The Unwritten: A Soulslike Roguelite Prototype

Play this Soulslike roguelite combat prototype directly in your browser. One arena. One boss. Death is expected.

This build is not a traditional demo and does not represent the final scope of the game.
Its purpose is to validate how deliberate combat, repeated deaths, and learning through failure work together at the foundation of the experience.

Death is expected.
Progress comes from understanding the fight.

If you enjoy methodical, punishing combat where every mistake matters, your feedback is extremely valuable.

What’s included in this build

• 🗺️ 1 small playable level, designed purely to test combat flow

• 👹 1 boss fight, meant to be learned through repetition

• ⚔️ 2 standard enemies, focused on attack readability

• 🗡️ Several melee weapons, each with different reach, speed, and risk

• 💀 Punishing deaths, with no permanent progression systems yet

This build represents a single combat slice of a larger roguelite structure.

What I’m testing

While playing, pay attention to how combat and failure interact:

• Does the combat feel fair, even when punishing?

• Are enemy attacks readable and learnable over multiple attempts?

• Do weapons feel weighty and distinct, or interchangeable?

• Does the boss encourage learning through failure, or feel unfair?

• When you die, does it feel like a decision or execution error?

These answers help define whether the core loop is solid enough to expand.

Feedback matters

Any feedback helps, even short comments such as:

• “Combat feels too slow / too fast”

• “The risk of attacking feels too high / too low”

• “This weapon feels strong but dangerous”

• “I didn’t understand why I died here”

You can leave feedback in the comments — it directly influences future iterations.

Important note

This project embraces a Soulslike roguelite philosophy:
systems may change, be rebalanced, or even removed entirely if they don’t serve the combat loop.

Nothing here is final — especially difficulty.

🎮 Controls (Controller Recommended)

This game is designed with a controller-first approach.
Keyboard & mouse are supported, but the best experience is with a gamepad.

Gamepad (Xbox / PlayStation)

Action	Button
Move	Left Stick
Camera	Right Stick
Light Attack	RB
Heavy Attack	RT
Heavy Attack (Hold)	RT (Hold)
Jump	A / X
Dodge / Sprint	B / O
Lock-On	Right Stick Press (R3)
Switch Lock-On Target (Left)	Right Stick Left
Switch Lock-On Target (Right)	Right Stick Right
Interact / Two-Hand Weapon	Y / △
Use Item	X / □
Switch Left-Hand Weapon	D-Pad Left
Switch Right-Hand Weapon	D-Pad Right
Open Menu	Start

UI Navigation (Controller)

Action	Button
Navigate	D-Pad
Confirm	A / X
Back	B / O

Keyboard & Mouse (Secondary)

Action	Key / Input
Move	W A S D
Camera	Mouse Move
Light Attack	Left Mouse Button
Heavy Attack	C
Jump	Space
Dodge / Sprint	Alt / Shift
Lock-On	Q
Interact / Two-Hand Weapon	E
Use Item	F
Open Menu	Tab

⚠️ Important note

This game is in active development. Bugs, glitches, and rough edges are expected — and welcome as feedback 🙂

About the project

The Unwritten is an original Souls-like project focused on:

• heavy, deliberate combat

• humanoid enemies

• indirect storytelling

• dark, grounded atmosphere

This test exists to ensure combat quality comes first.