Famous indie game pioneer Dwarf Fortress is making waves in anticipation of its launch on Steam. The Dwarf Fortress Steam wishlist ranking has just breached the Top 10, making it the tenth most wishlisted game of the thousands Steam provides. The game ousted Hollow Knight: Silksong to earn the tenth spot.
Dwarf Fortress gained a cult following since its earliest versions were released in 2006. Set in a procedurally-generated fantasy world, the goal of Dwarf Fortress was both simple and unobtainable: establish a successful fortress to protect your dwarves from threats. While skilled players could create long-lasting fortresses, they would inevitably be overwhelmed and meet their demise in time.
Another way of approaching the game was to take the route of a strong, independent player who don’t need no fortress. Adventurer Mode gave players the option to set out on their own and explore the world in a turn-based RPG. There they could complete quests and only have themselves to worry about.
Throughout both game modes, players crafted the history of their world and the stories of the dwarves within them. The Legends Mode allowed players to relive their glorious games and read about their fortress history like a textbook, with notable fortresses and maps included.
The much-anticipated Steam release of Dwarf Fortress comes with everything that made it famous, including all aforementioned game modes, and more. The new release allows for Steam workshop modding, and humorously boasts “Now with graphics!” on its Steam page. The classic text-based graphics have been updated for the modern era. That said, players do have the option of switching to the original look for old times’ sake.
The concept of Dwarf Fortress made it arguably one of the most influential games of all time, having a hand in the creative process of Minecraft. The never-ending adventure and world-building phenomenon could curate its largest fanbase ever upon release on Steam. As for when release day will come, Dwarf Fortress only teases “time is subjective.” Until then, it has secured its place among the most anticipated games this year.
