- What does it take to scare a villain-loving dev team? - 10 September 2026
Villainville post-open playtest has had a busy development month! In fact, it was both exhilarating and terrifying. The exhilarating bits included:Creating crop stages for the MUSHROOMs the PC will get to forage, buy, and grow. This was so much fun and looks so good we’re having to physically restrain ourselves from sharing gifs. Instead, we’ll taunt you with this shadow outline–which is appropriate, since this is what players will see in their collection journal before they’ve discovered various mushrooms, fruits, produce, etc. Note: all of these shrooms can be grown in the player's garden!(the UI and head's up display shown here is transitioning to its new look--sneak peek ftw!)More exhilarating bits:Paper planning the all NEW demo--to be revealed in an upcoming festival!Diagramming the game’s new levels (so. much. fun.)More than doubling the game-ready 3D models of bugs and small fae…
- Villainville Playtest is Closed! - 1 August 2026
It's with all kinds of emotions that we announce that the open playtest has closed.Despite knowing this is for the best and necessary for the game's goals, I still find it a little sad. We weren't quite sure what to expect when we decided to offer Villainville's alpha prototype in an open playtest, but the response has been SO positive and helpful! From a development perspective, here are a few thoughts on what playtesting has done for our tiny development team:Encouragement to keep going. Game development is a marathon and playtesters are the people cheering us devs on and passing out cups of water to keep us from falling on our face! General metrics--like whether an NPC can be easily found or if players are don't enjoy them, and if the players are getting stuck on a confusing new mechanic A spotlight on the bugs. If developing a game were a garden, players would be the friend who lift…
- Nothing to see here but a winged bunny! - 22 July 2026
This update is all about the bugs. Most of these were shared by playtesters, so many thanks to all of you with your sharp eyes and dedication! Issues we fixed in this update:Fix locations so George and Crim aren’t in same fishing spot 'WickedStepmother' Whack a Mole winner name doesn’t fit in UI spaceUI inventory text is hidden on Steamdeck Dropped tree items are hidden in hill near Whack a MoleCarrot (and beet) juice are not giftable Tree drops in graveyard are landing beyond the world collider If raining, hoed ground should go immediately to show as wateredHeebie-Jeebie meter should refill with a full night (six hours) sleepSeed type icon not showing on seed bag in player equipped item slot in lower left cornerWhen using copper watering canIf three garden squares are selected and one is not tilled, watering will turn it into tilled landOne square in the garden plot will not highlight…
- Mystery Peppers--and WARNING that the playtest will be closing! - 6 July 2026
This update includes the much anticipate first tool upgrade, with the rusty watering can moving to copper so you can water more than one garden square at a time. Because life's too short, and anyway, isn't most of the world in a drought? We gotta get this done!We've also cleaned up functional bugs in the garden, UI, and weather, and tweaked minor features and NPC schedules, plus added a new quest from Witch Vee where the PC grows a random bag of mystery pepper seeds to see what they get. The magic of the island gets bored and needs to have some random odds to toy with--otherwise it gets into trouble. Our mystery pepper colors were meant to be a minor thing but--like Batwing's magic and like Villainville itself--they took on a life of their own. There are two you can't get without using the mystery bags. Let us know which is your favorite color--the devs are divided! Finally--these are t…
- Finally finally a pleasant well-behaved inventory! - 17 June 2026
We hurried this update out because we know how much everyone has been waiting for a new layout to the inventory window. The first fix is done and looks so clean! We'll test this for a bit and then make other UI changes (such as to the shipping bin) once we're sure we like this setup.Since Crim, our baby dragon, was one of the first handful of characters we created it feels appropriate that he's getting his first two heart events with this update! A bit of a celebratory round, you might say.Other additions:--Goldie shows up on day 3 and introduces the player to the bonus drops you can get from chopping trees. Her first mate, Locke, is ridiculous as always.--We've moved both the Fiend and Witch Vee to reflect the new way the player comes to the island. Let us know if you like the change!--Minor fixes, such as fixing a location snag Crim and George had and getting rid of a rare bug that co…
- Trees now a variety and give random drops--including amber! - 10 June 2026
