Tarpit Games Announces 3D Dungeon RPG Häxeri for Steam
Häxeri is a solo-developed homage to classic dungeon crawlers that explicitly borrows the Press Turn system from Shin Megami Tensei and the mapping mechanic from Etrian Odyssey, two mechanics rarely combined in a single indie title.
Key Facts
- Häxeri is a 3D dungeon RPG developed by Swedish indie developer sfabian under Tarpit Games.
- The Steam store page opened on July 21, 2026, with a planned release in 2027.
- The game features six classes: Berserker, Paladin, Rogue, Bard, Priest, and Sorcerer.
- Battles use a Press Turn system where exploiting enemy weaknesses grants extra actions and hitting resistances costs actions.
- The mapping system lets players draw walls and floors on grid paper displayed on-screen during exploration.
Reporting from 2 sources: 4Gamer.net, Game Spark.
Swedish indie developer sfabian, working under the studio Tarpit Games, has opened the Steam store page for Häxeri, a 3D dungeon RPG scheduled for release in 2027. The title means "witchcraft" in Swedish, a nod to the Wizardry series. Häxeri draws inspiration from Wizardry, Etrian Odyssey, and Shin Megami Tensei. Players explore grid-based dungeons with a party of up to four characters, choosing from six classes: Berserker, Paladin, Rogue, Bard, Priest, and Sorcerer. Each character has assignable stats and a class-specific skill tree. The turn-based battle system uses a Press Turn mechanic: exploiting an enemy's weakness grants an extra action, while hitting a resistance costs an action. The game also features a hand-drawn mapping system where players draw walls and floors on grid paper displayed on the right side of the screen or full screen. Developer sfabian cited Etrian Odyssey as a key influence, describing it as challenging yet calming.
- Developer sfabian, working as Tarpit Games, is based in Sweden and is a solo developer.
- The title "Häxeri" is Swedish for "witchcraft," a direct nod to the Wizardry series (whose name literally means "magic").
- Sfabian said he grew up with NES and SNES, loving Mario and The Legend of Zelda, and was drawn to RPGs after watching a cool aunt play Secret of Mana and the PlayStation Final Fantasy series.
- He cited Etrian Odyssey as a key influence, describing it as "challenging yet strangely calming," and said he wanted to make a game in the same vein.
- The game's battle system uses a Press Turn mechanic where exploiting an enemy's weakness grants an extra action, while hitting a resistance costs an action.
- Players can draw walls and floors on grid paper displayed on the right side of the screen or full screen while exploring.
- Elements visible on the dungeon screen, such as enemies and skill trees, show the influence of Etrian Odyssey.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.