Song of Iron, a side-scroller action-adventure game with striking visuals, is a debut indie game being made by a single developer, Joe Winter. Song of Iron was shown at Xbox's Summer Showcase in 2020, but the developer has publicly shared development progress on a number of channels and sites online since.
Recently, Steam rebranded its Steam Game Festival to Steam Next Fest. The event, which runs between June 16 and June 22, provides exposure to developers in livestreams as well as shares hundreds of demos for upcoming games. Fans who may have been tracking Song of Iron's development progress may find many reasons to be excited for Song of Iron, including a new demo that is being released soon.
Winter has since shared that Song of Iron will indeed be appearing at Steam's Next Fest. Song of Iron has received previous demos, but this week's Steam Next Fest demo includes gameplay from previous demos as well as the introduction to the game itself. A clip from the demo depicts the protagonist fending off assailants in a shallow body of water. Winter also announces that the marketing for Song of Iron is complete, which may be one of a few hints that the developer is close to announcing a release date.
Song of Iron's combat is attributed to an axe, shield, and bow, with many attack combinations and mechanics for players to manage varying enemy types. Command grab parries can be performed, as well as a leaping dropkick that knocks enemies onto their backs. Song of Iron's characters and enemies appear silhouetted in the foreground, with realistic landscape backgrounds behind them that showcase impressive lighting.
Certain lighting effects such as natural lighting or fire sconces may illuminate characters and environments in the foreground. Other character interactions in Song of Iron include scaling sheer ice surfaces or pushing objects to open access to new areas. More of Song of Iron will be shown during Steam Next Fest's demo, and perhaps more about its narrative will be unveiled. So far, the game's narrative is a mystery that is seemingly inspired by Norse folklore and fantasy elements.
Song of Iron's demo will only be available on PC, which makes sense because it is appearing at Steam's Next Fest. However, even without a current release date, Winter has stated that development is "heads down getting to launch" and might be suggesting that a release date is closer than fans think.
Song of Iron is currently scheduled to release on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2021.