PAX West 2026 - War of the Western Deep Brings a Webcomic to Life
Developer: Sungrove Studios
Publisher: Sungrove Studios
Platform: PC
We all grew up with anthropomorphized characters in our games and shows. Sonic the Hedgehog, Star Fox, the works. Moreover, it can be that for many, their earliest childhood memories belong to Disney's Robin Hood, the one with the fox. Between the music and the animation by legendary animator Don Bluth and the music, Disney's Robin Hood continues to be a foundational inspiration for many generations, especially today.
Sometimes you want to create your own world with characters like those in Robin Hood. This is where War of the Western Deep comes in, an adventure game currently in the works. Based on a web series, this game uses anthropomorphized woodland creatures to tell its story, and while the demo was short, the promise is grand.
Oo Dah Lallee
My demo took me into the role of a squirrel named Mirren. War is coming to Sungrove, and Mirren must deliver a message of great importance. Mirren is a messenger with limited combat ability, but she can hold her own in a fight. She is determined to deliver a message to a military commander. She comes across a town where the important leader is supposedly located.
Mirren is voiced by Samantha Béart, the voice of Karlach from Baldur's Gate III. Even in this early demo, she puts a lot of heart and range into Mirren. Mirren is curious but no fool. She is steadfast but seeks diplomacy before engaging in a fight. She expresses sarcastic thoughts when the moment calls for it. She understands the importance of the task at hand but laments some of the unnecessary challenges that come with it. Still, she is determined to complete her mission.
Keep Your Chin Up
Exploring the town, War of the Western Deep acts as a point-and-click adventure with narrative options. As is the case, the demo had me interact with various parts of the empty town, discovering it is eerily quiet and without occupation. Mirren hears a consistent clanging and discovers the blacksmith, hard at work making armor.
The Blacksmith, who is also fully voiced, keeps strongly to her work and is uninterested in conversation. However, this is where War of the Western Deep demonstrates its narrative system. By being persistent and asking the right questions, objectives and quests can be revealed. The Blacksmith is already hard at work on a cuirass, ordered by a corrupt military leader. She would be more efficient if her tools were not stolen.
Wisdom Of The Heart
During the conversation, which was well voice-acted, it is revealed that the stolen tools were likely taken by a corrupt military swordsman who patrols the western forest. While Mirren has a blade, this swordsman is battle-hardened and aggressive. During the conversation, I was handed a cursed shovel, and while she is grateful for the tool, she quickly regrets the feeling as she learns of the cursed history of the shovel.
The dialogue options reveal two options for completing this quest. The first option is to simply negotiate with the swordsman to find out where the stolen tools are. There is a report of a destroyed carriage carrying amber drops, a currency in the world. There is the possibility of locating the drops and exchanging them with the swordsman for the location of the stolen tools.
Choices and Paths
The alternative is a stand-up fight to defeat the swordsman and locate the tools. Killing him would be more direct and free the town of an exploitative and corrupt soldier, but it could complicate things. Determined to find out both, I set out on both paths to see the outcome of each choice. This gave me the impression that War of the Western Deep is a game about choices and shaping your own narrative.
I chose the first option: I encountered the swordsman, whose brash and hostile attitude was characteristic of a corrupt and abusive militant. I chose to negotiate for the location of the tools in exchange for the drops, narrowly avoiding an armed conflict. I went to the western part of the forest and located the wrecked carriage. I found the container containing the dew drops but discovered it was surrounded by venomous spiders. No worries, spiders were not shown during the demo.
Direct Action
I pieced together the environment and discovered an acronym for solving the puzzle that would unlock the container. It took a few tries, and I did fail several times; however, with some help, I managed to unlock the container, deliver the drops, and find the tools. The swordsman greedily took the drops and gave me a cryptic set of directions to locate the stolen tools. They were buried in a small piece of land in a field. I returned to the blacksmith, who appreciated the return of the tools and commented that not killing the swordsman was a better choice, as it could have made a tense situation worse.
The demo concluded, but I reloaded it to fight the swordsman and learn about the combat system in The War of the Deep. Skipping through the scenes, I arrived at a battle sequence with the swordsman. War of the Western Deep uses a cinematic combat system, with simple controls and systems. There is a stamina bar. Hitting the dodge button uses stamina. Attacking uses stamina as well. The key to winning is to balance stamina.
The Adventure Continues
The swordsman was not easy. Using a broadsword, his attacks were very damaging. He even used a technique to lunge at me for a piercing blow. However, after learning his moves, I was able to dodge at the right moments and attack when an opening occurred. It was an intense and exciting combat system that kept me engaged. After a few tries, I downed the armored swordsman and achieved victory. I was able to retrieve the tools with notes he scribbled on a note. With that, the demo was over.
War of the Western Deep is shaping up to be a remarkable adventure game. The game features extraordinary animation that is very reminiscent of Disney's Robin Hood, with characters that are rich in personality, expression, and movement. It felt like I was watching a traditional hand-drawn animated movie. The whole demo felt cinematic. War of the Western Deep felt great to play.
War of The Western Deep
This is furthered by the fact that War of the Western Deep has different avenues of play and choice. The dialogue and writing felt sharp, as I felt invested in the game and the characters. The different avenues of choice invite further opportunity in the game for combat and storytelling. What that is remains a mystery, but considering the history of the webcomic and the intentions of the developers, War of the Western Deep is shaping up to be a memorable experience.
War of the Western Deep still needs work in the oven and is expected to be released hopefully in Summer 2027, but the demo left me wanting more. I absolutely fell immersed in the world and enjoyed the characters, as well as the combat system. War of the Western Deep teases a grand tale I cannot wait to embark on when the time is right.
War of the Western Deep is targeting a 2027 release.
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