Gothic narrative roguelite Curse of Resthaven unveiled at Indie FanFest
Hilltop Studios, the team behind Lil’ Guardsman, have announced their next title, and it is a vast departure from the cute cartoony aesthetic of their breakthrough game. Curse of Resthaven is billed as an Eldritch time loop adventure and takes the form of a single–player narrative roguelite in which you must govern a cursed colony and decide who (or what) to trust.
The gaming loop involves a seven day structure, at the end of which the island is destroyed, only for a goddess to send you back to the beginning again. During each week loop you’ll need to carry out a range of activities to try and break the curse:
- Uncover the truth: Interrogate the townspeople, earn their trust, and discover their secrets. Question them wisely, and exploit your knowledge to gain new leverage.
- Master the art of trade: Strike a deal with every merchant that visits Resthaven to gather resources and upgrade the colony, improving the lives of those you serve.
- Explore a cursed island: Venture beyond the colony walls on branching, card-driven expeditions into the wilds. Build a deck of resource and companion cards to survive unpredictable encounters and confront eldritch horrors.
- Trapped in a time loop: Each week-long cycle unlocks new advantages, new story paths, and deeper truths. Use what you have learned to discover Resthaven’s darkest secrets.
- A hand-drawn world: Every character and environment is rendered in a unique graphic novel style, blending gothic intrigue with cosmic dread
- The sound of mystery: Features more than 25 fully voiced characters and an original score from the composer of Lil’ Guardsman’s award-winning soundtrack.
“Despite being a radical shift from the cartoon world of Lil’ Guardsman, Curse of Resthaven builds on everything we learned making that game,” said Scott Christian, Studio Director at Hilltop Studios. “It’s evocative, story-rich gothic horror, like if Twin Peaks and Lost had an eldritch baby raised by Edgar Allen Poe. We want it to move people, spook them, and be a lot of fun to play.”
You can now add Curse of Resthaven to your wishlist on Steam.