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Watch trailer on Steam ↗Purgatory
Ben Driscoll · Published by Ben Driscoll · Official site ↗
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
An indie RPG set in the afterlife, through a partly-dystopian, partly-vibrant, and always-dangerous lens. Explore a range of different environments, battle a wide range of enemies, learn an unnecessary amount of lore if you want, and most importantly... Be the bad guy who saves everyone.
Dive into Purgatory, an indie RPG where you navigate through dystopian and vibrant afterlife environments. Battle enemies and uncover lore as you play the role of a rogue savior in this unique narrative experience.
About this game
NOTICE:
The game is still in development, with a demo available! If this game interests you and you try it, ANY advice, positive or negative, will be greatly appreciated!
BE THE BAD GUY WHO SAVES EVERYONE
Purgatory is where everybody goes after death. And if you commit a single, just one, unkind act in life, you're stuck there, in a hellish, dystopian afterlife where the bad guys rule with an unyielding, unforgiving fist. Doesn't sound fair, does it? With the help of a Purgatory employee, defy the fate in store for you, take on the god of everything and save the billions of victims of her cruel judgement...
...Why you? Why do you specifically have to be the one to save everyone? Oh well, it's simple really.
...You were the worst person to ever live.
Purgatory presents a lore-rich world and characters, an ever-changing and diverse environment, and a handful of memorable allies against the equally-memorable (and lovable in their own ways) forces of evil.
THE GAMEPLAY YOU KNOW AND LOVE
Using a semi-linear world design, solve puzzles, meet the citizens of Purgatory's Regions, backtrack, maybe even destroy some things in that gorgeous 16-bit pixel art style, and every now and then, some new mechanics could get involved, to keep you on your toes.
Oh, and enemies too, obviously. With a single-player point of view against groups of enemies, dodge bullets, use abilities, and keep that HP up in the bullet-hell gameplay style that makes winning feel like you earned it, and losing like you deserved it.
Wait, what does that say two paragraphs up, 'Regions?' What're those? Purgatory's divided into 5 main sections, as well a Prologue and Epilogue. The Regions, each riddled with another kind of devilish sin, are all unique and bring their own atmosphere to the party, as well as all naturally having their own plot lines within that serve towards that main goal: defeat the leader of Reality and save everyone from her dystopian regime.
OKAY, BUT DOES IT LOOK NICE?
Every wall, every plant pot, every person you meet, every single thing you see was hand-drawn with pixels to create a heavy sense of atmosphere and immersion, whether it's when you're roaming the Kafkaesque halls of Purgatory's offices; an endless, lonely field; the scorched plains of a fiery hellscape; or the seedy back alleys of a vibrant, neon-smothered metropolis.
Pixel art not enough? Numerous backgrounds for battles and menus, and graphics for key story moments have been fully hand-illustrated in glorious HD, as well as a wide range of expressive and emotive character art during dialogue.
FEATURES:
A story that (I think) you won't possibly be able to forget, with bad guys, good guys, and bad guys turned good guys.
A battle system featuring bullet hell-style gameplay, utilising a variety of different stats and your equipment, made famous by the likes of 'UNDERTALE'.
Story protagonists and antagonists alike who are so emotive and in-depth, you might forget they're not real!
Except you. Your character doesn't say much.
A super chipper sidekick who seems like she just helps you at the start but is also really super important, because of course there is.
An episodic approach to the story, with each 'Act' bringing its own hellish atmosphere and sub-story to the table.
Tons and tons of lore if you want to know that much about the world and its characters, but you don't need to bother if you don't want to!! Lore for everyone!!! Yay!
Almost entirely made by one person, who's also writing this.
A varied collection of side quests, each having their own approaches and endings (Maybe these matter to the main story?...).
A completely original soundtrack, it sounds okay I think.
HD, human-made art for character portraits, backgrounds and more!
Weird freaks that will say things when you interact with them!
Weird freaks! Weird freaks!!!
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: 7 or newer
- Processor: 8th gen intel core i3 chips in used condition
- Graphics: good enough to handle 640x360 graphics, which you definitely should have
- Storage: 43 MB available space
- Sound Card: what even is a sound card
- Additional Notes: your computer can run this i promise
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: how do i get rid of this part again
Supported Languages
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
'PURGATORY' IS FULLY FUNDED!
