BAFTA-Winning Herobeat Studios Unveils Rewilders: The Lost Spring, a Creature-Collecting Action Roguelite
BAFTA-winning developer Herobeat Studios, best known for its emotional and critically acclaimed 2022 indie title Endling – Extinction Is Forever, has officially announced its next project: Rewilders: The Lost Spring. This marks the studio’s second game and its first self-published title, signaling a bold step forward for the Barcelona-based team.
The announcement was accompanied by a Steam page and a new gameplay reveal trailer, confirming that the title will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. A release window, however, has not yet been shared.
A Fresh Genre Shift With Familiar Narrative Themes
While Endling was a narrative-driven survival adventure that explored ecological destruction and extinction, Rewilders shifts towards a fast-paced action roguelite framework. Despite this shift, the game will still share narrative DNA with its predecessor, with themes of environmental collapse, survival, and renewal running through its story.
Players will step into the role of Abi, who returns to their poisoned and corrupted home planet after surviving a catastrophic event. In their mission to heal and reclaim the planet’s biomes, Abi will collect and command creatures known as Hântu. These companions play a central role in combat, exploration, and strategy.
Core Gameplay and Systems
Herobeat describes Rewilders: The Lost Spring as a “creature collection game” with “metroidvania-like progression” and “Soulslite” combat elements, layered on top of traditional roguelite mechanics.
Key features include:
Creature Collection: Capture and nurture Hântu, each with unique abilities, to aid in combat and exploration.
Roguelite Progression: Permanent upgrades unlocked at a customizable sky base, where players plant and grow resources.
Strategic Builds: Mix different Hântu companions on each run to adapt strategies against corrupted biome threats.
Metroidvania Exploration: Unlock new abilities and paths to push deeper into Abi’s hostile homeworld.
This combination of mechanics places Rewilders in a unique hybrid space, blending inspirations from Pokémon, Hades, and Hollow Knight, while retaining Herobeat’s trademark emotional storytelling.
Herobeat’s debut Endling earned global acclaim, winning multiple awards for its narrative design and environmental themes, including a BAFTA for Game Beyond Entertainment. With Rewilders: The Lost Spring, the studio looks to prove that its storytelling can translate into more expansive and mechanically complex gameplay experiences.
No release date has been revealed, but anticipation is already building for what could become one of the most inventive indie releases in the coming years.
What do you think of Herobeat Studios shifting from narrative survival to action roguelite with Rewilders? Would you play a story-driven roguelite with creature collection mechanics?
