Mirthwood, the debut title from Bad Ridge Games, merges genres like RPGs, life sims, and farm sims into a medieval sandbox experience. Created by a two-person team based in Seattle, USA, Mirthwood represents a creative and personal journey for its developers, long-time friends Brian Hecox and Daron Otis. “We’ve known each other since kindergarten, but weren’t quite ready to start a studio back then,” jokes Otis. “Fast forward a bit and we thought we’d try something we had been talking about for a few years; making a game. We worked on Mirthwood part-part time for about two years before starting Bad Ridge Games in 2022.”
Inspired by classics like Fable, Stardew Valley, and The Sims, the team looked for a way to innovate within a crowded market. “We knew the farm sim market was saturated, but still very popular,” Otis explains. Their approach was to mix familiar mechanics with something fresh: “What we hadn’t seen attempted at the time, was mixing the genre with something darker, and more adventurous. So the idea of exploring and questing in a darker medieval world, then settling back in at the homestead, was what appealed to us. The darker tone and artstyle are probably what make Mirthwood most unique at present.”
Mirthwood’s distinct art style can best be described as a dark, storybook aesthetic, which emerged from Otis’ experimentation. “All I knew was that I wanted something painterly and unique, and not necessarily more pixel art, which we love by the way,” he says. Learning to draw specifically for the game, he refined the style over time. “The style came together slowly in early development and was refined as time went on.”
Laser focus
The homestead-building mechanic stands out as one of the highlights for the two-man dev team. “Seeing players use the tools on offer to make something unique and beautiful, it’s hard to top,” Otis shares. However, he hints at more to come: “Some really fun features are around the corner, and we’re excited for folks to dive into new corners of Mirthwood in the weeks and months ahead.”
As a small team, efficiency became a critical concern. “The hardest part of the process has been figuring out how to maximize efficiency, versus simply ‘working hard,’” Otis admits. “Consolidating, organizing, and concentrating on one thing at a time will get you toward your goals faster and cleaner.” Managing scope was another major lesson. “Gauging the speed at which you can design, implement, and test features is challenging without much previous experience. Laser focus is really required to avoid scope creep and to give your core features the time and attention they deserve,” he says.
The journey of Mirthwood was made possible by signing with a publisher. “We were fortunate to partner with V Publishing, who have been tremendous supporters over the duration of the project,” says Otis. While the team contributed to a few trailers, marketing was largely handled by V Publishing, allowing the developers to focus on the game itself.
Mirthwood is out now on Steam.