A saxophone-playing rat was almost banned from the shop. That tells you most of what you need to know about Dark Scrolls, which launched today on PC and Nintendo Switch after extended development.
The game fuses shmup-style chaos with roguelite progression, asking players to hack and slash through procedurally generated dungeons filled with hand-crafted rooms, branching paths, and unrelenting bosses. Nine unlockable heroes each bring unique attacks, abilities, and side objectives to the mix. The core loop mirrors classic arcade design: stack perks and elemental powers through combat performance, chain them right, and unleash screen-filling destruction. Between runs, you’ll spend coins at Bruce & Goose’s Shoppe to unlock new perks, devastating attacks, and summoned allies.
Frantic action sits at the center, but Dark Scrolls pivots on player choice. Each run branches differently based on decisions and completed quests, so no two ascending attempts feel identical. Secrets are scattered throughout, hiding new paths, locations, and heroes to rescue and add to your roster.
DARK SCROLLS IS OUT NOW! 🪓
Announcement from doinksoft
Well…it’s finally happened!DARK SCROLLS IS OUT NOW! 🪓 After countless hours in the dungeon, creating increasingly questionable heroes and arguing over whether a saxophone-playing rat should be banned from the shop (the answer is always yes), Dark Scrolls is finally out in the world on PC & Nintendo Switch!We wanted to create something that captures that feeling of old-school arcade games, whilst also throwing in all the things we love: frantic action, weirdo characters, co-op chaos and the kind of runs where everythi
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The game supports solo play and local or online cooperative modes, letting you bring a buddy into the chaos. Revive mechanics and combined attacks reward teamwork, though solo runs demand sharp reflexes and split-second decisions as intensity ratchets upward with each screen.
The developers emphasized capturing that old-school arcade feeling while layering in the kind of runs where everything collapses, then suddenly you’re the most powerful thing on screen. Whether that promise holds depends on execution, but the breadth of heroes, modular progression systems, and hand-crafted level design suggest ambition beyond the usual roguelite formula.