Demo for Legends of Amberland III: The Crimson Tower is available on Steam!

Demo for Legends of Amberland III: The Crimson Tower is available on Steam starting today. It contains the first area, the Kingdom of Greymoor, and includes some (but not all) new features. Based on alpha tests I would say the demo is around 3 hours long. The save files are not compatible with the full game at this moment (this version of the demo). Enjoy and make sure to wishlist!

Localization was not done yet (the game used old localization files, from previous Amberland, so UI should be mostly translated, but the rest not), also there was no QA pass yet (so expect spelling mistakes and the like).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3823520/Legends_of_Amberland_III_The_Crimson_Tower/

Oh yes, the demo will be also showcased during the nearest Steam Next Fest.

If you want to provide feedback on the demo, it’s best to do so via Steam forums: https://steamcommunity.com/app/3823520/discussions/0/

List of new features (v0.22)

Here is a list of ALREADY IMPLEMENTED features at the moment of releasing the first demo (v0.22). This is not the list of planned new features, only stuff that already is done and ready at the moment of writing.

Notable features:
– New world map, locations (and more interesting design of locations), quests, etc.
– New monsters.
– New music.
– New item types: Lamps, Orbs, Quivers.
– New item properties (Flaming/Freezing/Thunder).
– Extra elemental damage for weapons.
– Vulnerabilities: some monsters are vulnerable (extra damage received) to Fire/Cold/Lightning. For example Trolls have Fire vulnerability.
– Recruitable Heroes.
– Clues mechanic (I love that one a lot).
– Toxic fumes mechanic.
– Dark dungeons mechanic (Light spell or Lamp required).
– Fountains now work as a party bonus, also limited to be under effect of a single (the last one) fountain.
– Option to “work” for X days to earn extra gold.

Class adjustments:
– Heroic ballad (from first LoA) for Bard is back.
– Champion got basic heal spells.
– Troll Slayer gets back its 3rd accessory slot.
– Dwarven archer starts with a bow.
– Unique spells for Archer.

Balance and small stuff:
– NPCs extra (and frequently colored) text when new quest starts, item is given, etc.
– Rebalance: Arcane (staves, items, etc).
– Spells overall rebalance.
– Armor doubled for critical hits.
– Vitality ability boosted.
– Poison mechanic made more predictable (guaranteed expire after X ticks).
– Notice that boat can not enter non shallow water.
– Now portraits upon party creation are unique (selector does not include already used portraits).
– Shields Block (Shields grant +33% to Evade).
– Other smaller balancing.

Again, that’s just stuff that’s already implemented, not stuff that’s planned. Also, have fun with the demo and don’t forget to wishlist the game!

Approach to music in the second sequel

A few words about music. My goal was to keep the overall mood and style of music as in Legends of Amberland II. But there was a catch. Christopher Loza, the creator of music for LoA II was unavailable for the projects (life happens), so I got a dilemma what to do next. Fortunately, I was contacted by Winnie Gotmilk, a composer from France who offered to carry on. I gave him instructions to keep the overall style, preferably so the tunes from both games can be mixed and then left the details to him. It turned out, he is very, very professional. He managed to make music that perfectly fit the existing tracks. The consistency is perfect, which is always the top priority for me.

So, in Legends of Amberland III there will be brand new tracks mixed with some older tracks to maximize variety. I plan to use the new tracks in the most frequent locations (especially overworld, towns, castles) while keeping old tracks in some more rarer locations. There is also a possibility that some location types (like towns) could end up with unique “per location tunes”.

Funny thing: Originally, I planned the kingdom of elves to be made as part of overworld, as in the previous installments of the series, but when Winnie Gotmilk told me he is thinking of a song named “The King of Elves in Valador” I could not resist and decided to do elven kingdom as a separate location, just so the music can be used. It’s the first time ever when music considerations made me redesign gameplay. Can’t wait to hear this particular tune.

Now a few words about the process of making music from the creator, Winnie Gotmilk

I’m Victor Gautschi (aka Winnie Gotmilk), a video game music composer with a passion for RPG and Sci-fi soundtracks, though I’m always eager to explore new styles. I started making music over twenty years ago with a guitar, later diving into electronic sounds and releasing an album as “Cryptotor.” Since then, I’ve published three more albums, studied mixing and production, collaborated with artists around the world, and found my way into composing for games and other media.

Working on the soundtrack for Legends of Amberland III has been a blast. Being a fan of party-based RPGs such as Baldur’s Gate as well as the Heroes of Might and Magic legacy, the gameplay and soundscape of LoA allows for a lot of musical expression to dive into these classic medieval fantasy vibes. The players asked for more music, and here it is, around 45 minutes of new music is being composed for this game, aiming to blend well with Christopher Loza’s great soundtrack from LoA II, with a little more textural freedom allowed for the music of this episode, as well as the classic retro FM synth vibes. There will be a longer Overworld track as well as a few special locations track that I hope the players will enjoy.

Composing music for this game wasn’t without a challenge. First, there was the daunting task of joining this project while taking into account the music of the previous game, without drifting too far from it. That meant plenty of trial and error — referencing and recreating parts of the original LoA II soundtrack, while also listening to classic Might and Magic tracks by Paul Romero and even old school Renaissance composers like Palestrina. My goal throughout was to keep things simple, create flow-inducing music that loops well and doesn’t get tiring after hours of play, while still being enjoyable on its own (we may even release the soundtrack on Steam or elsewhere after the game launches).

