If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if a Spaghetti Western had a head-on collision with a Lovecraftian nightmare, look no further than Tombwater. Developed by the indie visionaries at Moth Atlas, this title is a brutal, top-down Souls-like that swaps out the standard medieval castles for the dust-choked, blood-soaked streets of a frontier town gone wrong. It’s a game where the tumbleweeds are probably made of teeth, and the “Big Iron” on your hip might be the only thing keeping your sanity intact
A Frontier of Madness
The story of Tombwater kicks off with a classic Western trope: a lone gunslinger arrives in town. However, you aren’t here for a bounty or a glass of sarsaparilla. You’ve come to the once-prosperous mining town of Tombwater in search of a lost friend, Sheriff Elliott Flintwood. What you find instead is a community hollowed out by a cosmic curse. The residents have been driven to a frenzied madness by something unearthed in the silver mines, and the town itself has become an interconnected maze of canyons, rotting forests, and claustrophobic tunnels. It is a world where environmental storytelling is king; every abandoned shack and skeletal ruin whispers a piece of the larger, terrifying mystery.
Pixelated Dread
Visually, the game is an absolute standout. Moth Atlas has opted for a gruesomely detailed pixel art style that captures the grit of the 16-bit era while layering on modern atmospheric effects. The setting feels alive in the worst way possible—shadows stretch across the scrublands, and the lighting creates a persistent sense of dread. The top-down perspective evokes classic adventure games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but the subject matter is far more mature. From the shimmering, distorted surfaces of flooded ruins to the twitching, multi-limbed designs of the eldritch bosses, the art direction ensures that even when you’re dying for the twentieth time, you’ll at least be impressed by how horrifying the killer looks.
Guns, Blades, and Grimoires
Don’t let the retro look fool you; the combat is as modern and punishing as anything coming out of FromSoftware. This is a true action-RPG that demands precision. You’ll choose from a variety of starting archetypes—like the heavy-hitting Soldier, the spell-slinging Occultist, or the resource-heavy Tinkerer—each offering a unique path through the carnage.
The gameplay loop is built on a high-stakes stamina system. You’ll be managing your breath as you dash through enemy lunges and counter-attack with a massive arsenal of over 50 weapons. You can dual-wield a cavalry saber and a sawed-off shotgun, or perhaps lean into the occult spells that let you summon ghostly hands from the earth. But be warned: using magic increases your Lucidity meter. If you lean too hard into the darkness, the creeping madness will make you more vulnerable to damage, forcing you to balance your power against your survival. With over 20 boss fights that test your grit and reflexes, Tombwater is a journey into the heart of a frontier that refuses to die quietly.
