Surely you've played Pokémon at least once and thought: "What if I could ride my monster, explore an endless world, and fight gods along the way?"
Wildaria is an upcoming action-adventure RPG from SpaceFudge that combines capturing and training animals, exploring a procedurally generated world, and fast-paced action combat. The game is set to enter Early Access in September 2026, and there is already a free pre-alpha demo available on Steam.
The main part of the gameplay revolves around taming animals and monsters. Players can capture over 40 different creatures using a lasso mini-game, develop them through combat, and turn them into "friends" that can be ridden or used in battle. Each pet has its own elemental abilities that can assist during exploration and combat against enemies.
A significant focus is also placed on exploration. Wildaria uses procedural generation to create an almost infinite fantasy world filled with various biomes, villages, dungeons, and hidden secrets. According to the developer, curiosity is often rewarded here, so true explorers might discover secrets that only they will see.
In addition to animals, players will be able to create their own character by choosing from five fantasy races and developing abilities through a class-based skill tree. Combat relies on quick evasion of attacks, different types of weapons, and a mana system that allows for the use of more powerful abilities.
For players who enjoy challenges, there are procedural dungeons, large boss fights, and quests for better loot. And if you have some time left after saving or destroying the world, you can always trade with NPCs or play Trailsweeper, a fantasy version of Minesweeper. A game within a game - where will you do better.
What’s particularly interesting is that Wildaria is being developed by just one person. Solo developer SpaceFudge has been working on the project for over five years, and development has largely been driven by community feedback through Discord, playtests, and surveys.
If you enjoy games like Pokémon, Monster Hunter, Core Keeper, or Terraria, Wildaria looks like a project worth following. After all, it’s not every day that a game asks you whether you want to save nature or go hunting for divine creatures.
