Doinksoft and Devolver Digital are back with Dark Scrolls, a retro-styled roguelite that mixes action-platforming with shmup-level chaos. Here’s what indie fans should know ahead of launch.
Indie action-platformer fans have a new date to circle on the calendar. Dark Scrolls, the latest from Doinksoft and Devolver Digital, is set to launch on May 28, 2026, bringing a chaotic blend of roguelite progression, side-scrolling action, and old-school shoot ‘em up energy.
At its core, Dark Scrolls plays like a twitchy action-platformer that never sits still. Levels are procedurally generated, pushing you through compact stages filled with projectiles, traps, and enemies that crowd the screen. The shmup influence shows in how much of the challenge comes from reading bullet patterns and threading your character through tiny gaps, even while you are jumping between platforms and lining up your own attacks.
The roguelite structure is built around runs that escalate in intensity and reward. You dive into dungeons, collect weapons and upgrades, and push as far as your reflexes and build will take you before an inevitable mistake sends you back to the start. Rather than traditional lives and continues, the loop is about learning enemy patterns, experimenting with different characters, and slowly mastering the chaos. Each failed run feeds back into the next, making you a little stronger and a lot smarter.
Combat leans into absurd variety. Doinksoft’s sense of humor shows in the arsenal, where you are not just flinging axes and arrows but also hurling knives and even steaks as lethal projectiles. It creates a rapid-fire, almost slapstick tone that contrasts nicely with the grim-sounding title. Different weapons change the rhythm of a run, and that variety gives the game the feel of a shmup crossed with a weapon-juggling action platformer.
Roguelite fans will also appreciate the roster. Dark Scrolls features nine playable characters, each bringing their own flavor to the chaos. Swapping characters between runs is more than cosmetic, shifting how you approach enemy waves and how you move through a stage. Combined with procedural layouts, that cast helps keep the experience fresh over repeat sessions.
Presentation is a clear love letter to retro action games. The visuals stick to a chunky, old-school look that feels right at home next to Doinksoft’s past work, pairing bold sprites with punchy, dramatic animations. Screens quickly fill with particles, projectiles, and damage numbers, capturing the same kind of noisy spectacle that made classic arcade shooters so addictive. The audio design backs it up with sharp, crunchy effects and a soundtrack that leans into energetic, fantasy-tinged chiptune.
Dark Scrolls is built for both solo and co-op play, which should give it extra appeal for fans who like sharing their roguelite misery and triumph. Cooperative runs naturally dial up the chaos, turning the screen into a storm of overlapping attacks and dodges, but they also open the door to more creative crowd control and boss-killing strategies.
For an indie release, the studio and publisher pairing is a big part of the excitement. Doinksoft has carved out a reputation for tightly tuned, stylish retro-inspired projects, and Devolver Digital has been one of the most reliable labels for offbeat, high-quality indie action games for years. That combination alone makes Dark Scrolls one of the more promising smaller launches of the month, especially for players who follow Devolver’s catalog and trust its taste.
If you are into fast, skill-heavy 2D action, Dark Scrolls looks like it is aimed squarely at you. The mix of roguelite runs, shmup pacing, and retro presentation sets it up as a natural fit for speedrunners, achievement hunters, and anyone who loves the loop of dying, learning, and jumping straight back in for one more attempt.
Dark Scrolls launches May 28, 2026 on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, with wishlisting already live on Valve’s platform. Keep an eye on it this month if you are hungry for a new indie action-platformer that is happy to bury the screen in bullets and let you fight your way out.