Hey Fortunans!

At the bottom of this post you can see we've made a slightly longer version of the trailer we released last month, showing more of the systems and how they work.

There's a few different nuances we touch on that I thought I'd take a moment to explain in greater detail. Some of it you might already know if you're chatting with us on the Discord, but some of this I think is new:

Survival (Hunger): Obviously an urban setting isn't a typical "wilderness survival" scenario, since you should have access to water, and there aren't exactly wolves and bears roaming the streets. But you'll still need to manage your Hunger and Vigor, in addition to your health. Our intent with Hunger is to encourage seeking out (or cooking!) more delicious food, both to assuage Hunger more efficiently but also to improve your Status or Virtue (reputation types, appealing to different types of people). If you have high Status, the current design gives you an option to charm an NPC (a one-off boost to an influence test), with other kinds of benefits to high Virtue or Prowess.

Survival (Vigor): You'll also of course gain Vigor more efficiently and effectively (statistically and your reputation) if you sleep on more comfortable or fancy beds.... but step one is finding a place to sleep legally at all! Rough sleeping is a crime in Fortuna, so... it will be some work finding a bed at all, as a recent unsanctioned immigrant, before you manage to get a residency token.

Thievery: Different people react differently to witnessing crimes, such as discovering their property being stolen... unlike currently seen, probably the entire market wouldn't chase you for stealing a carrot. On the other hand, communities have to take care of themselves, and Hot-Tempered and Bold people will indeed turn to violence easily. We'd rather err on the side of the city being more reactive, but it'll take many iterations to find the exact type of challenging complexity we want.

Fencing: The average merchant won't buy random junk you've stolen! You'll need to find a pawn shop for legit-looking valuables, and more shady acquisitions will need proper Fences, who of course build in a "dealing with hot merchandise" fee into their rates. The worth/value of an object depends on all of its aspects (material, form, condition, etc), as well as the interests/expertise of the buyer.

Rumors: Characters that trust you (which is typically easier to come by when intoxicated) can share information about their family and friends and coworkers, whether it's interesting opportunities or just gossip to hear about interesting traits, heretical beliefs, secret society membership, etc.

Consequences and Focus Mode: Fortuna is not a twitchy reaction game, it's a game you can take your time with. Focus Mode turns on whenever you're in a dangerous situation, which automatically pauses after you complete every action. This is important because consequences for mistakes can be huge, and rather than reload, we'd like to encourage continuing on with your character, to see how your story unfolds. So we recommend taking your time and acting intentionally, which Focus Mode makes easier.

And without further ado, the extended gameplay video:

Let us know if you have more questions about these details, here in the comments or on Discord.[discord.gg] Thanks for reading!
- Tanya

Attention Fortuna Citizens,

Today is an exciting day because we just revealed a brand-new gameplay trailer on the PCGaming Show. It shows off dialogue, crime, survival and stealth features set to a brand new track “Zarya's Shadow” by Omar ‘Dabu’ Dabbous (composer for Streets of Fortuna, Dwarf Fortress and audio lead for Boyfriend Dungeon).

Watch the trailer here:

Pickpocketing
All NPCs have some amount of coins and items in their pockets. They might have items related to their profession, tastes, cultures, etc. If you approach them undetected, you’ll be able to randomly grab one of the items.

Sneaking around at night
Using darkness and shadows will make sneaking around places you aren’t supposed to be much easier.

Getting caught by guards/the community
Both guards regular NPCs have the ability to detect if you’re doing something bad and will confront you with violence or a dialogue depending on the encounter. Can you talk your way out of this one?

Selling stolen items to the fence
If you manage to swipe some cool items, you’ll be able to sell them at a fence. Do not try to sell stolen items in the market!

Getting information from NPC informants
Social gameplay is going to be important no matter what path you decide to take. Get to know the locals and they might just share a helpful secret. You might need to get them drunk first!

We are giving a select few people a chance to get hands-on with the first private Alpha Testing of Streets of Fortuna. This will be an early work-in-progress build that focuses on the thief gameplay. You'll be able to interact with thousands of NPCs, steal items, sneak around and overall get a small sense of how the simulation works.

There’s going to be lots to play with but there’s also going to be bugs and other roughness as well. We highly recommend to sign up for the alpha only if you’re okay with playing an incomplete early build and willing to help us with feedback.

To sign up, go to the Steam Testing page and click the "Sign up" button. You'll be notified if you get in via Steam. We will let you know as soon as we have an idea of when in 2026 the Alpha Testing will begin. Please be patient.

Q: How many people will be chosen for the playtest?

A: We will invite multiple rounds and eventually reach at least 100 testers.

Q: What will I be able to do in the Alpha version of the game?A: Most of what you’ll experience in the alpha will be the full scope of the thief gameplay. You can interact with the NPCs, pickpocket, set things on fire, sell stolen items to a fence, flirt, throw things etc. There's no artificial barriers or endings, play the molten janky half-finished thing as long or as deeply as you like. Whatever's there is yours to explore, such as it is.

Q: What platforms will be supported? A: Right now, only PC will be supported but we will be looking into porting down the line.

Q: Can I record and publish footage from the game?
A: For this playtest we're asking to keep all information private and that you do not share any screenshots or videos of the playtest. If you're a content creator and you're interested in playing Streets of Fortuna, please fill out This Form.[forms.gle]

We'll have more information when the playtest opens up! In the meantime, join us on the Streets of Fortuna Discord[discord.gg] where we've been posting new screenshots and videos four days a week. Let us know what you think of the new gameplay!

Until next time!

- Alexandra