In Fireside, you end up on an island, far away from home, with some sort of portal crisis going on! It’s already a bit of a busy day, being yourself on an island full of people, and it only gets more hectic when you come to find out that there is some sort of dimensional issue that needs help!
Going through strange portals, you can flip between the island you are getting to know and another area where spirits live. The spirits feel that the shrine is broken and the only way to fix it is with spirit coins, which are gained from helping people. This is something you can easily help out with, especially as you are a merchant!
At the beginning of Fireside, you do not have that many items, but over time you are able to get more. Choosing the path you walk around the island can allow you to pick up items as you go, and depending on where you end up, you can often trade. Trades are the main way you help people and gain new items. You can offer one or more items and ask for one or more items that they have.
All of the different characters have items they want, and often in an area you can trade with someone to get the item that the other person in the area wants. Everyone always agrees to your trade, but you need to actually make it fair. This is shown through a balancing scale at the bottom of the screen, showing what items are on your side and what items are on their side. If they feel like they got a good deal, they are happy. If you give them the item they want too, it’s a huge bonus!
Fireside feels like a wholesome, mysterious adventure game that focuses on helping people and finding cool objects! I got to play a bit of the game at Gamescom, and really enjoyed my time with it.
Currently, there is no release date for Fireside, but you can wishlist the game on Steam.
