A NEW EPIC METROIDVANIA ON ITS WAY.
‘This love affair with gaming really kind of enthralled me, and brought a new form of interactive story telling that I never new existed before’.
Matthew Mercer 2023. Storytime Matt Mercer. Paxman Unplugged.
Actor, Dungeon Master, Chief Creative Officer at Critical Role and Creative Director at Darrington Press.
Little Mage Teaser | Trailer, by Violoken. Unreleased Trailer, 2025.
Little Mage is an action-packed two-dimensional Metroidvania adventure game that immerses players in a beautifully hand-drawn high fantasy world. With rich lore and a detailed history, players embark on a journey through the desolate city of Hornedrose and the Basilica, discovering secrets, acquiring new abilities and items, encountering unique enemies, and overcoming challenging bosses. The game's strong focus on gameplay is supported by an engaging narrative that guides players through platforming challenges, stunning set pieces, and interactions with a cast of memorable allies. The game's art direction and production comes from a sole architect-turned-developer, bringing a unique perspective to the game's creation. Get ready for an epic adventure that combines challenging gameplay, deep lore, and beautiful art in one package.
LITTLE MAGE.
“In the dying light of an era, a city once exalted by its illustrious founders shall plummet from grace. Its streets shall crumble beneath the weight of a dark malevolence, long embedded and festering like a malignant blight upon the weak of heart. Amidst this encroaching desolation, a lone soul shall awaken—the Chosen One. The drawing of Angleworth shall signal the strength of this truth. The cages shall be shattered, and chaos will reign upon the world. Destined to gather the Anointed Council—birthed by fate to confront this darkening storm—the Chosen One must survive this perilous task and face oblivion. The buried truths shall be revealed, leading a path that may end in either redemption or total annihilation. A choice doth remain.
First shall return the Exiled bloom. Second, the Lost Observer. And thirdly, the Abomination will be ripened.”
Prophecies of Los, 1011 during the Age of Enlighted Minds.
About the Studio. Violoken, is a UK, London-based indie game studio, is thrilled to announce the development of its latest project, Little Mage – a A magic-imbued, narrative-rich Metroidvania title coming soon to PC and all major consoles. This game is currently in development.
Violoken is a solo-driven studio founded by an architect, art director with a track record of creating successful online games. The studio is committed to indie quality, community engagement, and fostering unique gaming experiences. A practical PhD on architectural aesthetics in gaming is being developed alongside Little Mage, further pushing the boundaries of creative game design.
About the Game/ Little Mage promises over 100 hours of dynamic platforming gameplay set in a fully-realized high fantasy world. Players will experience challenging encounters, epic boss battles, and a rich character progression system featuring a wide variety of equipment and items. The game also includes a collectible card mini-game, adding another layer of depth to the gameplay.
The story follows a burdened hero destined to change the fate of their world. With a rich narrative that both embraces and subverts traditional storytelling tropes, Little Mage is designed to captivate players with its immersive world, complete with unique languages, history, bestiaries, and cast of NPC allies.
Crowdfunding/ As development progresses, Violoken is preparing to launch a Kickstarter campaign soon. The project will be realized regardless. This crowdfunding effort will not only accelerate the game's development and expand the games offering, but also allow the studio to collaborate with other talented individuals, such as musicians, coders, and artists. Crowdfunding is an excellent first step in offering an opportunity for those that are interested in showing support for the development to do so, and for them to get something back from this. A percentage of the funds raised will directly go to support the speedrunning community on launch of the game as prize money.
Community Pledge/ Respect and transparency will be the foundation of this. The commitment to the Little Mage community is to support them in however they wish to express themselves and participate, whether through speedrunning, fan art, cosplay, lore exploration, or anything else. To learn more about Violoken's dedication to the community, explore the studio's short manifesto available at the bottom of this page. The community is everything.
Call to Action/ It would be appreciated and help if you stay connected and interact with Little Mage development by checking the blog, joining our Discord, and following the social media accounts linked at the top of the page. To be notified of the Kickstarter launch, please add your email below and you will get an email update at the time, or check for social media annoucements.
A note from the Developer Violoken, about Little Mage.
Announcing the Launch Trailer of ‘Little Mage’ - An Epic Metroidvania Adventure.
See Media Kit for Full Details.
ABOUT.
"My strategy with the community is simple: no strategy at all. I think that, as an indie developer, you should just be yourself and be a real human. I try to act online like I do in real life: treat everyone with respect, and be as honest and straightforward as possible."
Eric Barone, 2016, Game Development.
AKA ConcernedApe, the Developer of Stardew Valley and Haunted Choclatier.
"I wisely started with a map."
J.R.R. Tolkien, 1951. Letter to Milton Waldman on world building.
Author of Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion.
The Lands of Hayden, the setting of Little Mage and other stories to come.
The Game Play.
Little Mage blends tight, responsive controls with an expansive hand-drawn 2D world inspired by classic platformers and Metroidvania titles like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Hollow Knight, as well as influences from Ori, Diablo II, Final Fantasy, and Dark Souls.
Players will embark on an immersive adventure featuring fluid platforming, strategic combat, and a deep progression system. Customize your character with a variety of skills to level up and equipment rolls to enhance your playstyle. Explore the vast map and world, where architectural beauty intertwines with navigational challenges, ensuring every corner offers new discoveries and gameplay depth.
