Balrum

About

Balrum mixes turn-based strategy with open world exploration in a gritty fantasy setting. You navigate a large forest refuge, managing resources by farming, building shelters, and forging gear while figuring out a main quest about a cursed land. Combat layers tactical positioning with RPG progression, requiring careful planning against enemies that exploit terrain and numbers. The world feels reactive, with side quests branching from interactions with settlers and ruins. Set in a forest haunted by lingering magic and violence, the story follows a community clinging to survival two decades after abandoning a fallen kingdom. Your choices balance personal escape against duty to protect those still trapped in the Darkwood’s grasp. Launched in 2016, it runs on PC, Mac, and Linux with a single-player focus. The blend of base management and methodical battles creates a slow-burn experience where preparation defines success.

Storyline

It's twenty years after your village fled the kingdom and took refuge in Darkwood. You always knew that these woods hold dark secrets but now you start to feel it's evil on your own skin. Horrible things are happening. You discover fragments of the woods dark history and come to the conclusion that you have to leave your home. You know in your heart that once you step out of the protection of the place where you grown up, nothing will be the same. You have to face a world that's in chaos. A world without laws. Nevertheless you feel something else too. You feel freedom. A completely new world awaits you to explore it, but the feeling quickly turns into guilt. There are people in Darkwood who are counting on your help. You are their last hope.