Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Rule the Dungeon
Foret Noire Games · Published by Foret Noire Games
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
Dungeons are just another day at the office — an urban fantasy Adventure about Elysia's dungeon bureau.
Adventure, Indie, RPG · 2027 · More free games
In Rule the Dungeon, navigate the complex corridors of Elysia’s dungeon bureau as an indie adventure RPG. Manage your day-to-day operations in a world where dungeons are routine, all under the guidance of developer Foret Noire Games.
About this game
"Welcome to Elysia — Leading the Future of the Dungeon Industry."
Welcome to Elysia.
You're an Investigator at the Dungeon Administration Bureau of Elysia, a city where dungeons are part of daily life.
Lead a crew of troublesome hunters into dungeons and handle the complaints pouring in.
How? Entirely up to you. Ignoring a complaint or two works too.
Try anything — it will all work out.
NOTICE TO NEWLY ASSIGNED INVESTIGATORS
Distortions in your sense of time may occur inside dungeons. This is normal.
A hunter's rank has no bearing on the difficulty of a complaint.
Conversation with dungeon entities is not recommended. It is not, however, prohibited.
■ An adventure with more than one right answer
Your job is to help your hunters deal with the otherworldly creatures inside dungeons. But what does "dealing with" them actually mean? That's a definition you get to write. Sure, you could have your hunters blast everything down with powerful skills — but the hunters you brought along might not be up to it. Does that enemy look like a vending machine? Then try kicking it like one that ate your coin. Or drop a coin in and pick a drink. Somewhere out there is a solution that's yours alone!
■ Own the battlefield: grid-based front-view combat
This isn't the usual stand-and-trade turn-based combat. Rule the Dungeon adds a grid system to the classic front view, giving every fight tactical depth. Enemies advance along the grid until they're right in your face. Use skills and items to shove them back or force them onto another tile to shut their attacks down. Herd them onto trap tiles you've planted and wipe them out in one sweep — or line them all up in a row for one devastating blow!
■ Turn the tables in a heartbeat: QTE Special Defense
After all your maneuvering on the grid, an enemy's ultimate move will still keep you on the edge of your seat. The moment an enemy unleashes its special skill, a QTE kicks in — react in time and turn disaster around.
■ A ticking clock, and consequences that branch
Time in Elysia waits for no one. As a DAB Investigator, each day you must decide which complaints to take and which scenes to investigate within limited working hours. While you're solving one case, the ones left behind permanently reshape the city's safety and the fates of its people. What will you take on, and what will you let go? Every choice ripples outward — and comes back around.
■ Underdog hunters and Logos skill crafting
Recruit the hunters the world turned its back on: branded D-rank hunters, retired troublemakers, and more. Combine the words you collect during investigations to grant them new skills through the Logos system — and forge these misfits into the finest team in Elysia.
■ A bureaucratic fantasy where wit meets tension
Witty, delightfully off-kilter storytelling meets a charming pixel-art world that begs to be explored. Follow the unpredictable misadventures of an Investigator and their hunters — and save Elysia along the way!
[END OF MANUAL]
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System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS *: Microsoft Windows® 8.1/10/11 (64bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i3-4340 or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Compatible OpenGL / VRAM 1GB or better
- Storage: 1 GB available space
Supported Languages
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
Devlog: Moving to Godot Engine, UI Overhaul & Osaka Indie Summit!
Hello, Investigators!Last week, amidst a packed schedule, I ran a very interesting and crucial experiment: a quick prototyping test to see how Rule the Dungeon would look and play if migrated to the Godot Engine.While there’s still a lot to tweak, the changes in the UI and the overall control feel in the Godot environment have already exceeded my expectations!⚙️ Goodbye Z & X, Hello Modern Controls!At the bottom of the screen, you can see our new, clean control guide: \.Now, when you approach an object or NPC, a clear \ prompt appears above their head for seamless interaction. Breaking away from the classic RPG Maker reliance on the 'Z' and 'X' keys really makes it feel like a completely new, modern game.📱 The Snappy DungeonDex MenuPressing the 'Tab' key now instantly pops up a sleek menu on the left side of the screen, without any clunky window transitions. This menu represents the 'DungeonDex' that our protagonist carries around. Custom, snappy UIs like this are the true charm of indie games, aren't they? (For those who have been following my early devlogs, this design might bring back some familiar memories...!)🛫 Osaka Indie Summit Prep: Two PlansI'm also thrilled to announce that Rule the Dungeon will be participating in the Osaka Indie Summit this October!Which build we bring to the event depends entirely on the pace of this engine migration:Plan A: If the Godot migration gets on track quickly, we’ll fly to Osaka with the brand-new, smooth-handling Godot demo!Plan B: If time gets too tight near the deadline, we won't rush it. We will safely bring the fully polished RPG Maker demo instead.🔍 Fixing the "Route Derailment"Along with the engine test, I'm making minor structural improvements to resolve the narrative "route-divergence" issue some players experienced at our last exhibition (BIC). I’m tightening the flow so players can stay fully immersed in their chosen investigation path without accidentally sliding into unintended endings.Migrating a game engine feel...Read full article on Community Announcements (dev)AnnouncementsOfficial
🎪 [RETROSPECTIVE] BIC
