Developer Elliot from Worldform just announced Distant Isles, a party-based roguelike that combines turn-based strategy with Age of Discovery exploration. After two years of quiet development, the game made its debut with a trailer and first devlog, revealing a procedurally-generated adventure inspired by classics like Curious Expedition and lesser-known gems that captured the thrill of uncharted territories.
Set in a near-Earth universe during the golden age of maritime exploration, players will command their own party through tropical landscapes filled with ancient shrines, hidden treasures, pirates, and dangers lurking beyond the horizon. The premise is simple but compelling: build a reliable crew, explore procedurally-generated islands, complete quests, and try to survive long enough to tell the tale.
Three Distinct Gameplay Modes
Distant Isles structures its experience around three core modes that flow seamlessly into each other. The Map mode lets you sail around a larger world, choosing which islands to explore and managing your journey across open waters. This strategic layer determines where you go next and what resources you’ll need for the voyage ahead.
The Island mode shifts focus to exploration on foot. Once you land on procedurally-generated terrain, you’ll navigate the environment, encounter various situations, and make decisions about how to proceed. Each island presents unique layouts, challenges, and opportunities for discovery, ensuring no two expeditions feel identical.
Combat mode handles conflicts through turn-based tactical battles. When negotiations fail or danger strikes, you’ll command your party members in strategic encounters where positioning, abilities, and resource management determine whether you survive to continue your adventure or become another cautionary tale.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Developer Elliot openly cites several major influences that shaped Distant Isles. The primary inspiration comes from Curious Expedition, the roguelike expedition simulator that captured the excitement and peril of 19th century exploration. That game’s blend of resource management, procedural storytelling, and permadeath consequences clearly influenced the design philosophy here.
Beyond that foundational inspiration, Distant Isles draws from Caves of Qud’s depth and emergent storytelling, For the King’s party-based mechanics, and Stoneshard’s survival elements. Perhaps most interesting is the mention of Pioneers, a game that never reached full release but left an impression with its incredible atmosphere. Worldform aims to capture that same sense of wonder and discovery.
Party Management Takes Center Stage
Unlike solo adventures where you control a single protagonist, Distant Isles emphasizes building and maintaining a party. You’ll recruit crew members with different skills, personalities, and abilities that complement each other during exploration and combat. The roguelike structure means losing party members carries real weight since permadeath can eliminate valuable team members permanently.
The loyalty system suggests that crew management goes beyond simple stat optimization. Keeping your party happy, fed, and motivated becomes as important as their combat abilities. A disloyal crew member might abandon you at a critical moment or cause internal conflicts that weaken your expedition’s chances of success.
Procedural Generation Creates Unique Stories
Every island you encounter in Distant Isles generates differently, creating unique challenges and opportunities each run. This procedural approach ensures that even veteran players can’t rely on memorized layouts or predetermined solutions. You’ll need to adapt your strategy based on what you find, the resources available, and the composition of your current party.
The combination of procedural generation and emergent storytelling means that your expedition’s narrative unfolds organically through the choices you make and situations you encounter. Will you risk exploring that ancient shrine despite low supplies? Do you trust the mysterious stranger offering information? These decision points create personalized stories that differ dramatically from other players’ experiences.
Age of Discovery Aesthetic
The setting during the Age of Discovery provides a rich backdrop for adventure. Tropical islands with dense jungles, colonial outposts, pirate encounters, and ancient ruins create a world that feels both historically grounded and ripe for fantastical discovery. The near-Earth universe designation suggests some creative liberties with history, allowing for unexpected elements while maintaining the era’s adventurous spirit.
Ships serve as your mobile base between islands, a constant presence that represents both your means of reaching new destinations and your potential escape route when things go wrong. The maritime travel aspect adds another layer of resource management as you balance supplies, crew morale, and the urge to explore just one more island before returning to port.
Two Years in Development
Worldform has spent over two years crafting Distant Isles behind the scenes before making this public announcement. That extended development period suggests a commitment to polish and depth rather than rushing to market with an underdeveloped concept. The developer mentioned aiming to release a tech demo next month, which will allow players to experience the core gameplay loop firsthand.
The tech demo’s purpose is explicit: fine-tuning balance and enhancing polish based on actual player feedback. This approach of releasing a demo before full launch shows confidence in the game’s foundation while acknowledging that real-world playtesting reveals issues no amount of internal development can catch. Players interested in shaping the final product will have opportunities to contribute meaningful feedback.
Building a Community Early
Alongside the trailer and devlog announcement, Worldform opened a Discord server for players interested in following development and participating in the community. This early community building allows dedicated fans to connect with each other and the developer, creating invested ambassadors who will help spread word about the game as it approaches release.
The Steam page is live for wishlists, which serves dual purposes. For players, it provides notifications about demos and release dates. For the developer, wishlist numbers provide valuable data about interest levels and help with visibility when the game eventually launches. Supporting indie developers through wishlists costs nothing but can significantly impact their ability to reach wider audiences.
What Sets It Apart
While Distant Isles clearly draws inspiration from established titles, the combination of influences creates something distinct. The three-mode structure provides variety without fragmenting the experience. The Age of Discovery setting offers refreshing change from fantasy dungeons or space stations that dominate the roguelike genre. The emphasis on party loyalty and management adds social dynamics to what could have been purely mechanical gameplay.
The developer’s willingness to cite specific inspirations, including an unreleased game like Pioneers, demonstrates genuine passion for the genre rather than simply chasing trends. This authenticity often translates into thoughtful design decisions that prioritize player experience over marketability.
FAQs
What is Distant Isles?
Distant Isles is a party-based, turn-based strategy RPG with roguelike elements where you captain a crew exploring procedurally-generated islands during the Age of Discovery. The game features three gameplay modes covering map navigation, island exploration, and tactical combat.
When will Distant Isles be released?
A full release date hasn’t been announced yet, but developer Worldform plans to release a tech demo next month for balance testing and polish refinement. The game has been in development for over two years and recently revealed its first trailer and devlog.
What games inspired Distant Isles?
The primary inspiration is Curious Expedition, with additional influences from Caves of Qud, For the King, Stoneshard, and an unreleased game called Pioneers that impressed the developer with its atmosphere. The combination creates a unique blend of exploration, party management, and tactical combat.
Is Distant Isles single-player or multiplayer?
Based on available information, Distant Isles appears to be designed as a single-player experience where you control an entire party of characters during your expeditions across procedurally-generated islands.
What platforms will Distant Isles release on?
The game is confirmed for PC release through Steam. The developer hasn’t announced plans for console versions, though that could change as development progresses and the game nears completion.
Does Distant Isles have permadeath?
As a roguelike game, Distant Isles features permadeath mechanics where losing party members carries permanent consequences. The procedural generation and permadeath combination ensures each expedition feels meaningful and high-stakes.
How can I follow Distant Isles development?
You can wishlist the game on Steam for updates, join the official Discord community to interact with the developer and other players, or follow Worldform’s development logs which chronicle progress and design decisions throughout the creation process.
Setting Sail Soon
Distant Isles arrives at an interesting moment for the roguelike genre. While the market feels saturated with procedurally-generated experiences, there’s always room for games that understand what made their inspirations special and add their own creative vision. The Age of Discovery setting provides immediate visual and thematic identity, while the party management mechanics promise depth beyond pure combat optimization. With a tech demo launching next month, interested players won’t have to wait long to captain their first crew and discover whether these distant isles hold treasures worth the journey. Sometimes the best adventures are the ones where you don’t know what you’ll find until you get there.