Clever Plays shows first Happy Bastards gameplay at Summer Games Fest

Montreal indie studio Clever Plays unveiled the first combat gameplay for Happy Bastards during Sunday’s PC Gaming Show at Summer Games Fest and released a playable demo on Steam. The turn-based tactical RPG is slated to get a broader demo later this year that includes open-world exploration.

Why it matters: - Happy Bastards is moving from tease to hands-on preview, giving players an early look at the combat loop behind Clever Plays’ next tactical RPG. - The Steam demo and new trailer help build momentum ahead of a fuller demo expected later this year. - The game is being positioned around turn-based tactics, open-world exploration and player-driven chaos, which could appeal to fans of strategy RPGs looking for a more irreverent tone.

What happened: - Clever Plays unveiled a new combat trailer for Happy Bastards during Sunday’s PC Gaming Show at Summer Games Fest. - The studio also posted a playable combat demo on Steam. - The demo focuses on turn-based combat and gives players a first hands-on look at the game’s battlefield systems. - Happy Bastards was previously revealed at the Future Games Show during Summer Game Fest 2024.

The details: - Happy Bastards is an open-world, turn-based tactical RPG. - Players assemble a squad of mercenaries and chase fame through adventuring, fighting, looting and dirty dealings. - The game blends tactical combat, RPG progression and a reactive world. - The demo released today simulates a dungeon delve with combat and exploration. - Battlefields use a square grid and emphasize elevation, line of sight, positional bonuses, control zones, tile effects, traps, shoving, falling and orthogonal targeting. - Players control mercenaries from the sidelines as the main character issues commands from a shared pool of abilities. - The Tag-Team Swap lets players swap specialized combatants mid-fight. - Only three mercenaries can be on the field at once. - Combatants can react in different ways, including quips, combat modifiers, panic and fleeing. - Clever Plays said the game’s combat was refined through insider community feedback and playtesting. - A more robust demo covering open-world exploration is planned for later this year. - Players can still sign up for the Insider Program through the studio’s Discord. - The studio is also directing players to the company website, the Happy Bastards Steam page, and its social channels.

Between the lines: - Clever Plays is signaling that combat is the first major pillar it wants players to evaluate, before the larger open-world layer arrives. - Releasing a combat-only demo suggests the studio is using iteration and community testing to tune the game before widening the preview. - The pitch leans on genre familiarity but adds a more chaotic personality through reactive characters and a fame-at-any-cost setting.

What’s next: - Clever Plays plans to release a broader demo later this year that includes real-time open-world exploration. - The studio says players who join the Insider Program through Discord will be first to know when open-world testing begins. - Players can wishlist and download the combat demo on Steam. - More updates are expected in the coming months as development continues.

The bottom line: - Happy Bastards is now playable in combat form, and Clever Plays is using the demo to preview a tactical RPG built around squad management, reactive battles and irreverent world-building.