By Steven Andrew 
Two cinematic animators from Sony Santa Monica Studio’s 2018 Game of the Year winner are bringing their debut action roguelike to Steam Next Fest this week, and they’re not taking the sword concept lightly. Swordcery, from indie studio Temple Door Games, tasks players with collecting and wielding an ever-growing arsenal of enchanted blades, including a tennis racket and an actual shark, to fight back against a Celestial evil consuming the world.
Mike Henriet and Don Thurakichprempri founded Temple Door Games in 2019 after working together as two of six animators on God of War. The Steam store page describes their vision as a blend of responsive hack-and-slash combat with roguelike progression, where each sword belongs to a distinct class with its own combo system and magical ability, called a Swordcery. A boomerang throw, lightning bolt, hellfire fissure, or protective icy swordflakes are examples of what these abilities can do in combat.
The Next Fest demo lets players test weapon classes against dangerous enemies and bosses while venturing through procedurally generated dungeons. Each run offers new swords, relics, and upgrades, creating the roguelite replayability loop the studio has built around sword-swinging combat.
The setup is straightforward but fantastical: a colossal blade has pierced the Earth, raining smaller enchanted swords from the heavens. Playing as Colt, an unwitting hero, players must wield these fallen blades to undo the corruption draining the world’s power. Combat emphasizes pattern recognition, reaction times to telegraphed attacks, and smart use of both melee and magical abilities under pressure.
Anyone interested can wishlist Swordcery on Steam now and jump into the demo ahead of Next Fest. The studio is also active on itch.io for those who want to follow development or chat with other players about blade choices.
Aimee Rogers