It was a truly meaningful experience meeting everyone at BIC who remembered, loved, and supported Rule the Dungeon. Watching players firsthand gave us a priceless opportunity to see what worked seamlessly and where players hit unexpected roadblocks.Here is a summary of the four key areas we are focusing on for upcoming improvements based on your feedback:1. Preventing Unintended Route Switches & Improving Quest ClarityIssue: Players who successfully created Siana’s new skill via Logos combination could defeat the boss easily. However, many accidentally triggered alternative dialogue choices afterward, causing them to slip into a non-combat ending unintentionally.Improvements: We will implement an "Investigation Notebook" (Quest Log) to clearly show which route you are currently on and what actions are needed to complete it. Additionally, once a player enters a specific route, we will lock progression to prevent accidentally sliding into another path.2. Streamlining the Investigation Menu (Reducing UI Depth)Issue: Selecting \ required opening a sub-menu to see conversation topics. This caused players to miss newly unlocked topics or leave after selecting just one option.Improvements: Interacting with a target will now automatically display the initial "Observe" text, and available conversation topics (sub-menus) will be exposed directly on the main screen for immediate visibility.3. Minimizing RNG (Probability) in Story ProgressionIssue: Certain routes featured success/failure chances. While some enjoyed the randomness, chance-based progression felt disruptive in a narrative-focused Adventure RPG.Improvements: RNG elements will be restricted to minor side easter eggs. Main story routes will no longer rely on probability checks.4. Rebalancing Early Combat & Party DynamicsIssue: Early tutorial battles featuring only Siana felt somewhat repetitive and plain.Improvements: We will reduce the frequency of early solo battles or bring Adeleah and Miriel into the party earlie...Read full article on Community Announcements (dev)AnnouncementsOfficial
📝 [Devlog] The Secret Origins of Rule the Dungeon
Greetings, Investigators!Instead of a standard progress report this week, I want to share the "behind-the-scenes" story of the long and winding road Rule the Dungeon took to get where it is today.1. It Started with 5 People—and a WeddingBelieve it or not, Rule the Dungeon first took its baby steps in 2024 as a mobile game developed by a 5-person team. Back then, it wasn't the tactical style you see now; it was a fast-paced survivor-like shooter, similar to Survivor.io.Our goal was simple: "Let’s make a mobile game with a soul, featuring a deep story and characters that players can truly fall in love with." We churned out a prototype in just one month and spent the next two months polishing it day and night. Our "deadline"? My own wedding day.Yes, we were those people. On my wedding day, I was handing out game links and asking the guests for feedback. I even sent a game promotional trailer to be played during the ceremony. The venue staff called me in a panic right before the wedding started, asking, "Uh, we think the wrong video was sent... is this supposed to be a game trailer?" I just laughed and said, "Nope, that’s the right one!" That wedding day was truly the most intense "pre-launch" preparation of my life.2. The Trap of Hyper-casual: "What do we really want?"However, the mobile market was a brutal "Red Ocean." Without massive marketing capital, breaking into the rankings was nearly impossible. To survive, we dove into the 'Hyper-casual' market, tossing a new game into the wild every single month.The process of checking market data for a new game every 30 days was cold and heartless. It was a constant cycle of: "I love this feature, but users don't care," or "I hate this mechanic, but users love it." Following the data felt like a way to make money, but it left me feeling empty. I’ve always prided myself on finding fulfillment in whatever work I was given during my 7+ years in the corporate world, but I finally realized that 'what truly makes me feel fulfilled...Read full article on Community Announcements (dev)AnnouncementsOfficial
📝 [WEEKLY LOG] Weekly Progress Report
📢 This Week’s Briefing: "Closer Connections, Deeper Stories"Selection & Focus of Communication Channels: I am tentatively suspending Patreon activities. Instead, I plan to communicate more actively by focusing on platforms where I can meet you all more frequently.Sponsorship System Revamp: Instead of "heavy" tiers that make you calculate the "value of the game," I have adjusted the tiers on Gameping so that anyone can support the project with a light and cheering heart.Utilizing My Specialty: Leveraging my background as a story writer, I am breathing life into every single item. From "DAB Ration Chocolate" to "Investigator Reports," please look forward to highly immersive flavor texts.The March Toward the April Demo: I am fleshing out the build every day to meet our April milestone. It’s taking longer because I keep wanting to add more, but the world is becoming much more detailed and cohesive in return.🔍 Changes in Operational Channels To be honest, last week I spent as much time worrying about "how to better promote the game and build healthy relationships with supporters" as I did on actual development.1. Closing Patreon Activities I started Patreon with the ambition of introducing my game to global players. However, as a solo developer, getting noticed in that "red ocean" was incredibly difficult. Trying to recruit supporters without an established community started to weigh heavily on my mind. Therefore, I have decided to set the Patreon page to private. Instead of taking the long way around, I want to communicate consistently on platforms where people already interested in Rule the Dungeon are gathered.2. Adjusting Gameping Tiers: For "Support" rather than "Calculation" This was the part I agonized over the most. Previously, the high-tier rewards included a "free copy of the finished game." While this was my promise to deliver the final product to supporters, I realized it eventually led to a rational calculation: "The game will probably cost around $20, so is...Read full article on Community Announcements (dev)AnnouncementsOfficial
📝 [WEEKLY LOG] Weekly Progress Report
📢 Weekly Briefing: "Expanding the Role of the Investigator"Greetings, Investigators! This week, the world of Rule the Dungeon has become even more defined as we sharpen our focus on your professional identity and strategic depth.Title Optimization: In the Korean version, we are updating the title from "Investigator (조사자)" to "Inspector (조사관)" to emphasize your role as a professional bureaucrat. However, for the English version, we have decided to keep the term "Investigator," as it perfectly captures the genre’s weight and your character's purpose.Dungeon Raid Paradigm Shift: We are moving beyond simple combat. You can now choose to recover "Dungeon Seeds" to halt growth or find specialized methods to eradicate a dungeon entirely.Chapter 0 Retrofit: We are updating the tutorial (Chapter 0) to introduce these new core mechanics and narrative shifts.Target for the Week: Blueprinting the Chapter 1 Main Dungeon and polishing combat visuals for maximum impact!📡 Investigator Channels (Official Links)🐦 \💬 \Read full article on Community Announcements (dev)
