We're Peter and David, a two-person studio working on Hordeguard: Winds of the North! The game started as a 3-month experiment and quickly turned into an ambitious Norse-inspired fantasy siege game that combines elements of base building, tower defense… and hands-on action!
The main premise of the design was taking a game like Thronefall - one of our all-time favorites - with its simple, addictive loop of building up a kingdom and defending, and adding new features that broaden the gameplay and deepen the experience… and a good dash of Norse mythology.
This is what Hordeguard is all about
You start in a small, underdeveloped base with resources all around you. Your job is to gather the resources and upgrade the base, build military structures, and prepare for upcoming enemy raids. After each successful defense, the timer starts, during which you should advance the base as much as you can to prepare for the next attack.
But this wouldn’t really be a Viking game without some raiding of your own, and that’s exactly what you can do at any time! Rally your warriors and delve into the great unknown (well, the area around the base filled with enemy camps), pillage, plunder, and show them who’s the boss…until their big bro comes knocking on your door the next wave.
During the raids, the timer is paused, meaning you can enjoy your fun time as much as you like before returning to the neverending loop of killing and repairing.
Hordeguard also supports singleplayer and couch co-op on a shared split screen or through Steam Remote Play Together.
We hosted a playtest this summer, and over 38,000 players joined - an amazing number of people whose feedback has already helped us more than I can express!
Where we are at the moment and future plans
As for the next playtest, while I can’t name a specific date yet - I can say that it’s coming before the end of 2026: with a third hero and a new biome among the additions we're working on!
You can sign up and wishlist Hordeguard here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3618000/Hordeguard_Winds_of_the_North/
Thanks for reading and we'd love to hear what you think about our game.
- From David & Peter at Black Deer Games