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If your favourite video games include Wizardry, Etrian Odyssey, and Shin Megami Tensei, then the upcoming dungeon-crawling RPG Häxeri might be a project to keep an eye on in the future.
Developed by the Swedish solo developer Fabian Sorensson (under the name Tarpit Games), the game is a tribute "to the now dormant Etrian Odyssey series" and has been in development for the past two years, with a release window set for 2027.
The Steam page for the title launched just over a week ago, and has already racked up an impressive 5,600 wishlists, apparently driven by strong word-of-mouth and coverage from Japanese outlets like Famitsu and 4Gamer.
The response, Sorensson says, "has been much better" than he ever could have expected, with the game seemingly hitting all the right notes with Japanese gamers, as well as fans of old-school dungeon-crawling RPGs.
Haxeri (or "Witchery," as the game's title translates to, in English) is described as "an old-school style DRPG," and is reportedly being built for "fans who love methodical party-building, careful mapping and turn-based combat with strategic depth." Players will form their own party, picking from six different classes — Berserker, Paladin, Rogue, Bard, Priest and Sorcerer — before entering a labyrinthine dungeon to investigate rumours of an evil cult trying to resurrect a sleeping evil.
As Sorensson tells us, the game features a mechanic similar to the one seen in Etrian Odyssey, where users draw their own dungeon map "by hand" to keep track of each floor, but that isn't the only classic title it pulls from.
The title of the game, for instance, is clearly a reference to the pioneering dungeon RPG Wizardry, while Sorensson also admits the combat is more than a little inspired by Shin Megami Tensei's elemental-based battles, which sees fighters exploiting opponents' weaknesses to earn an additional turn.
It all looks extremely charming in our opinion, with the enemy sprites, in particular, calling to mind the SNES version of Wizardry, at least in our minds.
Right now, there's no word on whether the game will be released on consoles as well or when a playable demo will drop, but if you want to keep tabs on any updates, you can do yourself a favour and wishlist the title here.