The Old Forge

ABOUT THE GAME The Old Forge is an open-world survival horror sandbox set in a world inspired by early 1990s Poland, developed by a solo developer. When the first infected appeared, you fled into the forest. The world slowly fell silent. You survived there for months — until one night, you woke to the sound of fire. You grabbed whatever you could carry and ran. By dawn, nothing remained of your shelter. Now, if you want to survive, you have to head back toward civilization. Create your own story. Leave the beaten path behind. Search abandoned homes. Follow forgotten roads leading to villages and small towns. Break through obstacles. Dig into the earth. Build a home far from danger — or turn the buildings you find into a place that truly belongs to you. How you survive is entirely up to you. SURVIVE Food and water are only the beginning. You will have to deal with injuries, body temperature, proper clothing, exhaustion, and changing conditions in the world. A cold night spent without shelter can be just as dangerous as the infected wandering outside. Prepare before leaving safety behind. Decide what you are willing to carry — and whether another trip into an abandoned settlement is really worth the risk. EXPLORE 1990s POLAND The Old Forge draws inspiration from the forests, villages, and industrial landscapes of southern Poland. Travel along old country roads, through forests and past lakes. Explore abandoned houses, workshops, and remnants of heavy industry in a world inspired by the atmosphere of the early 1990s. You will not find futuristic cities or military super-weapons lying around every corner. You will survive with whatever remains of the old world. SCAVENGE FOR SUPPLIES Almost everything you need has to be found. Search houses, sheds, workshops, and abandoned buildings for food, clothing, tools, weapons, and materials. There may still be something to eat in the kitchen. A garage might contain the tool you desperately need. A lonely house deep in the forest might be worth the risk — or turn out to be a trap. You cannot carry everything. Choosing what to leave behind is part of survival too. BUILD YOUR OWN HOME Buildings are more than static parts of the world. Every building in the game can be extensively rebuilt to suit your needs. Structures are made from individual sections that can be damaged, destroyed, rebuilt, replaced, or even repainted. Build an isolated cabin deep in the forest, or turn an old communist-era apartment block into a massive fortified stronghold. The quality of the structures you build improves alongside your character's skills. As your experience grows, you will be able to construct stronger, better-made structures and eventually improve their appearance through finishing and painting. But no wall is indestructible. The infected can attack doors, windows, and other weak points in your shelter. If you manage to find a generator, you can restore power to your structure and use electricity to help defend your home. RESHAPE THE WORLD The terrain is not just decoration. The voxel-based world can be physically modified. Dig into the ground to prepare land for construction, reshape your surroundings, or search for resources that can be processed into useful items. CRAFT AND USE WHAT YOU FIND Turn scavenged materials into the things you need to survive. The simplest tools and equipment can be made by hand. More advanced tasks will require proper workstations and specialized equipment. Light a campfire. Prepare food. Process materials. Repair whatever can still be useful. Progression is not about choosing a predefined character class. It is about learning how to use the world around you. THE INFECTED CAN HEAR AND SEE YOU The infected are not simply targets waiting in predetermined locations. Noise matters. Breaking glass, fighting, and other loud actions can attract unwanted attention. Light and activity can also turn a seemingly safe place into a deadly trap. Sometimes avoiding danger is better than fighting it. And sometimes a stone thrown through a distant window is all it takes to create the opportunity you need. Every action you take can influence the threat around you. A lone infected may join up with others. Pairs can become groups, and groups can grow into hordes that mindlessly move toward the source of the last disturbance. THE WORLD DOES NOT EXIST FOR YOU The weather changes. Darkness falls. Temperatures drop. Buildings provide shelter. Fire gives you light and warmth — but it can also become a threat. The world of The Old Forge is a place you must explore, understand, and learn to survive in — not a collection of arenas designed solely around the player. You are here to survive.