Mournful Sword is a story of desperation and the uncomfortable tension between ambition and the violence it inspires.

The game is about Rhen, who travels into the woods to find her Brother, and the personal trials she has to overcome to reclaim what is so special to her. Rhen has lived her entire life without venturing outside the walls of her village, but a dark quest takes her to long-forgotten lands in search of something precious she has lost.

In addition to being able to attack enemies from either side or above, you can even combo enemies in midair or below you as you fall onto them. But be careful, it requires excellent timing and careful planning. I also wanted to have a checkpoint system which harkened back to older games, forcing you not only to be able to complete a section of the game, but be able to complete it consistently.

In terms of accessibility options, there is a game-speed modifier, an option to reduce button-mashing, as well as settings that add a visual element to the audio feedback. I hope you will make good of these if you need them.

My goal with the game was to make it as simple as possible while retaining a depth and complexity that will force players to learn the best ways to surpass challenges, and be discerning about when and how they approach combat. Rhen’s journey reflects some of my own anxieties, the frustrations of loss, and feelings of trying to move forward in the face of hopelessness.

I started Mournful Sword in 2016 when I was between jobs, and it feels great to be so close to releasing it. I wanted to make a game that was difficult in a particular way, focusing less on individual challenges and more on endurance and thoughtful movement through levels. Instead of frequent checkpoints, you have to make it through large areas to save, reminiscent of Castlevania and Megaman on the NES. I find the perseverance required to overcome these challenges to be a beautiful thing, and so I made a game to capture that struggle. 

Mournful Sword is coming to PC (Steam) on October 22, 2019.