Hello! I’m one of the lead developers of Rewilders: The Lost Spring. Some of you may be familiar with our previous game, Endling — Extinction is Forever. Today we wish to share with you more about the story in Rewilders: The Lost Spring and Abi’s precious Hântu. This is the heart of our game so let’s learn together some more. Are you ready to see the never-before-seen trailer?
As you saw in the trailer, our game is rooted in the core idea of transforming the world. Rewilders: The Lost Spring is an action roguelite that invites you to openly explore an original world where ecological devastation has taken hold of the landscape and Abi’s family, our protagonist. By collecting creatures known as Hântu, as well as resources from the plagued area she once called home, she must build skills, craft upgrades, and battle the evil to save her homelands and restore her family to their rightful place, together and thriving.
The core gameplay consists of Abi returning to the surface from her airship to fight off the recurring resurgence of enemies and environmental harm. As she progresses in any direction she wishes, she will unlock areas to drop into, and through story progression like Metroidvanias, gain new traversal abilities that make those commutes shorter, even more interesting when she discovers secrets along the way. Returning to the airship is optional for replenishment, requipping, and reworking Hântu selections, yet it becomes inevitable if she falls in battle. Thankfully, she has a friend to help bring her back and prepare her for the next run.
What is a Hântu? How do you pronounce it?
It’s pronounced like a certain smuggler from a galaxy far, far away with a furry companion, plus the number two: Han (Solo), two, almost like “one, two”, actually!
These Hântu are the creatures that Abi will meet and recruit to her cause while venturing into the five different biomes within her home. They are unique in their appearance, like flying and frog-like Keto, and pointy yet cuddly Hornsby, and in their abilities, even how they interact with each other. Every Hântu has an active and passive benefit when collected and selected in a run by Abi, that she can then level-up, further buff them with upgrades, and harmonize the airship’s ability to support the team.
The Hântu can be combined in ways that prioritize certain skills or protections, allowing you to choose multiple facets when approaching a specific biome, boss, or objective. Which Hântu she discovers is randomized every run, though they tend to stay in their preferred biomes. Abi can also grow her roster as she elevates her abilities.
The Heart of a Hântu
These courageous creatures are part of the ecosystems of Abi’s world, each playing an important part in their surroundings, much like our own Earth and the animals, insects, etc. that inhabit it. Those who played Endling — Extinction is Forever know that we care deeply about our planet, so it may not surprise you that we took inspiration from nature with this game as well. Of course, this is a fictional world so we had much fun combining appearances, behaviours, and abilities.
These allies may seem adorable, but looks can be deceiving! Like the honey badger in the real world, it may seem fuzzy and friendly, but we know it’s one of the most capable animals when threatened against a variety of predators or competitors.
Similarly, our Hântu have striking power, such as rooting a Moogler in place to stop it cold, or throwing a poison trap that detonates for severe AOE damage, that can lock down dangerous enemies and clear clustered threats fast. Strategy comes into effect as you discover the distinct biomes, the enemies and their strengths/weaknesses, plus the many options to maximize Hântu like buffs or compliment their own combat playstyles.
The Hântu are grateful to have Abi rescue them, and she’s eager to restore their home. Together, they share a dream of restoring the world along with Abi’s family, just as the Hântu want to be reunited with each other! There are so many types to introduce players to. Our playtesters have met six of them so far, but we can share that the current plan is to have all 16 available in time for launch. Ultimately, it will take the power of friendship and caring to get to our goals, whether it’s Abi and the Hântu saving their homes and families, or a gaming community coming together to bring a new indie roguelite with exploration, creature collecting, emotional story and a little Metroidvania mixed in, to life.
So we’re inviting you to join our communities on Discord, X (formerly Twitter), BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and especially to look forward to seeing you on Xbox in 2027.
