Arboria

Lore & Background

In Arboria, the player takes on the role of a Yotun warrior tasked with exploring the procedurally generated dungeons of Durnar. The goal is to overcome enemies to heal the Father-Tree, Yggr, and collect a material called Veri to satisfy Godz. The gameworld combines a dark fantasy aesthetic with mysterious, technologically advanced machinery, drawing inspiration from Norse mythology.

Yotunz fight using a range of Symbiotic Weapons and enhance their abilities through Bio-Mutations. Upon death, the player assumes control of a new Yotun, using previously gathered Veri to upgrade the warrior. A successful run makes the new character stronger, while failure may result in negative traits. Durnar's procedural generation ensures each run differs, with difficulty increasing across areas. Main maps are separated by special chambers where players can upgrade their Yotun before proceeding.

Arboria was first announced in 2019 and entered Early Access on Steam in 2020, with a full release planned for 2021.

Reader's Guide

Arboria occupies a niche within the 2020s rogue-lite landscape as a 3D dark fantasy title that integrates Norse mythology with sci-fi machinery. Its Early Access release in May 2020 allowed the developer, Dreamplant, to iterate on the game with community feedback before the planned full release in 2021. The game's reception, as aggregated by Metacritic, was generally favorable, while OpenCritic assessed that it received strong approval, though only 36% of critics recommended it. This mixed critical response highlights a divide in how the game's mechanics and aesthetic were received. The core loop of dying, inheriting traits—positive or negative—based on prior performance, and upgrading with Veri, sets it apart from more traditional permadeath systems. The procedural generation of Durnar and the separation of main maps by upgrade chambers provide structure to the otherwise randomized runs. Arboria's legacy is tied to its attempt to blend action-oriented 3D combat with rogue-lite progression, a combination that was still evolving in the early 2020s. Its use of Symbiotic Weapons and Bio-Mutations as central mechanics, rather than conventional loot, further distinguishes it within the genre. The game's planned full release in 2021 was anticipated to expand upon the foundation laid during Early Access.