On the technical side, there was the constraint of using FM synth tones (specifically the RYM2612 FM synthesizer from Inphonik). I already owned this synth for a while but only used it on a few projects before, and now it’s in my template! This synth, which emulates a vintage Yamaha chip found in Sega consoles, allows importing Soundfont files from other vintage games. There are some great preset libraries out there, though I have to admit Christopher had an impressive personal collection I’m still curious about.

Chris Koźmik, the game’s creator and developer, gave me a lot of creative freedom. That allowed me to mix in some of my favorite virtual instruments — Orchestral Tools’s SINE Player, Kontakt libraries, and retro FM synths like the KORG M1 — and bring in some of my own style. Finding the right balance was tricky at times; I even swapped out a realistic flute for a deliberately “cheesier” one to better match the game’s aesthetic. A few tracks are still in progress, including The King of Elves in Valador and The Great Bazaar in the Desert. I hope you enjoy exploring the world we’ve built and have a fantastic time playing this game!

Release date
Legends of Amberland III: The Crimson Tower is scheduled to be released this year, at the beginning of December 2025 on PC (Steam and GOG).

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3823520/Legends_of_Amberland_III_The_Crimson_Tower/
GOG: https://www.gog.com/en/game/legends_of_amberland_iii_the_crimson_tower

Consoles port will be eventually made, as usual, after PC release. The date has not been decided yet.

Localization might or might not be incomplete at the release day. The game is guaranteed to be localized to EN, DE, FR. As usual, more languages than those listed will be added, most likely after release.

Demo & Steam Next Fest
Demo is going to be released 7th October 2025. Just a few days before Steam Next Fest. The demo will take part in the nearest Steam Next Fest (which starts 13th October). The demo will contain the first area (Kingdom of Greymoor) and might not contain all planned features.

Wishlist the game!
Make sure to wishlist the game! It matters!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3823520/Legends_of_Amberland_III_The_Crimson_Tower/

Overview
Today I have sent the first demo build to Valve for review. Everything goes quite smoothly, if we exclude the usual “life throws unexpected things at you to slow you down”, but it always happens so I learned to include it into my schedules. I think I should be ready for release in December (but that’s not 100% decided yet). The demo probably will be out a week or so before Steam Next Fest, so very soon.

What was done
Content wise, the first zone (everything that will be in the demo) is finished. There are rough edges and there was no quality pass, but technically the demo is ready content wise. Some new feature were added like: clues system, elemental damage from weapons (Flaming Sword, now most magical staves deal extra elemental damage, etc), elemental vulnerabilities for monsters (Fire/Cold/Lightning), recruitable heroes in inns, classes rebalance and adjustments (Bard got back “Heroic Ballad” from first LoA, boosted Champion, Troll Slayer, etc), adjusted some spells (I hope to make some bigger changes in the spells system later) and item traits, new environmental effect (Toxic fumes), rebalance (fewer sources of Arcane +X%). Also, I was lucky to get a very competent composer who was able to match the style of the existing music, so LoA3 will have tunes mixed from LoA2 and new ones (to maximize variety).

What’s left
A lot of content is still missing (like 3/4). Some “must have” features like new time system (I want to get rid of “party bonuses & fountain effects expire at midnight”), possibly some new classes, maybe “dark dungeons” and sources of light and other things. Plus mundane things, manual, QA, localization, etc. Overall, extra stuff might be implemented if the time allows it.

Summary
Everything is going well. I think, I got somewhat better at making locations (plus, I collected a lot of feedback from LoA and LoA2 so I know what to avoid), so I hope there would be an increase in quality of those (not guaranteed, just my guess). Once I finish the “must have” stuff, I’m going for extra features. There is a very decent chance the game to be released this year.

BTW, wishlist the game if you have not done it yet!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3823520/Legends_of_Amberland_III_The_Crimson_Tower/
https://www.gog.com/en/game/legends_of_amberland_iii_the_crimson_tower

(yes, there is a spelling mistake in the dialogue above, I know)

Trailer for upcoming Legends of Amberland III

The trailer for Legends of Amberland III: The Crimson Tower, scheduled to be released in December 2025 or early 2026 is available!

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3823520/Legends_of_Amberland_III_The_Crimson_Tower/
GOG: https://www.gog.com/en/game/legends_of_amberland_iii_the_crimson_tower
Consoles: (Not Available Yet)

Legends of Amberland III: The Crimson Tower is coming to PC soon!

The third installment of the Amberland saga is in development. It will be released on Steam & GOG and later on Nintendo Switch and possibly other consoles. The game is perfectly playable on Steam Deck (as all other parts of the series), and also run flawlessly on Linux and Mac via emulation/compatibility layer.

Planned release: late 2025 / early 2026.

Press kit: https://www.silverlemurgames.com/legendsofamberland3/presskit/

You can wishlist the game here:
* Steam (PC): https://store.steampowered.com/app/3823520/Legends_of_Amberland_III_The_Crimson_Tower/
* GOG (PC): https://www.gog.com/game/legends_of_amberland_iii_the_crimson_tower
(note: it might take up to a few hours before the links are enabled)