Forge it, fit it, test it

VF Games is the game label of VERO FOUNDRY LTD, an independent game studio in London. We design crafting games for Android about making things properly, from smelting ore to fitting a finished hinge.

Our designs follow a workshop day from cold metal to finished piece. Each step has its own small skill, and the satisfaction comes from doing every step well.

Orders arrive from villagers who need a tool, a lock or a lantern. Players choose the materials for each piece, then heat it, shape it and give it a finish, then see it put to use. Mistakes are recoverable. A badly tempered blade can be reworked rather than thrown away, so the games reward care rather than punish experiments.

The first workshop we are designing is a village forge with a small set of materials, mostly iron with some bronze and a little silver. New techniques are introduced one at a time, and each order explains what the customer needs the piece for, so choosing the right material and finish becomes part of the puzzle rather than a guess. A finished order book can be reread at any time, a record of everything the forge has made.