The Kojiki Have Landed!

Fateless has dropped another exciting behind-the-scenes look at the world of Godforge, and it’s packed with juicy updates. From spooky new hero concepts and clever rig customization to major mobile performance boosts and backend improvements, this dev update shows just how far the game is pushing toward an epic beta release. If you’re hyped for Godforge, this is the kind of deep-dive you won’t want to miss.

Let’s take a closer look at what Simon and the team have been cooking up behind the scenes.

Simon kicks things off by revealing Onryo, a rare hero from the mysterious Kojiki faction. Inspired by eerie horror vibes (think The Ring), Onryo immediately stands out with her haunting design, elongated claws, cold expression, and an elegantly eerie robe that radiates supernatural power.

Despite being a rare hero, Onryo’s visual design rivals legendary units. It’s a testament to how much love and detail the team is pouring into each character, regardless of rarity. From the layered textures to her cold, tilted gaze, Onryo is shaping up to be a fan favorite.

Next up is Ashigaru, a common hero also hailing from the Kojiki faction. While he may be lower on the rarity scale, Ashigaru is pivotal in showcasing a new direction for Godforge, body type diversity.

Simon explains how the team moved away from the overly shredded default rig, opting instead for a more grounded, realistic body shape. Thanks to flexible rigging systems, they can now tweak proportions while maintaining animation compatibility. This lets the team craft visually distinct characters without breaking the pipeline, a big win for both performance and immersion.

The clever use of kitbashing (reusing and retexturing elements from other characters) allows Fateless to stretch their resources without sacrificing uniqueness. These aren’t lazy reskins; they’re smart, stylized adaptations that feel fresh and original.

One of the most fascinating points in the video is how a single rig can be used to create drastically different characters. Simon shares a quick demo from artist Dane showing how the same underlying skeleton can support vastly different silhouettes, from aliens to ogres. It’s a smart, scalable system that reinforces the game’s commitment to character variety.

This approach gives the team massive creative freedom while still staying efficient, perfect for a live service game with frequent content drops.

Creature lovers, rejoice! The creature Cait Sith is in early sculpting stages, led by the insanely talented Mikiella. Even at this block-out stage, you can see the design language starting to form. It’s wild, it’s weird, and it’s going to be something special. The creature design pipeline is where the team’s creativity truly shines, blending folklore, imagination, and technical expertise into something magical.

The spotlight then shifts to Volkodlak, a rare hero from the upcoming Slavic-inspired faction. Described as a shapeshifter or werewolf-like brawler associated with chaos and fear, Volkodlak prowls the shadows, designed to unsettle and dominate.

From concept mood boards to early 3D renders, the process showcases the intricate thought behind his design. The team plays with jacketed versus bare concepts, experiments with dramatic overbites, and cleverly kitbashes materials like Dracula’s cape or Viking trousers to bring this character to life. It’s raw, gritty, and oozing with Slavic mythological flair.

One of the most exciting transformations shown in the video is the 3D realization of Seeress, a rare Norse faction hero. Originally revealed as a striking 2D concept, Seeress has now been modeled in full 3D, and she looks stunning.

Her final design uses elements recycled from other heroes, like crystals from Hel and bones from Artemis, without ever feeling cobbled together. It’s another perfect example of smart asset reuse done right. Simon was so impressed he even floated the idea of making her a starter hero—she’s that good.

Now let’s talk maps. Fateless has dubbed one of its latest environments “The Beautiful Corner,” and it’s easy to see why. This map, designed for the Kojiki campaign zone, oozes atmosphere: swirling mist, falling petals, and glowing lava all combine to create a mood that perfectly matches the Kojiki aesthetic.

But it’s not just eye candy. Performance-wise, the team has worked wonders. What was once an FPS-killing map has now been optimized to run on older mobile devices without losing its magic. That’s no small feat, especially for a game this visually rich.

The final stretch of the video dives into some backend updates that are quietly but crucially pushing Godforge closer to beta:

• Real skill systems are now in place (no more fake placeholders).
• Character upgrades and duplicate tracking now function as they will in live builds.
• Sorting tools are operational, though filtering is still in progress.
• iOS testing via TestFlight is underway. Simon even played the game on his personal iPhone!

Oh, and while the current build is buggy in places (including one hilarious teleport fail), that’s exactly what this closed alpha stage is for, ironing out the kinks so players have a polished experience come beta.

This dev update is more than just a visual treat, it’s a clear signal that Godforge is maturing fast. From stunning hero designs and clever rigging systems to meaningful mobile optimizations and beta-ready backend improvements, everything is aligning for a strong beta release.

The “year of Godforge” is just around the corner, and if this update is any indication, it’s going to be one hell of a ride.