Embers of the Outer Dark

Embers of the Outer Dark  [in development early access demo Jan 2025]  is a dark fantasy, first-person spell-casting game where eldritch magic meets brutal combat. 

As the last surviving mage, you wield the remnants of forbidden power embers born from the Outer Dark, a cosmic void where ancient horrors lurk. 

Face overwhelming enemies, unleash devastating fire and shadow spells, and uncover the terrifying truth about the magic you command. In a world teetering on the edge of madness, how far will you go to control the flames?

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Setting:

The game is set in a world once rich with magic, where arcane knowledge was passed through generations. However, in a desperate attempt to harness more power, an ancient council of mages tore open a rift to the Outer Dark—a place beyond the known universe where unspeakable entities dwell. What they unleashed was far worse than they ever imagined. The rift bled chaos, corrupting the very fabric of reality, and the world slowly succumbed to madness.

Now, centuries later, the rift still burns like a cosmic wound, its embers empowering those foolish—or desperate—enough to seek them out. But every spell cast with this power takes its toll, corrupting not just the land but also the soul. The last remaining bastions of civilization are crumbling, with survivors either worshipping the eldritch horrors or fighting a losing battle to keep them at bay.

Protagonist:

You play as Sirus, a once-renowned mage whose mind teeters on the edge of insanity. Driven by visions and whispers from the Outer Dark itself—you’ve come to a desolate land where the embers of the rift are strongest. Whether you seek to seal the rift or exploit its power is up to you, but you know one thing: there’s no coming back unchanged.

• Motivation: To reclaim the world from the madness of the Outer Dark—or succumb to its irresistible power.
• Conflict: As you wield this forbidden magic, the line between sanity and madness blurs. Will you be able to master the embers without becoming a puppet of the entities that lurk beyond?

The Outer Dark:

An infinite, unknowable dimension that exists outside the boundaries of time and space. It’s home to eldritch beings, creatures beyond human comprehension, whose mere existence drives mortals insane. The Outer Dark is where magic comes from, but it’s a corrupt, tainted power. Each spell brings you closer to the edge of madness, making the ultimate cost of power not just death—but total loss of self.

Antagonists:

• The Tainted: Humans and creatures corrupted by prolonged exposure to the embers. They serve as the game’s cannon fodder, mutated and insane, lashing out at anything that reminds them of their former selves
• The Scorched: Once humans, these creatures are consumed by embers, their bodies charred and glowing with residual fire magic. They attack in packs.
• Ashbound Stalkers: Agile, shadow-like creatures that ambush the player from above or from hidden ash pits.
• Eldritch Beasts: Monstrous entities that have slipped through the rift. Some are grotesque, writhing creatures that defy natural laws, while others are phantoms that seem to exist only in nightmares—until they tear you apart.
• The Outer Gods: Unfathomable beings who exist beyond the rift. Their motivations are unknown, but some scholars believe they are toying with the world, enjoying its slow collapse into madness. Others say they are trying to remake it in their own image.

[More enemy types to come]