Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Torch of Shadows
Acthera Studios · Published by Acthera Studios · Official site ↗
Positive — 93% positive (14 reviews) · 24 achievements
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
Light kills Dark. Dark kills Light. Pick the wrong upgrade and your run dies. A pixel-art roguelite where you must change your form constantly.
£6.69
Lowest price we've ever recorded
View on SteamPrices can lag the live Steam store — always confirm before buying.
Price history
Action, Indie, RPG · 2026 · More £5 - £15 games
In Torch of Shadows, navigate treacherous levels by constantly switching between light and dark forms. Choose wisely among upgrades from Acthera Studios as every decision could mean life—or shadowy death.
About this game
A fast, skill-based roguelite where the wrong choice doesn’t just slow you down, it kills your run. Fight through relentless waves, react instantly, and build around two opposing forces that must be used together. Ignore one side, and the other overwhelms you.
Torch of Shadows is the debut game from Acthera Studios, a two-person indie team. Every pixel is hand-drawn. Every system has been rebuilt more times than we want to admit.
--
Opposites Must Collide
Switch between Light and Dark forms instantly during combat.
Dark enemies can only be damaged by Light attacks.
Light enemies can only be damaged by Dark attacks.
Using the wrong form deals zero damage while enemies continue to pressure you from all sides.
The battlefield constantly mixes both enemy types, forcing fast reactions, target prioritization, and rapid form switching under pressure.
All attack skills fire automatically, but survival depends on movement, positioning, upgrade choices, and using the correct form at the right moment.
Core Features
15-minute high-intensity survival runs leading to the final boss fight
Dual Light & Dark combat system with 10 unlockable attack skills
Randomized build-defining upgrades every level
3 rerolls per run to adapt your build
Boss fights at critical milestones (upcoming soon: new mini-boss enemies)
Continuous enemy pressure with elite, fast, bomber, and tank enemy types
Dynamic maps with optional Pylon and Soul systems
Leaderboard support for fastest clears and competitive runs
Build, Adapt, Survive
Defeat enemies to collect Sun Particles and Moon Fragments, used for permanent progression across both Light and Dark paths.
During runs, level up to receive randomized upgrades that can increase attack speed, damage, survivability, and form efficiency.
Specializing too heavily in one side, you may struggle against the opposite form later in the run.
Enemies spawn continuously, not in isolated waves. Surviving means constantly adapting your build while managing the increasing pressure from enemies.
10 Corrupted Realms
10 handcrafted maps
10 unique bosses with distinct mechanics (5 light & 5 dark boss)
Each boss rewards a different skill and relic that can be equipped for permanent buffs
50 Pylons tied to 10 maps (5 for each map)
"Pylon Rush": Restore 5 pylons in a run to jump into the boss arena early (for speedrunners in leaderboard)
Pylon & Soul Minigames
Pylons are optional risk-reward objectives tied to each map. (grant you temporary buffs or debuffs if you fail)
20+ Pylon minigames (timing, mechanics, reaction)
Souls grant you an extra attack power for both forms and protect you from 2 hits. Get hit 2 times, and it is gone.
20+ Soul challenges (offensive & defensive rewards)
Roguelite Structure
Randomized upgrade paths every run
Light / Dark synergy-focused builds
Escalating enemy intensity and late-game pressure
Permanent progression across both forms
Higher difficulties for players seeking mastery and faster clears
The Endgame
Defeat all bosses. Restore all maps. Then something else awakens.
--
WARNING: This game contains flashing lights and intense visual effects in some mini-games.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i3-3220 / AMD FX-4300
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 / NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 / AMD R7 240
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Optimized for smooth experience at 1080p resolution.
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
Supported Languages
*languages with full audio support
Latest news
Community & EventsOfficial
Get 30% off through Bullet Fest! Offer ends 15 June at 10am Pacific.
