest. Seasons last 12 days, and some crops keep producing after the first harvest.

  2. The player fishing at the river

    Fish and cook

    Catch fish, cook what you grow and catch. Meals heal you and help in a fight.

  3. The Riverford inn at night, its lantern lit

    Sell and gear up

    Sell in town, then spend the coin on the weapon or armour that gets you down the next road.

  4. The player facing the Brood Hollow boss and its slimes

    Take the road

    Clear the road and find out what is behind the trouble.

Then back to step 1 for the next season.

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Controls

Real play: the player on the forest road next to a slime, with the hotbar, health, mana and stamina bars along the bottom
  1. Walk.
  2. Swing your weapon.
  3. Pick a tool or item from the hotbar.
  4. Cast your spells or abilities.
  5. Sprint. Uses stamina.
  6. Use the selected item.

Tap a key to see it on the screen.

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Classes

  • Warrior

    Hits hard up close and can take a few blows. Swords and mail suit a warrior.

  • Paladin

    Most HP and DEF of any class, and the only one who can wear plate.

  • Monk

    Fights with fists and claws, with enough ST to keep moving and swinging.

  • Wizard

    Wizards destroy their enemies from a distance with magic, in many terrifying ways. Their DEF is weak.

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Bestiary

  • Slime

    Hops in and slams down. Some leave a sticky trail.

  • Drowned

    Dives at you from the marsh. Hits harder at night.

  • Goblin brute

    Gets angry at low health and puffs steam. Back off when it does.

  • Skeleton

    Undead, like the drowned. Stronger after dark.

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Registration card

Fill this in and I will email you when there is a new build or real news. Nothing else, and you can leave any time.

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Play the demo

The demo is free and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. On a Mac, the app is not signed by Apple, so right-click it and pick Open the first time.

Get the free demo

Watch the trailer on YouTube. If you are writing about the game or making a video, the press kit has screenshots, logos and my email.

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