Oduvan Games releases its first major PC title after two years of development, combining turn-based tactical combat, open-sector exploration, and a nonlinear story shaped by a sentient alien Symbiont.
Independent developer Oduvan Games announced the release of Frontier: Path of Shadows, a hard sci-fi turn-based tactical RPG now available on PC via Steam.
After two years of development, Frontier: Path of Shadows marks the studio’s first major PC release. Players follow Jay and the crew of the Simurgh through a fractured corner of outer space, where rival factions compete for influence in the aftermath of the Interstellar War.
Along the way, players will explore planets and dangerous regions of space, take on contracts and side missions, fight tactical battles, make difficult choices, and uncover the mystery of the strange alien being connected to Jay — the Symbiont.
Tactical Combat Where Positioning Matters
Combat in Frontier is built around a network of interconnected tactical points rather than a traditional grid. Different positions can provide advantages or inflict negative effects, while movement abilities allow players to push enemies into dangerous locations and turn the battlefield itself into a weapon.
Each crew member has unique abilities, with new skills opening additional tactical combinations. Weapons and equipment come in different rarities, encouraging experimentation with squad builds and loadouts.
Battles also feature changing environments, enemy compositions, and procedural conditions that force players to adapt.
For those willing to take greater risks, Frontier includes a roguelite extraction-style combat loop: win a battle, push deeper for better rewards, or leave before losing what you have earned.
Explore an Open Sector
Outside combat, players are free to choose where the crew travels next.
The sector includes planets, nebulae, asteroid fields, wrecks, other ships, contracts, side quests, random encounters, and resources. Players can follow the main story or spend time exploring and taking on optional activities.
Resources can also be handed over to different factions to increase reputation, giving players another way to shape their relationships with the groups competing for power across the sector.
A Story Shaped by the Symbiont
At the heart of Frontier: Path of Shadows is a nonlinear story filled with quests, faction conflicts, discoveries, and difficult decisions.
Path of Shadows is the first chapter of a larger Frontier narrative. Its main story reaches a conclusion, while introducing characters, mysteries, and conflicts intended to continue in future chapters.
Jay is bonded to an aurorite Symbiont, a rare form of sentient crystalline life coveted by powerful forces across the sector.
But the Symbiont is not simply another tool. It watches how the player behaves. Decisions made in conversations, combat, exploration, and interactions with the world gradually shape its tendencies and the way it responds to Jay.
This relationship can influence major story developments and help determine which endings players reach.
What Comes Next
Oduvan Games plans to continue supporting Frontier: Path of Shadows after release with fixes, updates, balance adjustments, and improvements based on player feedback.
The studio is also considering:
- additional storefronts, including the Epic Games Store;
- new combat encounters, side quests, and random events;
- future chapters and stories in the Frontier universe.
The story of Path of Shadows may reach its conclusion, but several questions remain.
Why is Jay able to bond with the Symbiont?
What did the Argonauts discover on the Path of Shadows?
And what exactly is Khan hiding?
Frontier: Path of Shadows is available now on PC via Steam.
About Frontier: Path of Shadows
Frontier: Path of Shadows is a hard sci-fi turn-based tactical RPG combining squad combat, open-sector exploration, faction relationships, procedural encounters, and a nonlinear narrative shaped by a sentient alien Symbiont.
About Oduvan Games
Oduvan Games is an independent game development studio. Frontier: Path of Shadows is the team’s first major PC project and is based on the original hard science-fiction universe of Frontier.
