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Project Arcana is a high-fantasy pixel art RPG that invites players into the scarred world of Alunira, a land still haunted by The Hollowing, a cataclysm that shattered humanity’s bond with Arcana. You’ll lead a diverse party of heroes: Elaria, an elven Court Magus seeking truth beyond the walls of her homeland; Balin, a healer struggling with his faith; Torment, a bard exiled from her people; and Thorgar, a knight bound by an oath that damned his soul. Together, they’ll journey across a fractured realm, uncovering ancient secrets, forging unlikely bonds, and confronting forces that threaten to unravel the world itself.
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Each day, build a deck of Arcana Cards that shape your abilities, buffs, move set, and tactics for the journey ahead. Blending rogue-like strategies with RPG-like progression and loot mechanics.
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Fight your enemies on a strategic grid-based battlefield, where positioning, abilities, and teamwork decide the outcome of every fight. Combat happens on the overworld map, so no two fights are ever the same.
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Explore a hand-crafted, high-fantasy realm brought to life through detailed pixel art inspired by Octopath Traveler, Sea of Stars, and Hyper Light Drifter. Blending retro styling with modern touches.
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Learn More About Project Arcana
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Devlog
Author: Keoni
Published May 17th, 2025
When I was a kid, RPGs were more than just games, they were an escape. I know that’s true for a lot of us. These were entire worlds that I could disappear into. I spent countless hours roaming Albion in the Fable series, exploring the license board in Final Fantasy XII, or falling asleep to the Kingdom Hearts II title screen.
What I loved most about these games wasn’t just the combat or the music or the magic, though those were all incredible. It was the freedom. The feeling that no two people would play the same game the same way. The way you could craft your own playstyle, make your own choices, and forge your own path through that handcrafted world.
Simply put, it’s a turn-based RPG with a pixel art style and a lot of heart.
Set in a high fantasy world after a magical catastrophe called The Hollowing, it follows a group of characters trying to make sense of a fractured world, and find their place in it. Arcana, the source of magic, once flowed freely through this world. Now, it can only be accessed through Archetypes. Choosing one grants power…but comes at a cost: you give up all other paths, all other forms of Arcana.
This is a story about ambition, grief, resilience, and the corrupting nature of power. You’ll follow four main characters; Elaria, Balin, Thorgar, and Torment, as they travel across a broken world, uncover forgotten truths, and try to save what remains of the world they call home.
Gameplay-wise, it’s a turn-based RPG with light roguelike and tactical mechanics. If you liked the themes of Final Fantasy XII and Sea of Stars, the charm of the Kingdom Hearts series, or the style of Eastward, Project Arcana might feel a little familiar and a little new, too.
Since officially starting development (or I guess whatever qualifies as “officially” in this case), I’ve actually made some real progress, which still feels weird to say.
Here’s what’s already done:
Right now, my focus is on building a solid foundation. The world, the systems, the characters, everything that already exists needs support structures in place before I can move deeper into development. It’s slow work sometimes, but it’s necessary. Once the groundwork is in place I’ll start sharing things like concept art, character profiles, gameplay systems, and behind-the-scenes design decisions in future updates.
This isn’t a marketing blog. There’s no strategy here, no content calendar, no goal to try to create hype right now. This is just a place to talk about the process. The wins, the mistakes, the weird moments, the things I learn as I go. Sometimes I’ll write about game mechanics. Other times it might be some dives into lore or a post where I vent about a UI screen that took me 2 weeks longer than expected. It’ll be honest, most likely a little rambly, and hopefully not too cringe for me to look back on.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you. Whether you’re a friend, a fellow dev, or someone who just wandered in (hi!), I really appreciate you being here.
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