Wyldheart Preview: An Old-School RPG Experience Worth Playing

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Wayfinder Studios, the team behind Wyldheart, is composed of experienced developers previously working on major, high-profile games. They’re now focused on creating their own unique experiences.

I know you’ve probably heard similar pitches before, but I genuinely believe this is something special. Wyldheart, a new action RPG, isn’t just promising a great co-op experience inspired by tabletop games – the developers are focused on creating the game they want to make, rather than chasing trends or trying to predict what will be popular.

Dennis BrĂ€nnvall, Creative Director and co-founder of Wayfinder, is a veteran of the gaming industry, with over ten years of experience working on popular titles like Star Wars Battlefront II and The Finals. He and a small team of around a dozen developers have spent the last four years creating Wyldheart, and they’re excited to showcase it at PAX East 2026. I recently had the chance to play the game for an hour, and I’m happy to say it perfectly captures the feel of classic RPGs.

Wyldheart Is Looking to Target RPG Gamers Who Can’t Invest 100s of Hours Into a Campaign

Having spent a lot of time making first-person shooter games, BrĂ€nnvall asked his team what kind of game they’d create if they weren’t making shooters. This conversation sparked the idea for Wayfinder and a five-year project to develop Wyldheart. Now, four years into that plan, they’re ready to share their work with everyone. While turning a tabletop RPG into a video game isn’t a new concept, BrĂ€nnvall believed they had found a unique opportunity in the gaming market.

It’s often hard to find RPGs to play with small groups like family or friends on Discord. You’re usually limited to very long, mostly single-player games that also have a co-op option. These games can take 160 hours or more to complete, which makes it difficult for busy groups to commit to regular play sessions.

BrĂ€nnvall notes that although large online role-playing games exist, they often require a huge time commitment. The creators of Wyldheart saw an opportunity to create something different – a game for smaller groups who want to enjoy RPGs together without needing to dedicate countless hours. Wyldheart addresses this by offering multiple campaigns designed to be completed in around twelve hours, making it easier for players to fit gaming into their lives.

A True-Blue Tabletop RPG Experience

I was immediately impressed by how Wyldheart perfectly recreates the feel of classic tabletop role-playing games.

Wyldheart feels like the classic RPGs many of us enjoyed, but with helpful modern improvements. It strikes a great balance – the game creates a captivating world without overly guiding you. While not as sprawling as a game like Elden Ring, that’s actually a strength. Instead of being dropped into a harsh open world and left to fend for yourself, Wyldheart offers a world rich with secrets best discovered through cooperation – solving puzzles and defeating enemies as a team. That’s exactly what this game delivers.

At the start of the game, we had to carefully explore a network of caves, fight enemies around every turn, and search for better equipment to keep going. What was good was that the game didn’t overly guide us or make puzzles too easy, but it still gave us enough information to figure things out and move forward.

In Wyldheart, enemies often require more than just simple attacks to defeat. For instance, one boss was immune to regular damage, but thankfully, I could pick up and throw barrels of fire found around the area. This kind of puzzle is a great example of how Wyldheart recreates the creative problem-solving and teamwork found in tabletop RPGs – and that’s just the start! The game is built around cooperation: you’ll explore, overcome challenges, and win battles as a unified party.

Wyldheart Shows the Importance of Making the Game You Want

It’s not necessarily the greatest time to be a video game developer.

Layoffs have been a growing concern in the game industry, and 2026 has started with more job cuts. Epic Games recently let go of around 1,000 developers, and Highguard, a project created by the team behind Repspawn, closed down after only two months. What sets Wyldheart apart? One key factor is Wayfinder Studios’ smaller team, which allows them to adapt and respond quickly.

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The team can quickly implement changes to improve the game without a lengthy approval process. They prioritize learning from what players say and using their small size to react effectively. BrĂ€nnvall feels this is a real advantage, letting them focus on what they’re passionate about. He especially admires classic World of Warcraft zones like Elwynn Forest and Westfall, and mentions finding inspiration in games like Shadow Dark and Dragon Bane.

I was immediately struck by how successfully Wyldheart recreates the feel of classic tabletop role-playing games.

This approach will definitely appeal to players, and it’s a welcome change from the typical marketing language used in big-budget games. It helps Wyldheart stand out and you can really feel the team’s passion. That enthusiasm has even attracted experienced talent from major studios – like Erin Bower, Wayfinder’s Marketing Director, who previously worked at companies like Rockstar, Square Enix, and Riot Games. During our hour-long play session, Erin’s excitement for Wyldheart was contagious. She and BrĂ€nnvall were fantastic guides, and I’m already looking forward to playing again.

It’s always great to see experienced game developers branch out from big studios and create their own projects. We saw a good example of this last year with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. While it’s too early to say if Wyldheart will be as successful, it’s definitely one to watch. If you’re interested in a cooperative RPG that feels like playing a tabletop game with friends, this could be exactly what you’re looking for.

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2026-03-27 22:40