With Halloween creeping up on us, I'm well in the mood for games with a bit of spookiness about them (see my pick of the best indie horror games of 2025). As a old Gauntlet fan, I've always had a soft spot for dungeon crawlers, and Secret of Weepstone appeals to that perfectly with a glorious retro art style.
This upcoming indie RPG is being developed with hand-drawn monochrome graphics, punctuated by just the occasional spot of colour. And the gameplay leans heavily on nostalgia too, taking inspiration from classic '80s Dungeons & Dragons (also see our picks of the best retro game consoles and the best handheld consoles for retro gaming if you can't wait for your nostalgia fix).
Founded by Sean Gailey, Talesworth Game Studio is named after its 2022 release World of Talesworth. The developer describes The Secret of Weepstone as a “dungeon crawling love letter to old school role-playing games”.
Six "unlikely commonfolk" explore an abandoned keep to uncover the cause of their lord’s mysterious illness. Players must solve puzzles, level-up characters and recruit additional ones, while gameplay includes classic D&D dice rolling for skill checks and combat
The story has me engaged, and I love the art style. The black-and-white hand-drawn art by artists including Tom Galmacci, Jon Everett and Ian MacLean recalls a mix of comic art and engravings for fairytale illustrations, perfect for a tribute to classic role playing.
The game's UI design is also very creative, taking the form of a fantasy book. This is where we see one of the few uses of colour in the game, with classic blue and white for the automap. There's a slight tint on the character sheet too, to make it look like paper, and we also get some splashes of red for blood, which stands out against the monochrome dungeon setting.
What's encouraging is the developer's obvious passion for D&D. Writing on Instagram, he notes that "even the sight of a d20 simply brings a smile to my face", in reference to the role-playing game's classic dice. There are plans to add various unlockable dice sets, although the developer recognises the challenge that dice present in video games due to the time they take to roll so plans to add speed settings to allow players to up the pace if desired.
The Secret of Weepstone is slated for release for Windows PCs in 2026. You can wishlist it on Steam.
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