Story.
You are an æther Mage, the first to be reborn since the onset of the Fall, wielding control over four of the nine elemental forces of this world. Awakened in the ruined capital of Horned Rose, now a sealed prison for The Sixteen – once revered Magies from the Age of Saviours. Can you survive within this tomb-like city and uphold the prisons of The Sixteen, amidst a world of death and destruction? Navigate towering heights and labyrinthine catacombs, forging alliances and facing perilous adversaries. Amidst the shadows, questions linger: are the Gouds gone, or silently watching these dire events unfold?
As you delve deeper into the city, you'll uncover the intertwined fates of its inhabitants, learn ancient spells, and gather powerful artifacts.
World.
Immerse yourself in the meticulously crafted world of Little Mage, inspired by master fantasy story tellers like J.R.R. Tolkien, Brandon Sanderson, Matthew Mercer and Robert Jordan. The continent is rich in established lore, boasting a fully fleshed-out history with hidden truths waiting to be uncovered. Unique embedded languages with distinct grammatology and semiotics enrich the narrative, offering unparalleled environmental storytelling.
Explore the desolate city of Hornedrose, where secrets abound amidst hidden pathways, ancient texts, and formidable bosses guarding valuable relics. Every corner of this world invites exploration, presenting new challenges and rewarding discoveries that deepen the immersive experience of Little Mage.
"That feeling of being rewarded for your curiosity is huge. It's why I play games, this idea of truly existing in a world."
Cory Barlog, 2017. Interview with VentureBeat.
Creative director at Sony’s Santa Monica Studio, maker of God of War.
DARC, Little Mages ingame mini-game.
DARC: A Captivating Card Game Mini-Game within Little Mage.
DARC is an easy-to-learn, yet challenging-to-master card game mini-game featured in Little Mage. Drawing inspiration from iconic card games like Triple Triad and Gwent, DARC offers a strategic experience that will keep you hooked as you challenge allies and delve deeper into the world of Little Mage.
Objective. The goal of DARC is to capture your opponent’s cards by strategically placing
your Character Cards on a 4x4 grid in any orientation you choose. Support Cards are placed
along the perimeter of the board and activate special conditions for their respective rows.
Each Character Card has four directional values (up, down, left, right) that represent attack
or defense. The aim is to outmaneuver your opponent and flip their cards to your side by
leveraging these values.
Gameplay. Place your Character Cards on the grid and flip adjacent cards by ensuring your
card’s attack values surpass those of neighboring cards. Support Cards, which are placed
on the board's edges, can alter gameplay dynamics, providing tactical advantages or
imposing challenges. The player with the most cards of their color at the end of the game
emerges victorious.
Rules Variants. DARC offers several rule variants to enhance strategic depth:
Elemental Cards: Gain bonuses based on elemental interactions. For example, Metal > Water, Water > Fire, Fire > Wind, Wind > Earth, Earth > Lightning, Lightning > Metal, Æther > Spirit, Spirit > Æther, and Plant has neutral interactions.
Advanced Boards: Explore larger and more complex game boards that introduce new strategic challenges.
Cards and card envelopes (packs can be acquired through drops, quests, and various in-game activities, allowing you to expand and refine your deck. Whether you're a seasoned strategist or new to card games, DARC promises an immersive experience with layers of tactical depth and endless replayability. Dive into the world of Little Mage and master the art of DARC!
A
DARC gameboard.
Blog: From Architecture to Game Development. Welcome to the Little Mage blog, where architecture meets game development. As an architect turned game developer, I think I bring a unique perspective to creating immersive game worlds, driven by a passion for environmental storytelling and detail. This blog documents my journey in game development, sharing insights on architectural influences, gaming trends, game lore, and the latest news and updates.
As a solo developer, I’m constantly learning new skills—such as type creation, animation, and coding—and I’ll share these experiences to assist others on similar paths.
This project is also part of my PhD research into the intersection of architecture and game design, focusing on aesthetics and styles. The blog serves both as a creative outlet and an academic exploration. Drawing inspiration from historical styles like Gothic and Baroque, as well as visionaries like Lebbeus Woods and H.R. Giger, I blend these elements with contemporary design to craft a unique game world rich in narrative. Feel free to join the conversation and contribute your thoughts.
Violoken is an emerging indie game developer dedicated to creating high-quality, immersive gaming experiences while fostering a strong, supportive community. Drawing from a background in architecture and art direction, Violoken combines artistic vision with innovative gameplay mechanics to craft unique and engaging games. Their exceptional work in various creative fields—recognized through awards, talks, press coverage, and book publications—sets a solid foundation as they venture into game development. Committed to pushing boundaries, Violoken integrates an academic perspective into their process to enrich, while ensuring that gameplay is always king.
VIOLOKEN
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For queries, press enquires, interest or anything else please feel free to reach out.
More Updates and Trailers coming soon!
“We don’t set out to create a difficult game. We set out to create a challenging game. And in order to achieve that, we need there to be threats and dangers, and we need there to be unknowns… Our main idea is just to trust players”.
Hidetaka Miyazaki President and Representative Director, FromSoftware.
IGN Interview 2024. Demon's Souls; Dark Souls; Bloodborne; Sekiro; Elden Ring.