Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗South of the March
Small Gray Games · Published by Small Gray Games · Official site ↗
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
South of the March is an RPG that combines visual novel exploration with turn-based combat in a hand-drawn dark fantasy world. Meet the locals and unravel a mystery, equip your party for the dangers ahead, and set out into the unforgiving wilderness.
Adventure, RPG · More free games
About this game
Gemma and Cyrus, a pair of mercenaries and long-time friends, take on a contract in a work-stopped lumber camp. The laborers are afraid, armed bandits are staking their territory just across the river, and there are rumors of something unnatural deep in the woods beyond. The duo have seen chaos and violence in their lives, but their time south of The March threatens to show them new kinds of danger in the dark fantasy world of Eadmore.
MEET WITH THE LOCALS
Friendly or not, everybody has plenty to say. Meet a wide array of characters as you unravel the mystery of your contract, each with their own conflicting motivations and stories to tell. Some are helpful and eager, some may not have your best interests in mind, and some just don't want to be at work.
READY YOUR PARTY
In true party-based RPG fashion, Gemma and Cyrus need to prepare for the dangers of the forest beyond the camp. Buy and sell consumables, upgrade gear, and equip your party with all the items they need to survive.
FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES
Lead your party into combat in a JRPG-style turn-based battle system. Fight and defend, use combat skills both learned and equipped, and stave off all sorts of grievous ailments with the items you collect. With every battle, your party grows stronger, their pockets heavy with a few more coins, and maybe even a bit of loot to sell.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Engrossing Story: 3-6 hours of gameplay, depending on what you choose to do.
Hand-Drawn Art: All UI and illustrations are rendered in rich, pen-and-ink-style hand-drawn art.
Story-Rich Sidequests: Multi-part optional sidequests let you explore secondary characters, meet new friends and foes, and dive deeper into Gemma, Cyrus, and the world of Eadmore in general.
20+ Unique Enemies: Do battle with the enemies you make as you work your contract, as well as the surly bandits, wild beasts, and creatures touched by the Old Gods you encounter out in the wilderness.
Critical & Stress Mechanics: Visible upcoming critical turns allow you to maximize attacks and plan your defenses, while the attrition of stress will gradually wear your party down without intervention.
Customizable Equipment & Skills: Equipped items influence both character stats and usable skills.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS: Windows 10 or higher.
- Processor: 2.0 Ghz 64-bit Intel-compatible
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: OpenGL 3.0 or DirectX 11
- Storage: 205 MB available space
Supported Languages
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
South of the March Demo Version 0.1.4
Version 0.1.4 of the South of the March demo has been released!This one has a ton of small updates: small UI and quality of life things, a few requested fixes like an "exit to desktop" option and a way to revisit gameplay tutorials, additional clickable areas and hover styles for mouse controls, and lots more.Major UpdatesThe first updates most players will probably notice are a few UI additions:Dialogue and Event ("Look at \") buttons now fade when there's nothing new to hear or seeStatus effects in battle now show a timer for turns remainingEnemies in battle have letter identifiers tying them to the position in the turn orderBy far the biggest update is for the self-voicing system, which is completely overhauled in this version. It has a new control scheme that should be easier to manage, makes it easier to systematically read through text on the page that was previously somewhat buried, and divides up larger lists of text into navigable sections so players can control their own reading pace.Full details are on the blog, but in short:Patch Notes (v0.1.4)Full self-voicing overhaul to use global shift and arrow key navigationAdd UI visual cues for self-voicing-only sectionsImprove self-voicing readout on settings pageAdd self-voicing control instruction at the end of each text pageChange self-voicing UI marker to match other UI stylesChange battle speed gamepad control to avoid conflicting with self-voicing controlsPrevent self-voicing from reading formatting tagsFade buttons when dialogue is exhausted or event has been viewedAdd "turns remaining" countdown timers to status effects in battleAdd letter differentiators to repeat enemies (and their turn orders) in battleExpand Big/Bigger text size settings to apply almost everywhereAdd first time setup before loading the main menu for the first timeMove some options from new game setup to first time setupTie difficulty to individual saves, rather than game-wideAdd more intuitive unmarked spots to act as "back" controls...Read full article on Community Announcements (smallgraygames)Patch NotesOfficial
Demo Version 0.1.3 Update
Version 0.1.3 of the South of the March demo has been released!This one has a bunch of bug fixes, a couple fairly critical, plus some reworking of accessible control instructions. Full details are on the blog, but in short:Separate basic controls and self-voicing controls for ease of readabilityAdd entry-by-entry scrolling for self-voicing controlsAdd control overviews (basic and self-voicing) to system menuFix bug with map nodes being mouse clickable outside of the map screenFix bug when mixing keyboard and mouse on deselected camp or quest confirmsFix bug when navigating up or down with mouse selected on equipment upgradesFix inn rest crashAdd failsafe in case of menu lockups when spamming keysPrevent menu from being opened during some interstitial periods (resting, end of battle)Change control menu styling to match settingsRead full article on Community Announcements (smallgraygames)Patch NotesOfficial
Demo Version 0.1.2 Update
Version 0.1.2 of the South of the March demo has been released! This one has a bunch of bug fixes based on feedback and internal testing, plus a couple of new features. You can find an overview of the new stuff and more details on the blog, but in short:Patch Notes (v0.1.2)Add auto-save system to avoid lost progress or difficulty wallsInclude player/enemy icons on status info popoverFix escape key in battle to only open "return to menu" modal when no submenus are openFix "Current Location" marker when loading in sub-mapsFix bug where level up stats reflect player statuses active at battle endFix menu stress display to percentage to match battle displayFix nav click-through bug around character portraits with mouse controlsFix mouse control issue when clicking empty skill/item slotsAdd better self-voicing readout for save and loadRemove some unused assets to reduce project sizeRead full article on Community Announcements (smallgraygames)
