WHEN BEAT'EM'UP MEETS ROGUELITE
A 2.5D beat'em'up about a Brotherhood of sinners trying to redeem a king who broke the world with a forbidden song. Roguelite progression. Live on Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Pass today.
50k+ Steam wishlists · Very Positive reviews · couch co-op
LAUNCHING SOON
This Kickstarter does not fund the game. It funds the Founder's Edition: cosmetics exclusive to Kickstarter, physical rewards, and, if we hit the stretch goal, a real SEGA Mega Drive version.
We are different from most campaigns: the game already exists. You can play it today on Steam and Xbox Game Pass. The Mega Drive port is a rebuild for 1988 hardware, not a copy-paste. If it unlocks, you can pick a playable Read Only Memory (ROM) file, a boxed cartridge that runs on original hardware, or both.
Before the shadow, Aldermere was held by a Pact: certain powers shall not be touched, certain songs must not be sung, certain doors must not be opened.
Then the King descended into the Cloister of the Dragon and sang a Forbidden Song. The Pact broke. In an exchange of power with the ancient dragon, through magic, betrayal, and love, he cursed everything and everyone. The kingdom fell to its knees.
The only hope is a Brotherhood of heroes determined to redeem themselves first, and the kingdom as a whole. They are not here to slay a tyrant. They are here to redeem him, and themselves.
We studied combat tempo, animation poses, artificial intelligence states, and the whole flow of the old classics, to revive that retro feeling. Then we redesigned the coin-op night as a "one more run" loop, driven by hero progression and the Brotherhood.
Each hero committed a Sin before the corruption spread, and each one seeks Redemption. The Brotherhood is where every run begins: a last resort of sanity. Non-player characters (NPCs) live there, unlock through quests, and sell the upgrades you share on the path back.
The Swordmaster
Sin: ambition
First Blade of the royal guard. He was supposed to block the stairs to the Cloister of the Dragon. Ambition made him step aside. Balanced, fast, and strong, with the ability to block incoming hits.
The Wrestler
Sin: the opened door
The strongest man in Aldermere. His hands moved the seal-stone no one else could. He opened the door the King walked through. Slow, sturdy, and raw. A single punch can knock an enemy out.
The Assassin
Sin: the bought speed
Captain of the Queen's Silent Guard. She bought speed from the shadow to protect the light, and could not let the power go. Movement and agility let her cut through a fight before the hit lands.
The Sorcerer
Sin: the first ritual
Court sorcerer who introduced the King to the forbidden magic, before the King was lost. Weak in melee with only his staff. He summons minions, and can heal himself and his allies.
Four more heroes arrive with version 1.0. More info coming soon!
They live in the Brotherhood hall. Take their quests, and they help you: shops, the archive, mounts, and upgrades that last beyond a single run.
The Bard
The Beast Master
The Master Mage
The Blacksmith
The Astrologer
The Gambler
The Shrouded
Four biomes, then a fifth place where the Mad King can take physical form. Two regions are live. The rest, and the Cloister of the Dragon, ship with 1.0.
Boss: Baron Morgrim. He drank from the goblet for immortality, and the dead still answer him.
Boss: Ronhak. He took the power to command the sands, and rules the wastes with an iron fist.
Boss: Nemora. She claimed the forces of nature. The woods will not stay quiet.
Boss: Oromund, last herald of the ancient draconic language, master of forbidden powers.
Beyond the fourth door: the Cloister of the Dragon, and the fields of Redemption.
Rotten Guards, King's Blades, Hammers, and Axes. Still on duty. Still serving a rotten leader.
Skeleton Guards, Elites, Spikes, and Axes. The King's heraldry is still on the shield, long after the flesh left the bone.
Necroclan cultists, Dark Heralds, Royal Enforcers, Soul Reapers. Elite warriors who embraced the dark instead of fighting it.
The biome bosses. Each drank from a goblet and traded a soul for a greater power. Morgrim, Ronhak, Nemora, Oromund.
Faithful to a brawler. Combat tempo, animation poses, and enemy states rebuilt from the classics so a run still feels like a coin-op night.
The old coin-op loop, redesigned. Heroes grow, the Brotherhood shares progress, and every run through Aldermere is a new fight.
Forbidden powers fill a Corruption Bar. When it breaks you enter a Corrupted Phase, then crash, exposed. Push or hold back.
Two players, one screen, on PC or Xbox. Steam Remote Play if a friend is elsewhere.
Unfold the mysteries of why the kingdom fell. Relics and hidden stories slowly reveal the Pact, the Song, and the King's descent.
Early Access is only the start. New biomes, heroes, bosses, and a lot more of Aldermere are coming soon.
Forbidden Powers are the spells the Pact forbade. You choose one for the run. Each cast fills the Corruption Bar. When it breaks you enter a Corrupted Phase, then you crash and stand exposed.
Circling bone, spear lines from the ground, flying skulls, and hands that grab from below.
Dark tendrils that spin, slash in a line, fall from the sky, or erupt around you.
Thorns and bloom. Rings, ribbons, a living veil, and flowers that bind enemies to your path.
Spiked rings, a crushing war wheel, circling blades, and a snare that waits in the dark.
Hands from the dark. They rise from the ground, sweep the room, and take what they catch.
EARLY ACCESS. HELP STEER THE GAME.
This game is in Early Access. Join the Discord if you want to help steer what comes next: patches, balance, and the future of Aldermere.
Early Access is live on Steam, Good Old Games (GOG), and Xbox, including Xbox Game Pass. The rest of Aldermere arrives as free updates. A major patch has shipped every month since launch. Full version target: first quarter of 2027.
Baron Morgrim, Shadowmere, the Brotherhood hub, mounts, Corruption, and local co-op.
Syl'Varis and Skygrave, three new bosses including the Mad King, new enemy rosters, four more heroes, more mounts and quests.
Native online multiplayer and a player-versus-player mode. On the roadmap. Not funded by this Kickstarter. Do not back expecting them.
Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 (PS5) planned for 2027. Steam Deck is already Verified.
| Platform | Status |
|---|---|
| Windows on Steam | Live in Early Access |
| macOS on Steam | Live in Early Access |
| Steam Deck | Verified |
| Good Old Games (GOG) | Live in Early Access |
| Xbox Series X and S | Live, also on Xbox Game Pass |
| SEGA Mega Drive | Stretch goal only: digital ROM and boxed cartridge |
| Nintendo Switch | Planned for 2027 |
| PlayStation 5 | Planned for 2027 |
