- Devlog #13: Final Testing Incoming - 24 July 2026
Hey everyone, this'll be a shorter update, but one that's important for those hoping to participate in the final round of testing before our launch in the winter!Thank You for 10,000 Wishlists!Over the weekend, we had the pleasure of having a playable demo at Southeast Game Exchange!We got a lot of feedback that we'll use to improve the game, like improvements to the UI/UX! We've already made some notable changes, and we hope to make even more in the future!Enemy attack patterns are now displayed simply by hovering over a character! In addition, certain icons have been made more readable, and there's also a constant indicator of which character is selected, since we noticed certain new players losing track before!On top of helping us improve the game, we were also fortunate enough to reach over 10,000 wishlists on Steam! This is a massive milestone for us -- one that I never thought we'…
- Devlog #12: Nonstop Disco - 26 June 2026
Hey all and welcome to devlog #12! We've got a couple new things to show, and some plans to communicate! Let's get right into it!Character Reveal: Conroy DusterEveryone make way for The Conroy Duster! There's no one who walks like him, talks like him — even if they did, they'd never have the right to be him.The adopted sibling of Remy, Conroy Duster has always been destined to be a shining star. Though combat is a performance sport in his line of work, the experience has shaped Conroy Duster into a boisterous, free-spirited celebrity. He can even do a flip on command!On the battlefield, Conroy Duster stuns the opposition with his flashy moves! Boasting a high critical chance and high avoidance, he's able to perform some deadly maneuvers and get away with it! His Inner Vision, High Octane, allows him to guarantee his own safety if those hit rates are still looking a little too high. With…
- Release Window and Beta Testing! - 22 May 2026
\ Trailer and Release WindowTo commemorate the game reaching this point in development, we have a new trailer to showcase!As the trailer details, we're announcing the game's release window to be this Winter! While we have yet to confirm the exact date, development has been steady enough to make us confident in the tentative window!We're also proud to reveal the game's new key art! The updated look was crafted to fit the game's finalized atmosphere and theming. It's moody, mysterious, and with a tinge of naturalistic beauty to it. In addition, we're starting beta testing again with backers, and the game's demo has been updated once more! Check it out, and be sure to give us feedback! We're excited for this new chapter of development! Though we still have a ways to go until the end, the end isn't far from sight! Thank you for your time and support, -Smithy, Hybrid Fiction Games
- Devlog #11: Arc 2 Beta Incoming! - 30 April 2026
Hey all and welcome to devlog #11! This is a bit of a shorter devlog, since it's bridging the gap between now and a future update on the horizon! Let's get right into it!Character Reveal: Corva KnoxThose who played the recent alpha build will recognize this face, but for everyone else, here's a new character in the roster!Though she rarely makes herself known, Corva is amongst the most adept and elite members of the squad, learning to execute missions with flawless efficiency from a young age. Loyal to her boss, Pryce, she'll get the job done in the blink of an eye. Outside of combat however, she never really seems to be around, opting to stay hidden in the shadows until her next command. For her, people are either objectives or targets, never friends.On the battlefield, Corva brings the only thing she needs — her knife. Similar to Grover, she can attack from both close and far away, al…
- Devlog #10: Alpha Incoming! - 5 March 2026
Welcome to devlog #10! Double digits! We're at a point where we have to be careful about what we reveal, but we've got a short character reveal and important details on the Arc 2 Alpha!Character Reveal: Marlene HammerBefore we start the overview, let's introduce one more character to the roster! Marlene is a wild child coming from the slums of Harkford. Though others in the group are reluctant or even outright antagonistic about being drafted, she doesn't let anything get her down. The way she sees it — she's there to break something, anything. If she makes friends or helps the nation, that's an added bonus. Marlene knows where's she's from, she knows she's around people who look down on her, but she doesn't care.Marlene is all about brawling with reckless abandon. Extreme aggression, high damage, less than stellar defenses. She solves her problems by hitting hard, and if that doesn't w…
- Devlog #9: Duality - 19 January 2026
Welcome to devlog #9, our first one of 2026! Hope everyone had a relaxing holiday! With the Arc 2 Alpha/Beta on the horizon, we're sharing a couple new characters, progress on some features, and more!Character Reveal: ReubenHere's another character coming to the roster in the next build, or rather, a pair of characters!Enter Reuben and his silent partner, Wyatt. Enduring tragedy at a young age, Reuben turned to an isolated life as a bounty hunter alongside a hulking mysterious figure, whom he named Wyatt. Despite only being 12, Reuben develops his own equipment, handles his own jobs, and looks out only for himself and Wyatt. So long as he's paid, he'll hunt down anyone, even if his naivete can show in childlike outbursts.In combat, Reuben prioritizes a defensive playstyle through distraction and control. He's one of the game's bow users, which allows him to attack from afar, bobbing and…
