The turn-based roguelike role-playing game Darkest Dungeon made a huge splash when it released onto the indie scene in 2016. It became so popular that developer Red Hook Studios announced a sequel, and it also inspired Russian studio Unfrozen to create their own rendition of the idea with a game called Iratus: Lord of the Dead that officially left Steam early access today after releasing in July 2019.
Iratus is essentially the inverse of Darkest Dungeon, allowing the player to take control of a necromancer unexpectedly released "from an eternal prison" who uses their army of the dead to kill heroes and take over a corrupt world. It still retains the same dark, Lovecraftian horror art style as its inspiration, in spite of the role reversal.
The ripple effects of Darkest Dungeon on the independent game development scene are hard to overstate. Iratus: Lord of the Dead is just one title released in recent years, another example being Krafton's more anime-inspired Mistover.
Alongside the full release of Iratus, its publisher Daedalic Entertainment — currently working on The Lord of the Rings: Gollum — is holding a sale on a huge number of games until April 27.
Iratus: Lord of the Dead is available now on Steam.
Sources: Iratus Website, Daedalic Entertainment