Ebony Spire: Heresy (v2.1.7)

A black tower full of hostile creatures, lethal curios, and bad decisions forms the heart of Ebony Spire: Heresy, a first-person, turn-based dungeon RPG built in the spirit of classic computer crawlers. Its grim fantasy setting is deliberately unforgiving, but the mood is more mischievous than oppressive: nearly every object can become a weapon, tool, meal, or disaster waiting to happen. The goal is simple on paper—climb twenty dangerous floors and kill a zealous goddess—but reaching the summit means surviving a chain of unpredictable encounters. Old-school grid movement and roguelike risk make every hallway, chest, and monster worth treating with suspicion.

Combat runs on careful turns rather than reflexes, asking players to position themselves, manage their inventory, and exploit whatever happens to be within reach. You can wield gear conventionally, hurl it at an enemy, consume it for an effect, or use it in stranger ways, while opponents play by the same rules and can turn your own tricks against you. Progression comes from the equipment you find rather than experience points or familiar strength-and-dexterity stat building, so a powerful run depends on smart improvisation and finding combinations that suit your situation. Portals occasionally send you beyond the central spire to hunt for supplies in locations such as settlements, harbors, arenas, and side dungeons, giving the adventure welcome variety between tower floors.

Ebony Spire: Heresy stands apart through its fully interactive item design: a random piece of loot is rarely just vendor trash, and experimenting with it can save or ruin a run. Classic Mode offers authored maps and deliberately arranged fights for players who prefer a more learnable campaign, while Infinite Heresy generates fresh layouts for repeat runs and harsher luck-based challenges. Mouse controls and other usability updates help soften the genre’s traditionally clunky edges without removing its demanding character. Fans of Legend of Grimrock-style exploration, NetHack-like item experimentation, or the systemic chaos of traditional roguelikes will find plenty to enjoy, though newcomers should expect to learn through failure rather than hand-holding.