Planned Release Date: Dec 10, 2026

About This Game

Ardent Arcana is a co-op dungeon roguelite for one to four knights: play solo, or bring up to three friends online over Steam.
At the bottom of the dungeon, a boss is waiting. To reach it, you must cross five ever-changing dungeons haunted by beasts from the old legends of France, and come out alive, together.

Fight with what you find

You start with a plain sword. Halberd, war hammer, bow, crossbow… the rest of the armory waits in the dungeon: 14 weapons in all, each with its own light and heavy attack. Master a weapon in battle and the forge will raise it, with a choice of perks at every level.

Master the Arcana

At the merchant's shop, spend your gold on grimoires, each bound to one of the 22 Major Arcana: the Sun sets your enemies ablaze, the Moon clouds their sight, Death feeds on their fall. Grimoires of the same Arcanum answer one another, and the order you place them in matters. Bring two Arcana together to awaken a dual grimoire, and forge a build that is yours alone.
Each knight can also find Reliques, hidden in chests or torn from minibosses. More than mere bonuses, they grant powers no grimoire can give.

Better together

Up to four knights share one dungeon and one fate. When a friend falls, reach them before they bleed out. The more knights, the tougher the enemies.

A new dungeon every run

A run is five dungeons with a shop between each, and no two runs are alike. Each dungeon spreads over one to three floors linked by stairs, in three settings: the Crypt, the Halls and the Ramparts under the moon. Lava burns, water puts the fire out, floors give way into pits, and the walls hide levers, cracks and secret rooms. Find each dungeon's key to open the way out.

Face the beasts of folklore

Brigands, archers and sorcerers, wolves and gargoyles, the carcolh, the beasts of the Gévaudan, and the White Lady who walks through walls. Each dungeon hides an optional miniboss, and the fifth ends against one of four bosses: the Tarasque, the Gargoyle Lord, the Beast of Gévaudan or the Black Knight.

One seed a day

The daily run gives every player the same dungeons and the same starting weapon, with no unlocks. Race for the fastest full clear, with a leaderboard for each party size.

Features

• Online co-op for 1 to 4 players over Steam, or solo
  
• 14 weapons, each with a light and a heavy attack, raised at the forge with a choice of perks
  
• The 22 Major Arcana, over 100 grimoires and their dual grimoires
  
• 11 Reliques with unique powers
  
• Procedural dungeons of 1 to 3 floors in three settings: Crypt, Halls, Ramparts
  
• Over 10 enemy types, 4 minibosses and 4 bosses from French folklore
  
• Lava, water, pits, breakable walls, levers and secret rooms
  
• Party blessing vote, revives in time with the beat, shared map
  
• A daily run with a leaderboard for each party size

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

Some enemy 3D models were made with an AI 3D-generation tool, then rigged, animated and edited by the developer. Parts of the store text, the in-game text and its translations were drafted with an AI assistant and reviewed by the developer. Nothing is generated by AI while you play.