Faraway Lands: Rise of Yokai — everything we know
Faraway Lands: Rise of Yokai is a side-view base-building and survival game — a pixel-art colony sim — set in mystical feudal Japan, from solo developer Ufuk Yurtman (MythEgg Studios). By day you build a lively village up a mountainside as a newly appointed lord, gather resources and manage your people; by night you defend the town against the Yokai lurking in the dark. A free demo is playable on Steam — but there’s no release date yet, and Steam lists it as "Coming soon." This page gathers every confirmed detail in one place and updates as news drops.
Official gameplay trailer
Where things stand
Faraway Lands news and updates
Faraway Lands: Rise of Yokai screenshots
Screenshots via the game’s Steam store page · © their respective rights holders.
What’s confirmed about Faraway Lands
Here’s everything the developer has shown so far, starting with the core loop and moving out to the individual systems — the setting, the day/night rhythm, defence, exploration and customisation — with the one big open question, a release date, flagged at the end.
10
Languages
Solo
Developer
Demo
Playable now
TBA
Release date
The core loop — build by day, defend by night
You take the role of a newly appointed lord and grow a settlement into a stronghold in a version of feudal Japan steeped in myth and folklore, seen from a 2D side-on view in a rich pixel-art style. The game runs on a day-and-night rhythm: daylight is for building, gathering resources and managing your people, and when night falls the risen Yokai — folklore spirits that act as the game’s enemies — attack from the dark. Every session becomes a test of how well you prepared during the day.
Build & fortify on mountain terrain
Rather than a flat plot, you build across mountainous terrain, working the slopes into a town that is both defensible and good-looking — the developer pitches it as a fresh twist for base-building fans. Every structure you raise and upgrade opens new possibilities and new challenges. A dynamic research system — scholars working in pagodas, the pagoda research tree — lets you progress through tiered advancements and unlock powerful upgrades that shape your town’s future, with randomized options each run to keep playthroughs varied.
Villagers with unique traits
Every villager is individual, with distinct traits that affect their abilities and efficiency. You assign them to jobs — gathering resources, crafting and the rest — to maximise output, while keeping them fed, healthy and happy so the town keeps growing. Balance is key. Immigrants arrive with their own talents, and the settlement gradually transforms from a handful of huts into a thriving community.
Defence — samurai, onmyōji and mercenaries
To hold the line at night you train a range of soldiers. Samurai are katana-wielding melee fighters; onmyōji are mystical soldiers who can control spirits; and hired mercenaries add their own talents on top. You deploy them to guard the town’s perimeter, and each night becomes a test of your defensive tactics and resilience as the Yokai press in.
Explore faraway lands, trade and mine
The world extends past your borders. You sail out to explore faraway lands — charting new lands, running into pirates, uncovering secret islands and setting up trade routes with new countries to bring home rare resources and exotic rewards. The world map itself was rebuilt from the ground up in 2026, with a route bar that shows where your ship is heading, its ETA and its cargo. You can also dig underground for precious ores, hidden caves and secrets — and what you find there may be the edge you need to turn the tide against the Yokai.
Customisation — lords, relics, weather and decoration
Each run can be tuned. You pick a lord that gives the town its own distinct style and bonuses, and add relics — items that grant unique bonuses and introduce new gameplay mechanics — then adjust world and difficulty settings to taste. Newer systems layer on top: Blessings and Ofuda talismans, plus a Sandbox Mode that relaxes the constraints. On top of that sit dynamic weather, changing seasons and natural disasters, each bringing its own set of challenges. And a deep well of decorations, from bonsai to ornate statues, lets you add beauty and charm and make the town as striking as it is functional.
The quick version
Everything the developer has shown, side by side with the big questions still open while the game sits in development.
What we know
- Side-view pixel-art colony sim in feudal Japan
- Build by day, defend against the Yokai by night
- Villager traits, jobs and a pagoda research tree
- Samurai, onmyōji and hired mercenaries
- Sea exploration, trade routes and underground mining
- Rebuilt world map, Sandbox Mode and controller support
- Single-player, PC via Steam
- Free demo out now (Steam Next Fest)
Not confirmed yet
- Release date & price (Steam: "Coming soon")
- Early Access vs. a full 1.0 launch
- Platforms beyond PC/Windows (Mac, console)
- Which festival awards the Steam badges mark
- Final scope of content at launch
Sources: the Steam store page · the official site farawaylandsgame.com · the developer’s Steam devlogs · the Official Gameplay Trailer (7 August 2025). The one thing not pinned down is a release date — Steam lists it as "Coming soon," and this page updates the moment that changes.
Faraway Lands questions, answered
What is Faraway Lands: Rise of Yokai?
It’s a side-view, pixel-art colony sim set in a mythic feudal Japan, from solo developer Ufuk Yurtman (MythEgg Studios). You play a newly appointed lord who builds a lively village on mountain terrain by day and defends it against the Yokai at night, while managing villagers, gathering resources, researching, exploring and trading.
When is the Faraway Lands: Rise of Yokai release date?
There is no release date. Steam lists the game as "Coming soon" and the developer has not announced a window, Early Access date or 1.0 date. This page updates the moment a date is confirmed.
Is there a demo?
Yes. A free demo is available on Steam. It first appeared at Steam Next Fest and has been updated repeatedly since — over 30 patches — and the game has also featured in Steam’s City Builder & Colony Sim Fest.
What platforms is it on, and is there controller support?
PC (Windows) via Steam is the only confirmed platform, and no Mac or console version has been announced. Controller support has been added in the developer’s recent devlog builds, alongside keyboard and mouse.
Who is making Faraway Lands: Rise of Yokai?
It’s a solo project by Ufuk Yurtman, who develops and publishes it under the MythEgg Studios name. He posts regular devlogs through the game’s Steam page, official site and YouTube channel.
Is it single-player or multiplayer?
Single-player. The Steam page lists single-player only, along with Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud, Stats and Family Sharing.
What languages does it support?
Ten in total. English has full audio and subtitles; the interface is also available in German, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Turkish, Spanish (Spain), French and Polish.