Distant Isles

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• Announcements·29 Aug 2026Official

  Devblog #9 - Feedback and Changes

  Devblog #9 – Feedback and ChangesHello adventurers and welcome to the ninth Devblog for Distant Isles!We've been receiving some really helpful feedback on the Playtest so far, and today I wanted to talk through some of the changes we're making in response.As always, we're really keen to receive more feedback, so please jump into the Playtest and give it a shot!Game SpeedSome clear feedback we've been receiving during the playtest is that the game felt slow. While that can mean a few different things, we tend to agree - it currently takes too long for the player to move to their destination, and combat takes a long time (particularly for an auto-battle).We've rapidly increased movement and turn speeds to account for this (across sailing, islands and combat) and the game feels much more responsive.Using a powder keg to blast away rocks and treesExplorationA key design principle for Distant Isles is that each playthrough must feel like an adventure for the player.A key part of that is exploration, and feedback has reinforced how important exploration is for players, i.e. discovering new scenarios, mysterious locations, and encountering different enemy types.I want to emphasise exploration more, and to do this, I'm investing more time into creating new locations, items, enemies and situations. This will also create new and varied circumstances on multiple playthroughs.Some new locations include Ruins and Witch’s Hovels – be sure to check them out in the new version of the playtest coming soon.Skeles arising from the Ruin to chase youSkillsI also want skills to feel more unique and game-changing, to push the player towards different playstyles. To do that, I’m creating skills that have unique abilities.A good example is the Artist skill – whenever the Artist visits a Lookout or scenic location, they will have the ability to create a painting, which can be traded for at a high‑value with tradersAn amateur painting of a landscapeWrap UpIt has been another busy month of dev...
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• Patch Notes·19 Jul 2026Official

  Dev Blog #8 - Major Playtest Update and Naval Combat

  Devblog #8 – Major Playtest Update and Naval CombatHello adventurers and welcome to the eighth Devblog for Distant Isles!We recently released a major update for the Playtest on Itch, adding a whole lot of new content, quality of life upgrades, balancing and bug fixes.We’ve had great engagement recently on the Playtest, but please make sure you check‑in and give it a shot if you haven’t already, or want to see what’s new.The Playtest is crucial to making Distant Isles a better game, and is your opportunity to influence its direction.This week, I’m going to continue the theme talking about Combat – but I wanted to showcase the recent work I’ve been doing on naval combat.Naval CombatThere are two main types of naval combat – ship‑to‑ship combat (i.e. firing cannons and unleashing broadsides), and boarding combat.I have recently been working on ship‑to‑ship combat and implementing cannon fire.Different types of ships (e.g. Galleys, Brigs, Sloops, Cutters) will have a different combination of equipment slots available. There are three slots in total – the Forecastle, Midship and Quarterdeck.Equipping a cannon in each of these three slots will give you a different cone of fire, i.e. equipping cannons mid‑ship will allow you to fire perpendicularly from both sides of the ship. A cannon equipped on the quarterdeck will allow you to fire backwards.Enemy ships will have cannons equipped in different slots too, and will navigate to allow themselves to fire upon you.If an enemy ship has cannons, it generally will use these in the first instance – however, if their ship becomes too damaged, they make seek to board your ship instead.Boarding works similar to combat on the island – a field of battle will take place on the ship’s deck, and the victor takes the spoils!If your ship is destroyed, or you lose a boarding fight, you will lose your ship (and all its stores) and wash up on the shore of an as yet undiscovered island with only a raft.As you can see the penalty for losing shi...
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• Announcements·21 Jun 2026Official