Good morning from the UK my beautiful, beautiful people!Because I'm a stinky stinky Gen Z-er, when I woke up today the first thing I did was roll over to check my phone. And I got the most amazing, heart-warming email from Kickstarter.Only roughly halfway through the project, we have hit 100% of our goal, with more time AND the ability to pledge after it ends, so I have absolutely no doubt that 'Purgatory' will get the treatment it wants and room to spare!What do I think this means? Well, I think this means that while before I couldn't dream of doing it in a million years, myself and 'Purgatory' - throughout development - will now be able to do:Mac and Linux ports, priority number one when the Kickstarter ends!CONSOLE EDITIONS! Something I'm personally very excited for!!! If it's as easy as I'm hoping it is, you can expect Purgatory to be available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch AND Nintendo Switch 2, what a mouthful!!!ANIMATION! my current software, Clip Studio Pro, doesn't allow for animation, which I'm hoping to feature quite a bit, so now i can upgrade to Clip Studio Ex, with full animation capability (not sponsored i promise i just really like this software)Translations? This is one I feel a bit obliged to add because only having the game in one language feels a little silly, but I'm not sure which languages I'd do, how many or where to begin picking any of it! It'll likely be a weigh-up of major languages and the countries where indie games like 'Purgatory' are in fashion, but all of this is very flimsy and subject to change!Finally, the future! So spoilers, but I don't want to end my game-making career with 'Purgatory' and despite it being YEARS into the future, even have ideas for what could be next... So, when costs eventually arise, either for something I've not anticipated during 'Purgatory' or in the future with some equally ambitious - and likely costly - projects, the rest of the money, however much remains, will be kept safe a...Read full article on Community Announcements (Ben Driscoll)AnnouncementsOfficial
Two weeks of 'Purgatory'
So, two weeks of Purgatory's Demo being out.I've been working non-stop on Purgatory's full game featuring a different - and much more diverse than a greyscale office - environment, so already looking back at the demo it feels like a different game.And, according to Steam's very helpful analytics, a total of 28 people have played the demo! 28! Now, that might not seem like a crazy amount, especially when compared to 135 people wishlisting the game prior to this release, but honestly, I'm grateful anyone's played it at all when I've done next-to-zero marketing for the game!Additionally, and anyone can fact-check this for me, at least SEVEN people have finished the demo as of writing this, indicated by that bottom achievement!And, absolute best for last, that's just the players! EIGHT-HUNDRED, SIXTY-SIX PEOPLE have added it to their library! THAT IS A LOT! And I'm hoping there's just a lot of people out there like me who download free things left-right-and-centre and don't touch them until I have zero things better to do, and that these are all real people who'll get there... eventually.Kickstarter!14 days since the start of the 'Purgatory' Kickstarter, £55 was raised! ...That was in the first couple days, and then it kind of plateaued, 46 days still left to go, but if it was to stay at this rate, the project would not be successful.I'd like to clarify for anyone who's not seen any of my other mentions of it, but this is 100% okay! This money would NOT be vital for Purgatory's fulfilment and does not mean development would stop. Yes, this would be a massive help to Purgatory in extending its application with other OSes, languages, etc., but if it's really that necessary, I'm sure I'll find a way to fund that myself in the future. Whether it works or doesn't, you're getting a game. That said, it would still be super super duper cool to see that extra stuff happen and offer something in return, so if you feel so inclined, you can find, and maybe even support it, here!Fee...Read full article on Community Announcements (Ben Driscoll)AnnouncementsOfficial
THE DEMO IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come one, come all!It's time to play....The... start!Yeah, yeah, so maybe I'm a little too excited..."Ben, this is, like, maybe 2 hours of content? I don't know what you're making such a big deal about."Well, really mean person I came up with, after two years of non-stop grinding, I've finally released, my first real sample of a dream come true.Like literally a dream. This has invaded my mindscape on more than one occasion.But so incredibly genuinely, this has been my biggest passion ever since I started it. It's meant the entire world to me and it'll be so much more if it means even a little bit to a couple people.And yes, this is the demo, the very start of the game. So don't even ask how I'll get when it's time for the full game to come out....Wait, that's a good point...So when is the full game coming out?I've got two ideas that I'm tossing around:I just sit down, grind away, and work non-stop on the full game and deliver a top-notch piece of work. ETA: like at least a few years.Or, an option that I'm leaning much more towards:Sit down and grind away for HALF of the game, release 'Purgatory: Part I', and then carry on with the rest. ETA: still a few years, but you get a nice, still top-notch, dump of content right in the middle.I don't want Purgatory to ever, EVER look like it's just been abandoned, no sir.So, it's currently looking like I'll be going with option 2, which I have very high hopes for. I'm already a good way through the Sloth Region in just the weeks I finished the demo and have been building up to release (people who finish the demo, you'll know exactly what that means!)GIVE ME YOUR MONEY!Or, in other words, I've launched a Kickstarter!THIS DOES NOT AFFECT WHETHER THE GAME WILL GET MADE!The point of the Kickstarter is to fund bonus goals for Purgatory, like localised versions, Mac or Linux ports and maybe even console editions. DO NOT give money if you just want to see the game done, it is getting made either way! It will run until the 25th of May...Read full article on Community Announcements (Ben Driscoll)AnnouncementsOfficial
Purgatory Demo Release Date
"Ahem, hi everyone!""Or, uhm. No-one. Yet.Oh well, I guess I'll just... leave this for someone to find in the future!"I'm writing this as a representative of Purgatory's Reality Affairs Department, and am very, very, veryveryveryveryvery excited to announce that after a super duper long state of unavailability, Purgatory is accepting new, ha, 'visitors' very soon!""How soon? Well, how does...-- --sound? Soon, right!?""I'm excited! Very excited, more than most of the others around here, haha, but I guess it gets lonely around here, even for people like me, after a while, and I'm just ecstatic I get to meet new people again!"Okay, actually down to biz now.No more roleplaying, it's just me now. The boring old developer, Ben Driscoll.That's right, the demo, the first publicly available piece of content of Purgatory, is releasing on March 26th. Still over a month away, but after two years of development, that honestly feels like nothing.Two years. Holy moly. Fun fact: March 26th is the day I actually started development in 2024, not to mention I actually came up with the base concepts even further back at some unknown point in 2022. So the day it releases will actually be its own anniversary of being started as well!Or would that make it its birthday?... Oh well. Let's stick with anniversary. Sounds cooler.Anyway! It'll be available as a little button right on the main game store page, no separate page for the demo. It's gotta earn it. But I think it's worth saying at this big, personally-monumental moment, whether a billion people see it, one person sees it, or I just end up typing it out to myself alone, that creating this has helped me realise my dream and I could not be more excited to keep up the work, and bring you a full, quality game as soon as possible.Now, go on, I'll let you grab your calendar and mark the date, no more holding you up....Fine, actually she can get one more word in."Oh, hi again! I guess all i have to say is...""...Have a nice stay in Purgatory...Read full article on Community Announcements (Ben Driscoll)