- Devlog #8: Perfect Circle - 13 November 2025
Welcome to devlog #8! As we're approaching the Arc 2 Alpha/Beta, we'd like to unveil a couple new characters, show off some new features, and more!Character Reveal: Remy DusterGuess who won the last character poll by just a hair! Remy Duster is here, ready to get the job done perfectly!Remy is another draftee met early on in the story. Currently fighting for sport, Remy views combat surgically and intensely. She's rather aloof and prickly, not being one to waste time with small talk or really anything that doesn't progress her towards cultivating her skills.In combat, Remy exercises a balanced stat line, though she leans into being an aggressive physical attacker. Remy's skills tend to be strong, but come with some sort of downside. A notable skill is the Adrenaline Passive, which boosts her avoidance when she's been damaged, but reduces avoidance when she's completely healthy. Other sk…
- Devlog #7: Moving Right Along! - 18 September 2025
Welcome to devlog #7! This is the first update since our Alpha/Beta releases over the last few months! Development is still ongoing at a steady pace, and we'd like to show a couple new characters and announce some new events!Character Reveal: Phinehas TownsendThe first new character in a while, please give a warm welcome to Phinehas Townsend!Phinehas has a unique place in the game's cast, having few ties to other characters and looking to already be on his own journey. He accompanies the gang seemingly on a whim, and keeps his conversations light and impersonal. Though, digging into his past reveals a history of violence, hubris, and loss.Have you ever wanted your magical force to be bulkier? Does Carina keep dying in two hits? Does everyone else keep dying right after that? Phinehas might be able to help. Dedicated to his craft, Phinehas keeps the team alive with a bevy of healing skil…
- Arc 1 Beta and Brand New Demo are live! - 22 August 2025
Arc 1 Beta is Live! For those who backed us last October/November, the Arc 1 Beta is live! You'll be able to play the first 10 chapters of the game! Other players can also try the new free demo! Today, we're releasing the Arc 1 Beta to our backers, as well as massively overhauling the game's demo! The demo features three new chapters, brand new story content, and tons more characters to use! In addition, the game's map graphics have been completely redone with a fresh, HD coat of paint!This is still a beta, so let us know about any errors or bugs that you encounter! For any questions, concerns, etc—do not hesitate to contact us here in the Steam forums, on our community Discord, or via our email ([email protected]).Thank you for your support and your time! With the Arc 1 Beta's release, we're over a third of the way through the game! -Smithy, Hybrid Fiction Games
- Devlog #6: Arc 1 Beta Drops 8/22! - 14 August 2025
Welcome back to another update! This one's smaller, but that's because we're able to announce the release date for the Arc 1 Beta!Arc 1 Beta Drops 8/22!The Arc 1 Beta will be released to backers on 8/22/25! This also means that we will be distributing Steam Keys to backers on that same day.If you qualified for the Alpha, you should have already received your key earlier this year in your Kickstarter inbox. Do note that the Arc 1 Beta will not require a special branch to opt into like the Alpha.In addition, we'll be updating the Steam demo to include the first five chapters of the game, as opposed to the first two.We've included a small preview of Arc 1's story and gameplay below! We've come a long way since the Kickstarter demo, that's for sure! Feedback is Appreciated!For those who will be playing the Beta, we're still looking for feedback! The comments and suggestions from the Alpha h…
- Devlog #5: Alpha and More! - 5 June 2025
Welcome to devlog #5! We're finally at the point where alpha testing is right around the corner! Character Reveal: Grayson Brannigan Before we start the overview, we've got a couple more characters to fully reveal. These characters have been present in previous promotional materials, but we haven't gotten the chance to get to know them yet. Running up the back line is Grayson Brannigan! Grayson takes on a friendly, older brother-like role in the story. He's sociable, easy-going, and is genuinely committed to helping out his comrades. While most of the members of the squad are present out of obligation, Grayson's here on his own accord. His ultimate goal is to reclaim his hometown from Egdel—but are his motives pure, or driven by revenge? Grayson brings a new spin on ranged attackers by utilizing guns in combat. Guns have a range of 2-5 nodes away, more than bows' 2-3 range. However, the…
- Devlog #4: The Audio Update! - 1 May 2025
Welcome to devlog #4! This one is mainly focusing on audio! Alongside getting the game fully functional, we've been in the trenches getting the game's voice acting and audio ready for Arc 1's release. We'd like to preview some of the sounds you'll hear in the game! Character Reveal: Harriet Colbourne But before we jump into covering the audio, holding down the front line—it's Harriet Colbourne! Harriet is about as rigid as it gets. She's stoic, tough, and utterly devoted to Anyta's future. To her, protecting Anyta is a mission, one where failure would be worse than death. It's debatable whether or not Harriet is even capable of relaxing—no one has seen her laugh before. However, sometimes her words carry less bravado than usual. It appears that not even the most durable suit of armor can shield the heart. On the battlefield, Harriet serves as the premier tank in the roster. With strong…
