Sickle Claw Studio
Sickle Claw Studio

Hearthhold

A pocket-sized online RPG for phones, set in the Weftlands: a cloth-trading country of fens, moors and salt flats where somebody owns every road and somebody is owed money. From the town of Tallow Cross you set out on expeditions of four to eight encounters, and after each one you choose: push deeper for richer finds, or turn back and keep what you carry.

Try the browser preview Working title · early prototype, iOS and Android planned

What makes it Hearthhold

A short, tense loop built for the moments you actually have on a phone.

Push deeper, or bank it

After every encounter you choose: press on into the expedition for richer finds, or turn back now and keep exactly what you're carrying.

Nothing counts until it's home

Fall mid-expedition and you lose only what you hadn't yet banked. The tension is entirely in that one decision, made over and over.

Four to eight encounters, no more

Every expedition has a real end in sight, so a run fits into a short session instead of demanding an evening.

A world that isn't only yours

Hearthhold is an async shared world: what you do plays out alongside other players, not in a bubble by yourself.

Try the browser preview

The town-and-expedition loop, running right in your browser. Hearthhold is a phone game first, so on a phone it opens full screen in its own tab.

Early preview, mocked and offline. Hearthhold's real economy runs on a server that isn't public yet, so this build stands in with local, made-up data just to show the town and expedition flow. Nothing here represents final gameplay, art, balance, or a real account — it resets every time you reload the page.
Play full screen

Phone-shaped on purpose · touch only, no keyboard needed.

How to play the preview

TownCheck the job posted at the counter, then tap "Enter" on the location to set out. The town screen scrolls: drag it anywhere but a button.
ExpeditionEach expedition runs four to eight encounters. Everything is click or tap; there's nothing to type.
Push or bankAfter each encounter, click "Push deeper" for a richer find and more risk, or "Bank" to leave with what you're carrying.
FallingIf you fall mid-expedition, you keep only what you'd already banked on an earlier trip.

What this preview is, and isn't

  • Is: the actual client shell's town and expedition screens, unmodified apart from local data standing in for a server.
  • Is: a fresh-start run every time, exactly like a real new player's first launch.
  • Isn't: connected to any server, account, or persistent economy — none exists publicly yet.
  • Isn't: representative of final art, music, balance, or content. Hearthhold is a mobile game first; this browser build exists only to let you try the loop.