Hey everyone!

We’ve just released a teaser for our upcoming Open Playtest — take a look and let us know what you think! We’ve been working non-stop on this build — all our free time outside of our main jobs is going into getting it ready.

Our Plans

— Open Playtest launches in late April

— Closed Playtest starts one week earlier (you can already sign up!)

— From April 13 to May 11, we’ll participate in four festivals, including Steam Deckbuilders Fest

What’s Coming in the New Version

— New Region: PrologueThe game now starts from the very beginning of the story, not the middle.
More onboarding, clearer context, and a stronger narrative foundation.

You’ll finally see how Armita — a 9-year-old girl — and her robot ended up surviving in the Barrens.

— Gameplay Improvements (subject to change)
• New UI for story events and travel — cleaner, more modern, more animated
• Dynamic squad icon on the map depending on your current character
• Tutorial system — contextual hints + in-game help section
• Combat updates — more battle backgrounds + moving “chase” battles
• Humanity system UI — a new widget reflecting Armita’s state (mood, body, mind, values)

— New Content
• ~30 narrative and random events with branching and consequences
• New enemies — machines, robots, mutants
• New characters

— Controller Support
Not ready for this version — but coming later.

— Art Update
We used some AI placeholder art early in development.
By mid-April, we plan to fully replace it — three illustrators are already working on it.

Wishlist / Sign up for the playtest:

https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/app/4302760/Armitas_Search/

Stay tuned — more updates soon!

We have some great news — Armita’s Search has passed 1,000 wishlists!!

Thank you to every single one of you. For a small indie team, this isn’t just a number — it’s a sign that our shared journey across the Barrens has a real chance to succeed.

We see your interest, read your comments, and notice every new wishlist. Your support means a lot to us and gives us the energy to keep going. Thank you for that!

Starting in February, we’re moving into active development of the game’s prologue — the first region, where Armita’s journey truly begins. This is where she steps into the Barrens for the first time and meets the first members of her team — the Stalker and the Driver.

Those of you who played the prototype experienced a story from the middle, starting in Region 4. It was a bit like opening a book halfway through — not enough context or cause-and-effect.

We’re fixing that now and starting from the very beginning.

At the same time, we’re fully implementing the new UI, building a proper tutorial (instead of a single image like in the prototype :')), and preparing the game for a playtest.

Our goal is to showcase the Armita’s Search prologue at Steam Deckbuilders Fest 2026, which starts on May 4. We’ve already submitted our application and are doing our best to prepare a solid version in time.

It won’t be easy — we don’t have a publisher yet, and development happens in our free time alongside full-time jobs. But we’ll make it — and a big part of that is thanks to you.

Thank you for being with us.

Stay close — surviving the Barrens is easier together.

— the Raiders World team 💛