- Devlog #3: New Recruits! - 27 February 2025
Welcome to devlog #3! The game is steadily making progress, though certain things need a bit more time before we show them off. However, we're still hard at work on the game, and we'd like to show some of the upcoming features as we get closer to Arc 1! Character Reveal: Kingsley Armstrong Here comes a new fighter! Kingsley Armstrong is here to fight, improve, and then repeat! Kingsley's a simple man with a simple life, being content in the everyday so long as he pursues his true passion—combat. To him, every fight is a story, with a lesson to be learned. He sees his place in the squad as an opportunity to battle new opponents and gradually better himself through his art. Between skirmishes, Kingsley is a friendly, approachable guy—not a drop of ill intent in his soul. In combat, Kingsley excels in the front line, dealing high damage while being able to take a hit or two. The brawler ge…
- Devlog #2: New Faces! - 9 January 2025
Welcome to devlog #2! Hope everyone had a great winter holiday! Today, we're showing some new characters! Character Reveal: Margo Rheedus Here's a new character that we're formally revealing—Margo Rheedus! She's briefly appeared in some of the trailers and promos, but this is the first time we've talked about her. Despite being drafted like the others, Margo's someone that belongs anywhere other than a battlefield. She's not exactly an intimidating person—anyone can see that just by looking at her. However, she's resigned to giving up on her own ambitions in order to support her family. While combat stresses her out, you won't see her express it much—she's not really that talkative. In combat, Margo brings a lot of support tools to the table. Wielding a bow, she's naturally able to out-range melee enemies. Her starting Command is Siphon Shot, which inflicts the Siphon status condition.…
- DEVLOG #1: Events and Our Future! - 22 November 2024
Here's devlog #1! This one's pretty varied, and there's also some other announcements thrown in, but allow us to shed some light on current developments! Our Tentative Schedule! Here's probably the most important announcement on the list! This is our planned schedule as of right now. These are tentative dates, not set in stone by any means, but with how development is going, this looks like when it's all going to happen. What this means for Arc 1 is that it's going to be finishing development around Q2 2025. Alpha builds will start 1-2 months before the beta is properly released for all backers. Mechanic Spotlight: Aggro (Reworked) During some devlogs, we'll be highlighting some of the game's mechanics and going over any changes that have been made from the demo. We're choosing to talk about Aggro first, since it's received the biggest rework since the demo's release. Aggro was a mechan…
- Campaign Over! Thank you! - 13 November 2024
Everyone, thank you! As of right now, our campaign has reached its conclusion! We raised $20,928 with the help of 316 backers! You can check out our update and overview of our future plans here! 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! 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! -Smithy, Hybrid Fiction Games
- Kickstarter Week 3 — The Victory Lap! - 4 November 2024
Hey everyone, welcome to the end of week 3! We've got just about one more week of this Kickstarter! 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 going to be doing an Ask Me Anything on the r/JRPG Reddit on Wednesday, November 6th starting 9 AM EST! You'll be able to ask us questions about the game alongside othe…
- We're Funded! Thank You! - 1 November 2024
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! -Smithy, Hybrid Fiction Games
- Demo Patch Notes 0.4.0.2 (10/28/24) - 28 October 2024
Thanks for playing Stratagem Lost! We've taken some of the feedback and errors that people have found and implemented solutions! There are some issues that are still being worked on. 0.4.0.2 Fixes/Additions Adjusted auto toggle in novel segments. Auto should not skip or hang for too long on certain voiced lines. Some grammar/typo fixes. Prevented some crashes from lower end users due to shaders being compiled incorrectly. Fixed a bug in which Hazel's Vanish {B} would make enemies unable to be targeted. Known Issues The game might slow down for some lower end players on the Battle Forecast when trying to initiate combat with Hazel or against the boss in Chapter 1, or against the boss in the Challenge Map. They are using color paletted code, which may be touched up in the future for performance reasons. If you're starting the game with a controller plugged in, Steam may or may not receive…
- Kickstarter Week 2 — Over 80% Funded, Almost There! - 28 October 2024
Hey everyone, we're now past week 2 of the Kickstarter campaign! Welcome to week 3! We recently had the pleasure of commissioning DJSATURN to celebrate us getting over 50% funded in less than a week! Since then, we've skyrocketed past 50% to 82% funded! The project is now at about $15,000 funded, with only about $3,000 left! It's no secret that week 2 is usually the slow week for crowdfunding campaigns, so to see this much enthusiasm still is breathtaking! We're confident that we can hit our goals and then some, and it's all thanks to your support! If you haven't already backed our Kickstarter, you can do so here! Like has been said before, thanks for the support on our social medias too! Bluesky in particular has been shown a lot of love—we've already reached over 100 followers! We're nearing our next social goal for New Game+, so you can give us a follow if you want to see that in the…
