Recently, S_Kaga unveiled a prototype for a new Vestaria Saga side-story on his blog. Known as Vestaria Saga Gaiden: Norden Civil War, it focuses on the conflict within the Kingdom of Norden and occurs around the same time as another side-story, Holy Sword of Silvanister.

(Many thanks to MovesetMaker for sharing this info via Reddit. Screenshots belong to S_Kaga and Vestaria Project.)

For reference, Norden Civil War is actually the 3rd side-story in the Vestaria Saga series. A full sequel “Vestaria Saga II” is also in the works, although it’ll be longer before it comes into fruition. The original Vestaria Saga was released back in 2016 and officially localised during 2019.

Unlike the other games in the series, Norden Civil War is not a traditional Strategy RPG, like the Fire Emblem games. Instead, it’s a territorial-based strategy game, similar to “Nobunaga’s Ambition”. The reason for the genre change is because S_Kaga wants to try something fresh–and because he can.

Players will be able to control up to 40 characters, each with multiple squads attached to them. The game will apparently feature a fairly realistic depiction of war, as 7 tribal nations vie for control of Norden. There isn’t a singular protagonist and the story will be quite broad, similar to TearRing Saga.

The game itself will be easier than the rest. The gameplay is a lot less complex and a lot of mechanics have been streamlined. Players can save at any time and there is no permadeath. It should also be quicker to complete. That said, you’ll still require some tactical acumen to enjoy the game.

So far, S_Kaga is aiming to complete the game by the end of the year. Although there’s always a chance he might drop it completely, if it’s not up to snuff. While he is using a new tool to make the game, he has programmers on board with experience. Also, he’s hired a new artist for new character portraits.

Looking at the screenshots, there are a couple of familiar faces. There are towns with shops where you can buy supplies, but these shops will be inaccessible if the enemy has seized the town. There are also prisons, where you can add prisoners to your squad, grill them for info or make them do forced labour. There’s also a text log.

For more screenshots, please check out S_Kaga’s blog. He also shared some Q and As in a more recent post.