***news: the dev team has finally at long last successfully acquired a Steam Deck!***Playtesting to get Steam Deck certified has commenced. The first significant change was implementing a UI icon which shows which button to push, instead of the old ‘push A, or was that X’ system. Huge change to quality of play! More Steam Deck streamlining coming, including a big overhaul that will decrease load times and make for smoother running. If you've got a Steam Deck, jump into the open playtest and tell us what else needs fixing! What’s new in this update?Remember Captain Goldie and her flying pirate ship? Or is the confusion charm still too strong? Well, she's showing up now to enlist the player character's help in getting First Mate Locke the calcium he needs...cause dancing skeletons have to keep up their strength! This quest introduces the NEW feature of random tree drops, which offer eggsh…
- New Intro to Villainville's Batwing Island - 25 May 2026
What if Goldilocks from the Three Bears story grew up to become captain of her own flying pirate ship? Wouldn’t she be the perfect person to very quietly smuggle an on-the-run player character and deliver them safely to their new home? Perhaps…but perhaps not. After all, Goldilocks’ story doesn’t highlight a girl with much by way of subtlety. She’s known quite a bit more for being brash.This update of Villainville's playtest flips the player’s entrance to the island around and really improves the flow, with a chance to meet Captain Goldie (before the grand beginning with customization--still in development) being a nice bonus. We’ve also added 2 heart events each for Beast and Jillene–just so you know you’re getting an actual update and not just bug fixes. ;) Many, many thanks to players who’re giving us invaluable feedback! Please fill out the forms and tell us how it’s going for you!G…
- Making Money Hammer Over Mole - 12 March 2026
Villainville is getting a story glow up, and this update is the first look! Talk to Tuck and see what jokes he has, and don't let Warden Pete's attitude keep you from doing his quests. He's the key to our lovely new (and addictive) Whack a Mole mini game!Many many bug fixes went on behind the scenes with this dev cycle, which will keep things rolling smoothly going forward. The team is excited for the new characters, quests, and story content coming! Please share with your friends, post on reddit, and wishlist! The more visibility Villainville gets the more game we can make!
- Don't Get Locked Out! - 20 January 2026
New content and gameplay in the fall-focused open playtest! Story updates and quests have been added--with lots more coming! First up, you need to talk to the head fiend (the one who introduces you to Batwing Island) in order to get a key to your house.Muffy gives you a quest to go bunne hunting and see the cute little magic bunnes! You can mess with them a bit and in a later update can give them treats. In this update you'll pick up angora fur as a drop. Spinning cloth will come soon! --for your amusement, the number of bunnes we FIRST instantiated...bug has been fixed--Misery mushrooms are FINALLY in the playtest! We know you've been anticipating them. In this update they're tiny little clusters of fire worts barely worthy of a scare but the big boys will be added soon. Enjoy!
- Anybody Want Some Treasure? - 11 December 2025
A month into our rolling open playtest, and we've packed this latest update with new features!Pretend you're big and green and like to smash--preferably a big green dragon* starting their hoard!Follow our first ever quest chain as the cute and impassioned Witch Maub trades a nearly-complete treasure map for green bones from the graveyard, and the adorkable Jillene offers up a dispel potionHunt down hidden pirate loot and complete your treasure map to access a secret pirate alchemy dungeonUse your new key to discover the secret magic lab beneath the player's houseWhip up the dozens of new recipes--and hit up the working watermill when you need more flour Plus more, because every time the devs give one character a starring role, someone else demands their turn. :D Come play with us! More updates coming soon! * What green and smash-loving monster were you thinking of?
- Playtest and stream Villainville for Halloween! - 24 October 2025
Villainville's first ever playtest is live and getting regular updates! We're fixing bugs as they come in and also adding content. Since we're in Steam's Scream Fest, expect to see new quests and NPCs added every couple days, and tell us what your favorite is. Some like grave robbing, others prefer springing George from the mummy trap. Which way do you fall?
- Villainville's First Update is Here - 7 August 2025
This update includes a top-down approach to the movement and interactions of most (nearly all) Villainville's NPCs and creatures, whether they be classified as friendly now, friendly maybe, or friendly never. These little dusky jellops live in the graveyard close to the PC's house and are highly protective of the mysterious tomb there. The dusky jellops will be included in the playtest dropping in the next month, for the PC to interact with and try to befriend. Better watch out! They may be small, but they have a mighty bounce! (post-processing not applied, lighting pre-alpha)