  Dev Blog #7 - Combat Continued

  Devblog #7 – Combat ContinuedHello adventurers and welcome to our seventh Devblog!The year is flying by and we’re continuing to work on the next big update for the Playtest that is currently available.As always, we’d love any feedback you have on the playtest. And keep an eye out on Itch.io for the update – we’re just ironing out a few bugs and quality of life features (hooray, we now have a Main Menu, with art from the great Raden Saleh!).This week, I’m going to continue talking about Combat – particularly the field of battle, the types of combat, and injuries.Field of BattleThe field of battle (as with the rest of the game) is procedurally generated, so each encounter is different.Each terrain type will also have a different field of battle, with different starting positions (and tactics) so that you have to make interesting decisions about where your party members start and who they target.For example, the screenshot above shows a jungle battle, where your characters are dispersed and the enemies starting near your starting positions.Ships, when undertaking a boarding action (or when you are being boarded) will also have their own fields of battle too!Types of CombatThere are two main types of combat – combat encounters that your party was expecting or initiated, versus. ambushes.An Ambush occurs when your party wasn’t expecting combat, for example if you went to rescue a traveller but were ambushed by pirates.Ambushes are dangerous – they are often harder encounters, and you have limited options for the starting positions for your party members. Your party will also be scattered across the field of battle, making it easy to pick off each party member individually.InjuriesDistant Isles is very much a traditional roguelike, and as such your party members can permanently die.However, when a party member’s health reaches zero in combat, they won’t die straight away – they will incur an injury.5 HP will be restored, and the party member will gain an injury. If that p...
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• Announcements·17 May 2026Official

  Dev Blog #6 - Introduction to Combat

  Devblog #6 – Introduction to CombatHello adventurers, welcome back to our sixth Devblog!I can’t believe we’re halfway through May now. We’re continuing to work on the next big update for the Playtest that is currently available.As always, we’d love any feedback you have on the playtest, as it helps us to make it a better game.Entering CombatWith the preamble aside, this week I want to give you a brief introduction to combat.As you visit and explore the various different islands, you’ll come across a range of enemies. This includes dangerous wildlife such as Borgs, Monkeys, Spindles and Cassowaries. It also includes other adventurers, such as cut-throat Pirates and other crews.Engaging in combat with enemies is a key way to:hunt for food and restore your resilience; andfind valuable equipment and treasure.You will enter combat from the island map, and enemies on each island will chase you if they spot you (and Spindles will even try and catch you in their webs).The Field of CombatCombat works differently to a traditional roguelike, and rather, works more like an auto‑battler.Each party member can have weapons equipped, and before combat commences, you will select which party member will attack what enemy. Weapons (and enemies) have traits that make them stronger or weaker against particular enemy types, for example:Backstabbing attacks do an extra 50% damage if the opponent is surrounded by an allyPiercing attacks cannot be blocked by the opponentSlowing attacks, such as those from bows, will slow the movement speed of an opponent (even if the shot doesn’t land)Enemies will also have different tactics – for example, young Monkeys will attack your ranged party members first, and Spindles will spit webs that stop you from attacking!Overall, these systems work together to make combat challenging and fun, without being too micro-intensive.Wrap UpBig thanks to you if you made it this far, and have enjoyed our monthly Devblogs. I can’t wait to show you what’s in store in t...
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• Announcements·19 Apr 2026Official

  Dev Blog #5 - Your Party

  Devblog #5 – Your PartyHello adventurers, welcome back for our fifth Devblog!We’re halfway through April, and we’ve been busy focusing on our next content update for the free Playtest that is currently available.We’ve made a number of balancing changes in line with feedback, and are hoping that a content drop and update will bring some more players to the playtest. The playtest is absolutely crucial to us ensuring Distant Isles can be the best game that it can – so if you’re reading this, please jump in and give us some feedback!Party MembersThis week I wanted to give you an insight into your party, which is a key part of gameplay.As you visit and explore the Distant Isles, you’ll pick up party members along the way – hiring them from towns; finding them in the wilderness; or rescuing them from captivity.You can have up to four members in your party, including your party leader that you will create at the start of the game.Each party member will have unique traits and skills (see below for further detail), as well as a nationality from one of the four great seafaring nations of the world:Bretan: A seafaring and industrious nation, Bretans can learn a vast array of skills and talents. Considered 'all-rounders', the people of this nation have no particular strengths or weaknesses.Hispania: Known for their martial capabilities, the people of Hispania are honed in battle and combat. The people of this nation have increased increased combat stats (weapon accuracy, block and critical hit chances), but lower base resilience and 1 inventory slot.Ming: The people of Ming are peaceful and skilled travellers who live off the land. The people of this nation have increased Sight and Geography, and can travel across Rough Terrain better; but lower health and combat stats.Konga: A hardy folk hailing from the rich jungles of Konga, these people are strong and healthy. The people of this nation can navigate Jungle Terrain more easily, have increased health and 3 inventory slots; but...
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