Legendary black metal TTRPG MÖRK BORG is getting a brutal, nightmarish side scroller

We typically do not feature Kickstarter projects here at chez Shotgun. Horace had a bad experience with a faulty coffee maker once, resulting in the need to regrow a few limbs. It’s a sensitive topic, and the bear prefers not to discuss it. However, rules are like Horace’s arms: meant to be stretched, and also made of bear. MÖRK BORG Heresy Supreme is a gritty cheese dream of a 2D action game based on the popular tabletop RPG MÖRK BORG – a book that looks so good on the shelf that I’m not even upset about accidentally buying a copy in Swedish. It’s fine. It just makes it more metal.

“Wretched antiheroes explore a side-scrolling, semi-procedural grimdark fantasy world, searching for a way to prevent the apocalypse or make the suffering worse,” proclaims the Steam page in a guttural tone. “Evade deadly flails aimed to crack your skull open in a combat system both dynamic and unforgiving that’ll require a strategic, ruthless approach.”

You really should read the Steam page. The writing there is almost as darkly florid and entertaining as the game itself. Here’s one of my favourite item descriptions from the TTRPG, just to give you a sense of the vibe: “The keening music of this small, vile flute animates a fetus-sized meat golem in a nearby corpse”. If you roll 32 while plundering a corpse, you encounter “a hopeless amount of spiders”. The game also has a goblin based off a goblin shark – the most visually unnerving of the sharks, even if I could definitely beat one up still.

This digital MÖRK BORG project is not what I expected. While I love the art, my attraction lies in the writing and sense of chaotic disaster. However, the game is set to feature an “unclean quest system, random catastrophic events, and a party of wretched souls filled with betrayal”. So, perhaps they will capture some of those elements while focusing on monster battles. I do appreciate the idea of controlling a party of wretches in single-player, and this aspect sounds intriguing as well:

MÖRK BORG Heresy Supreme doesn’t have XP or the like. Instead, you level up by performing certain actions during your adventures. When you level up, some of your characters’ abilities will get better, but some will get WORSE. The more you level up, the higher the chances you may lose something in the process. Can’t teach an old goblin new tricks! They’ll kill you.

A few more features for you, the discerning feature enjoyer:

• A graphic style inspired by the book.

• Multiple playable classes with different horrible abilities.

• A dynamic, unforgiving combat system that requires a strategic, ruthless approach.

• Ungodly quest system, random catastrophic events, and a party of wretched scum filled with betrayal.

• ARPG elements. Light on mechanics, heavy on everything else.

• A lot of flails to a lot of faces.

MÖRK BORG Heresy Supreme is set for release “Q4 2025” and the Kickstarter is “launching soon”.