New indie Dark Flame mixes Castlevania and Dark Souls

Ever wondered what would happen if you mixed Dark Souls with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night? You get this nifty indie platformer, Dark Flame.

I've been on a big Castlevania kick lately, so any game that remote resembles an awesome Metroidvania style side-scroller has caught my attention. So when I came across Dark Flame earlier today, I squeed with delight.

Dark Flame is a love-letter to anyone who's entranced by the macabre style and relentless platforming hack-and-slash chaos of the Castlevania series. One look instantly conjures up nostalgic memories playing Symphony of the Night on PlayStation, getting lost in Dracula's winding castle and battling bit-style foes. Although I haven't played it (I hope to remedy that very soon!) Dark Flame checks all the right boxes: giant boss battles, that classic gothic eeriness infused with delicious retro visuals, a pretty dynamic RPG system with weapons, armors, and abilities, and more.

The game is being developed by indie dev Warren Smith, and if you like what you see, Warren has a Patreon that you can contribute to and get exclusive early access builds. Dark Flame has been greenlit on Steam Greenlight, and will be releasing on PC when it's finished. There's no actual release date just yet, but this kinda thing shouldn't be rushed.

As a budding fan of Castlevania, I'm really excited to see where this game goes. I know the Angry Video Game Nerd himself, James Rolfe, and Mike Matei would love this game, so hopefully this will pop up on their radar soon.

If you're interested in checking the game out, here's a few helpful links that will keep you up to date on the development process.

Dark Flame Steam Greenlight page

Dark Flame Patreon

Dark Flame dev Twitter

Dark Flame Facebook page

Dark Flame on IndieDB

Check below for a description of Dark Flame's story and what it offers, too:

Story:

You play the role of Taharial; a crusader in the midst of the Batlic Crusades. Upon discovering a mysterious onset of insanity by unknown causes among his brothers, Taharial set's forth to purge the area of evil and persevere through the dark possessive powers before all is lost in chaos.

Game Features:

• Large, Themed Environments: Action-packed Metroidvania-style gameplay with hand crafted rooms and environments.
• Determine Your Destiny: Choose whether to persevere with good faiths, or succumb to the darkness in this diverse storyline.
• Customizable Gameplay: Unique level-up system with unlockable talents and spells.
• Original Soundtrack: inspired from old "-vania" titles.
• Hidden Rooms and Secrets: Large, maze-like environments consisting of upgrades and hidden items!
• Progressive Storylines: Obtain new powers to progress through the game and learn of the darkness that dwells within the realm.
• Hidden Spells: Some weapons and items contain an unlockable power via specific inputs.