Lost In The Open

A grueling tactical turn-based strategy roguelike set in a low-fantasy medieval world.

You lead your party as Nrvesk, the ruler of Ruedome. His reign was bloody, oppressive, and unjust. Nrvesk’s past crimes have caught up with him, and consequently, he is now the target of an assassination attempt by his former allies in the royal court of Stratha. Miraculously, however, he manages to escape their castle through a backdoor.

After narrowly avoiding the assassination, Nrvesk and two of his loyal guards find themselves lost in no man’s land between Stratha and Ruedome. You’ll need to guide the party through forests, mountains, and swamps. Trade blows with bandits, royal guardsmen, and even worse enemies while negotiating with trade merchants and hiring wandering recruits in an attempt to survive the unlikely journey back to Ruedome.




Combat in Lost In The Open happens on a turn-based system over a tile-based grid created to give a plethora of tactical options. Your units can gain up to five abilities each, which you can improve throughout the game with character levels and skill progression.

Lost in the Open is designed to be a challenging experience. Enemies will pull you out of position, lure you into traps and work as a team to flank you. Position your units to create an impenetrable frontline, but remember to protect your flanks and, most importantly, your king!

Be warned, your party's health does not regenerate between combat. You’ll need to plan every action on the battlefield to ensure your warband remains strong enough to survive the open, even if that means sacrificing one of your loyal guards.






Maledrom, the no man’s land between Stratha and Ruedome, is an unforgiving place. Furthermore, the unanimous hatred against Nrvesk for his past crimes makes the people even less likely to come to your aid.

Defeating enemies, aiding strangers, and trading with merchants will allow you to unlock new traits and abilities and upgrade your equipment. Flank your enemies with devastating blows, slash through multiple foes at once, or provide your battlefield allies with a powerful buff. You’ll need to forge the ragtag group of recruits found in the wilds into hardened, loyal bodyguards to survive the brutal lands of Maledrom.




The lands of Maledrom are harsh and punishing. Starting in the fallen forest, you’ll need to navigate the perfect path to grow both the size and strength of your party while not being caught by the Strathan royal guards, who are in constant pursuit.

Each node you encounter will offer a narrative choice; do you engage in combat to find new equipment but risk taking damage or losing a recruit? Do you help a stranger with a chance for a random reward? Should you traverse a long path to trade with the lonely merchant surrounded by elite patrols?

It’s not only the combat decisions that have a lasting effect in Lost in the Open. Navigating Maledrom and its unforgiving land is a challenge in its own regard.

Spend gold collected through battle or scavenged from abandoned (or defended) locations in the world to upgrade your troops’ weapons and armor. If your units survive against the odds, they’ll find themselves levelling up and acquiring powerful skills and perks.

There are multiple ways to brace yourself against the enemy. Distribute resources among all units? Focus and protect a few? Go head-on into combat or play cautiously, taking fights calculatedly. Choose between more than five locations to go to at every juncture, each one affecting your short-term and long-term plans.

You will be faced with low-risk, medium-risk and high-risk decisions all with their respective rewards. Scavenge an abandoned watchtower when the pursuing armies of Stratha are on your heels? Take a high-risk battle with the risk of subsequently fighting another? None of them are certain in their outcome and that has to be respected.

Fight in a frontline formation or in chaos. Place your best troops in the center or have them overwhelm the enemy flank. Bait the enemy in and counterattack or take the initiative. Your plan for combat has to take into consideration losses - there are no easy wins. Use abilities, status effects, and passive bonuses to manipulate the field of battle to your advantage, while keeping the enemy from breaking your line and assaulting Nrvesk himself.

The odds are stacked against you. You'll be facing a plethora of different enemies: bandits, royal guards, animals, The Deformed and The Righteous. Both enemy factions and the battlefield itself vary widely - fighting in a claustrophobic forest and a knee-deep swamp are different beasts entirely.