Road to Verdant Has Dragons to Slay, but First You’ll Need to Survive the Journey

You’ve got a bow, a long road ahead, and plenty of things trying to kill you along the way. There are traps to dodge, enemies to fight, and eventually dragons waiting to see whether all that new equipment you’ve collected is actually worth carrying.

Road to Verdant launches today on Steam, bringing a fantasy auto-runner with RPG progression from solo developer Verdant Studio. You’ll start as a humble archer, fight through dangerous environments, collect better equipment, and gradually turn your character into someone capable of taking on the creatures waiting at the end of each journey.

There’s crafting, trading, character upgrades, and quests to complete along the way. First, though, you’ll need to get through the next stretch of road without running straight into something unpleasant.

Keep Moving, There’s a Dragon Waiting

Movement is a big part of Road to Verdant, with your character automatically running forward while you concentrate on avoiding whatever the path throws at you. That means reacting quickly to obstacles, dodging traps, and dealing with enemies as they appear. The environments are designed around keeping you moving, so you won’t have much time to stand around deciding how best to approach the next encounter.

The game combines that fast-paced running with combat against hordes of enemies, making survival a matter of keeping out of trouble while dealing enough damage to clear the path ahead. There’s something much bigger waiting further along too.

Dragons guard the ends of your journeys, giving you a proper test of whatever weapons, armour, and abilities you’ve managed to collect. Getting through the smaller enemies is one thing, but reaching a dragon without the right equipment could leave you wishing you’d spent a little longer improving your character.

Fortunately, getting stronger is a major part of the game, and there’s plenty to work on between those dangerous trips.

That Old Bow Won’t Last Forever

You’ll begin your adventure as an archer, but Road to Verdant gives you several ways to improve your equipment as you progress.

Weapons, armour, and skills can be collected and upgraded, letting you build a character that’s better prepared for the increasingly difficult challenges ahead. There’s also a crafting system, so finding useful materials and turning them into better equipment becomes part of your journey. You can trade items too, giving you another way to get hold of something useful when your current gear isn’t doing enough.

The RPG progression means you won’t be relying entirely on quick reactions to get through every challenge. Improving your character and finding the right equipment are just as important, especially when the enemies start getting stronger and the traps become harder to avoid.

You may need better protection to survive a dangerous section, or a stronger weapon to deal with enemies before they become a problem. Whatever you choose to improve, the aim is to make the next journey a little more manageable than the last.

There’s also a shop where you can purchase upgrades, giving you another reason to collect resources rather than concentrating only on reaching the end of each mission.

There’s More to Find Than Better Equipment

As well as running and fighting, Road to Verdant has a fantasy world filled with quests to complete. Some are part of your regular progression, while others are hidden away for players willing to spend a little more time looking for them. That gives you something else to work towards alongside improving your equipment and hunting dragons.

The adventure takes place across colourful 3D environments, with different dangers to overcome as you continue travelling through the world. An orchestral soundtrack accompanies the journey, while full controller support gives you another way to handle the quick movement and dodging.

It’s also a project developed by one person, with Verdant Studio combining the straightforward movement of an auto-runner with the equipment collecting, crafting, and progression you’d expect from a larger fantasy RPG.

Road to Verdant launches today on Steam for PC, with dragons to hunt, equipment to improve, and plenty of quests waiting somewhere along the way.