A new open-world game called Fae & Fauna has been revealed, and it aims straight at anyone who likes their adventures relaxed. It’s a cozy creature-collecting RPG in which you gather magical cats and dogs, take them along on your travels, and let them fight at your side. The game is headed to Steam Early Access in the first quarter of 2027.
Behind it stands a small Swedish studio, Aurora Arts. If you want to keep tabs on everything we publish about the project, we collect it all on our Fae & Fauna page.
What kind of game is it
Despite a pile of mechanics you normally meet in life sims, Fae & Fauna isn’t one. The developers describe it more accurately as a creature-collecting RPG with a cozy atmosphere. Here’s the basic card:
- Genre: creature-collecting, open world, RPG
- Developer: Aurora Arts
- Early Access release: Q1 2027 on Steam
The first gameplay trailer showed off cel-shaded visuals that some players will connect with the look of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It also laid out the key pillars of the gameplay.
Faeons, Knytt and combat
The collectible pets are called Faeons. You can take them with you while exploring and they’ll help you in fights. Hostile creatures go by the name Knytt, and based on the trailer you’ll face them with various melee weapons.
One of the more unusual systems lets you create your own pets using magic and chemistry – a feature that sounds close to animal breeding in some cozy life sims. The full gameplay loop hasn’t been detailed officially yet, but it looks like you’ll be hunting down and studying new Faeons while digging through the secrets of the open world.
The island of Saltwick and everything around it
The whole thing takes place on a magical island called Saltwick. You can roam it freely and talk to NPCs, some of whom run the island’s shops and trade with you – the kind of setup players know from Stardew Valley. Fae & Fauna also packs in:
- crafting, cooking and mining
- your own house that you can decorate however you like
- extensive character appearance and outfit customization
- romance, so you can bond with NPCs and find true love
- petting your cats and dogs in your downtime
What early access means for you
Aurora Arts plans to keep the game in early access for roughly two years. Version 1.0 is supposed to add new biomes, an expanded story and, in the studio’s words, “deeper Faeon bonding systems”. On top of that, more side activities like fishing and bug catching are planned, which will push the game even closer to a life sim.
If you’re a console player, you’ll have to be patient. Aurora Arts says the team will try to bring Fae & Fauna to more platforms, consoles included, once it leaves early access. For now, the Steam version is the only confirmed one.
FAQ
Fae & Fauna is scheduled to enter Steam Early Access in the first quarter of 2027. The studio expects the game to stay in that phase for about two years before the 1.0 version arrives.
Faeons are the magical pets – cats and dogs – that you collect throughout the game. They accompany you while exploring and help you out in combat. You can also create your own using magic and chemistry.
Not exactly. It’s a creature-collecting RPG with a cozy vibe, even though it includes life-sim mechanics like crafting, cooking, mining, home decoration and character customization. Fishing and bug catching are planned for the 1.0 version.
Aurora Arts has said the team will try to bring the game to more platforms, possibly including consoles, once it leaves early access. Right now only the Steam release is confirmed.
Yes. The trailer shows fights against hostile creatures called Knytt, which you take on with various melee weapons. Your Faeons help you during those encounters.