We’re offering a discount for this event, where your participation is highly valued. Don’t leave it on your wishlist :) Play now!Discord: https://discord.gg/jg3js5GztXPrices vary by region. Check yours below.Read full article on Community Announcements (gyagmurk)Patch NotesOfficial
Bye Bye Alkhemikal, Hello Noto Serif v.3.4.1.2
Another patch. Mostly cleanup, readability fixes, and finally sorting out the minigame mess. ReadabilitySwitched the default font from Alkhemikal to Noto Serif. A lot of you said the old one got rough to read during longer sessions, so here we are. The pixel font still looks great in screenshots, it just wasn't doing your eyes any favors at 2am. AudioCombat was playing menu musics again. Fixed. (Yes, again. We thought we caught this last patch. We did not.) MinigamesDid a big pass on these: Minigame intros added. A popup now appears before every minigame explaining what it is, what you win, and what happens if you fail. You press a button to start it. No more getting blindsided by a mechanic you've never seen before. Count the Flashes was telling you to press LB on gamepad. It's actually LT. Fixed. Hold to Charge said "Hold E" on gamepad when it should've said "Hold A". Fixed. Collection minigame wanted 22 lights to complete. That was a lot. Dropped to 10. Balance minigame showed "balance" as raw placeholder text in every language, and the info description was scrambled. Both fixed. The minigame info descriptions had "A button" written out as plain text, jammed right up against the next word. Cleaned up across every language. The "cancel minigame" prompt was tiny enough to need a magnifying glass. Bumped it up to a normal human size. Sequence minigame (the one where you click the numbered balls): suggestion balls are bigger now. Stats PanelThe top-left stats overlay didn't fit at smaller resolutions and was clipping off-screen. Rebuilt the layout from scratch: numbers go in column one, labels in column two. If it still overflows because you've stacked a ridiculous amount of buffs, a third column opens up and the background expands to fit. Should hold together at any size now. LocalizationA whole pile of stuff: HP, CD, XP were sometimes translated, sometimes not, depending on where you ran into them. They're now consistently HP / CD / XP everywhere, in every language...Read full article on Community Announcements (gyagmurk)AnnouncementsOfficial
New Enemies, Languages and New Features v.3.4.1.1
A big one this time. New enemies, five new languages, a reworked tutorial, and a long list of fixes. Thanks to everyone who reported bugs. Most of this list exists because of you. Thank you so much for your feedback :)New Features & OptionsEasy Aim added. Toggle it on in Options, and targeting gets simpler. Light attacks only hit dark enemies (if there is no light enemy between the player and the dark enemy :) ), and dark attacks only hit light ones (if there is no dark enemy between the player and the light enemy :) ).Key Bindings screen added. You can now remap your controls.Tooltip toggle added to Options. Turn off tips once you know the ropes.Minigames are now deduplicated and run through a proper randomized rotation, so you won't see the same one back to back.Added a "simple click" sound on every menu navigation for cleaner UI feedback.New LanguagesSimplified ChineseJapaneseKoreanRussianPolishNew Enemies2 new tank enemies - slow, durable, and built to soak up your attacks.6 new standard enemies to keep encounters fresh.Sniper enemy added. Its arrival is announced with both a spawn indicator and a dedicated SFX cue.Wraiths now circle and defend the Pylon. They have their own flight SFX so you'll hear them before they reach you.Tutorial OverhaulTutorial text consolidated. Instructions that previously needed action button prompts are now delivered in a single line.Reworked on-screen tutorial text for clarity.The tutorial boss now changes form, shifting between dark and light phases. You'll need to handle both forms to bring it down.The tutorial boss now spawns standard enemies BUT always in the opposite form of its own current phase.Bug FixesVisual & UILogo fully reworked in pixel art.Fixed the leaderboard not fitting on screen.Fixed the Pylon description pop-up appearing faded beneath the minimap.Fixed a dark upgrade incorrectly reading "light sphere expand."Enemies & CombatRemoved attack collision from enemy death animations. Dead enemies can no longer tank the ...Read full article on Community Announcements (gyagmurk)Patch NotesOfficial
Bugfix v.3.2.2.3
GameplayFixed multiple pylon-related progression issuesImproved elite enemy visibility and attack readabilityFixed several minigame interaction and timing problemsAdjusted orb and effect brightness for better clarityImproved boss projectile and attack feedbackFixed remaining sprite visibility after certain boss fightsUI & UXFixed incorrect in-game tips and remindersImproved popup timing and wording clarityFixed difficulty setting descriptionsImproved intro and map flow readabilityAudioFixed repeated button hover sound effectsCollision & AIFixed enemies getting stuck on walls in specific roomsImproved chase tool and collision behavior for elite enemiesFixed streamer push interaction issuesVisual FixesFixed green star display after completed pylonsImproved pylon countdown visual feedbackAdjusted elite mark and attack indicator visibilityJoin Our DiscordWe’re actively improving the game based on your feedback. https://discord.gg/jg3js5GztXCome hang out, share feedback, and help shape the next updates.Read full article on Community Announcements (gyagmurk)Patch NotesOfficial
Major Update is Live – UI, SFX, Gameplay Polish
We’ve just rolled out a major update for Torch of Shadows, focused on making the game clearer, smoother, and more satisfying to play.This patch is all about feel, readability, and feedback.Gameplay & SystemsSkill bar improved and resized for better readabilityHealth, dash, and level bars polishedObjectives now accessible during pauseBoss warnings improved (timing, position, animation)Minimap and pylon info layout refinedRun start flow improvedCombat & FeelDash ready SFX addedBoss incoming warning SFX addedCombat and enemy SFX reorganizedAttack sounds optimized to prevent overlap/spamRepetitive sounds shortened or adjustedImproved hit feedback and responsivenessClarity & Player GuidanceIn-game tips system added (shown once per run)Build guidance tips addedUpgrade descriptions improvedSkill clarity and UI readability improvedImportant actions now have clearer feedbackUI / UX PolishButtons and menus refinedUpgrade selection visuals improved (hover + outlines)Pylon HUD polishedIcon readability improvedMinigame UI improved (larger numbers and inputs)General color palette adjustmentsAudio ImprovementsSFX categories reorganized (combat, UI, enemy, etc.)Volume balance improved across the gameFixed issues where SFX override musicImproved consistency of audio feedbackTechnical & PlatformLeaderboard checks improvedSettings and audio persistence fixedVarious bug fixes and stability improvementsWhat’s Next?We’re currently working on new enemy types to increase gameplay variety and challenge.Expect:New behaviorsMore dynamic encountersMore chaosComing in the next major patch.Join Our DiscordWe’re actively improving the game based on your feedback. https://discord.gg/jg3js5GztXCome hang out, share feedback, and help shape the next updates.Read full article on Community Announcements (gyagmurk)
