Something is waiting in the woods. From October 15 through October 18, Santa Barbara Games will host the first public Steam playtest for Voidwood, giving players an early look at the co-op survival horror game currently in development.
The pre-alpha playtest offers a small glimpse of what the studio is building, with players experiencing one day and one night in the cursed forest. Daylight provides an opportunity to scavenge for supplies, explore deeper into the woods, and prepare for the dangers that arrive after dark. Once night falls, The Beast begins its hunt, tracking the sounds made by the group.
Voidwood supports one to four players, with communication playing a central role in survival. Players can call out when they find supplies, warn teammates about danger, or quietly coordinate when The Beast is nearby. Every sound can help the group, but making too much noise at the wrong time can also reveal their location.
During the day, players must decide how far they want to venture into the forest before darkness arrives. Supplies collected during an expedition can be brought back to camp and used to craft new tools and equipment, improve the base, unlock new strategies, and open additional paths through the forest.
The forest also changes from one expedition to the next, meaning a strategy that worked previously may not always be effective. The farther players venture, the greater the dangers become, while staying out too long risks losing everything collected during the journey.
Beyond simply surviving, Voidwood also has a mystery to uncover. Players are not the first children to enter the forest, and forgotten locations and abandoned belongings offer clues about those who came before them. Exploring these areas and piecing together their stories could reveal what the forest is hiding.
As a pre-alpha build, the public playtest is still very much a work in progress, so players can expect bugs, unfinished elements, and rough edges. Santa Barbara Games recommends playing with friends and using the game’s built-in voice chat to experience the cooperative mechanics as intended.
Voidwood’s first public Steam playtest runs from October 15 through October 18.