DwarfHeim, a fantasy real-time strategy game, is unique in its concept among its peers. Traditionally thought of and actualized as a single player experience, this genre of game typically has a player scrambling for resources, engaging hordes of enemies and making quick meaningful decisions, alone.
This game however, wants players to experience this as a team, and at no extra charge to two out of a possible 3 players, as the developers announced on Twitter. Developer Pineleaf Studio is giving the gift of playing together with friends for free, this holiday season.
In a generous and savvy move, Pineleaf Studio will grant any player who has purchased a copy of the game a Friend Pass. As elaborated on its Steam page, this enables the paying customer to invite two friends who don't own the game to play the co-op mode, Survival, together and completely free of charge. This feature has been implemented and is currently live.
This is an incredibly well-timed gesture, both for the holidays and for the current global climate. As people are looking to game socially now more than seemingly ever, removing the cost of entry is a very enticing way to get players to try a game together who otherwise wouldn't or couldn't. By removing the cost of entry, this indie game is now accessible to anyone who has a friend that already owns a copy.
With generally positive reviews, a fun art style, and 3 classes of Dwarf to choose from, it is not a far fetched conclusion to think that many people who try to avenge the once mighty mountain of Agartha for free will end up paying the money to stay. It will be interesting going forward, to see if DwarfHeim's player base continues to grow, as friends form clans and take on the challenge this RTS has to offer.
DwarfHeim is available in early access on PC via Steam.