Before getting into anything, please watch this announcement trailer:
Now in development:
— BadAlias 🌄 MANTRADOX UNTITLED IN DEVELOPMENT! (@badalias_) September 8, 2026
MANTRADOX UNTITLED.#trailertuesday #indiegame pic.twitter.com/w3jcgCPRKm
You can find the game's page on Steam right here!
So! What do you think? I think it's time to fill you in on some fun details about this next project, Mantradox Untitled. This info is a little too open-ended and informal to properly include on the Steam page.
There's a lot of details on Steam's page, so please read it, because I won't be re-stating 100% of the info posted on there. If you'd like to know as little as possible, then perhaps maybe just skip these devlogs.
I like to describe this game as "funk fantasy." It has the bone structure of any JRPG, but it's totally covered in weird funky flavors, and unlikely combinations. It's a psychedelic dark fantasy game with a jazz soundtrack, full of odd characters and secrets. The worldbuilding style is similar to how Dark Souls handled it, where you're thrust into the world head-first and have to figure it out all on your own. In Mantradox, you'll learn a lot about the world through regular gameplay, especially the basic aspects. But if you want to know the history, and how some things connect to each other, you'll have to investigate that on your own. Hidden rooms and characters, item and gear descriptions, architectural storytelling, lots of the classic FromSoft beats, plus some other flavors too.
But unlike FromSoft, the main plot will be strong and present, and the characters will have a lot more heart and humor in them. If you liked Moon River's random NPCs, then you'll really like Mantradox's NPCs, as they'll have a lot more depth and action compared to the one-off passerbys of Moon River. They'll have their own journeys with you, and clash with you, either as an ally or an enemy. Furthermore, since there's a hub town you can return to, the NPC side-quests will be much better than Moon River's.
With combat, I want to execute it very very carefully. There will be no random encounters. Those are terrible. I hate them. I plan for the enemies to be visible on the overworld first, like in Earthbound or Deltarune. Most can be avoided, if you want, but you'll miss out on many indispensible rewards. I am fine with turn-based combat, but I hate the complexity and abstract nature of advanced tactics and synergization, so I've simplified it to be more action oriented. You only have one character, ther is no party and no roles. You can change your character's stat scaling with the Zodiac Alignment system, but you are still alone, which means you only need to manage one character! This game has an ATB system, and your character can act very quickly and frequently. Enemies are a bit slower, but their attacks hit hard. The idea is for you to play extremely aggressively, spamming attacks and spells as much as you can before the enemy attacks you again. Once enemies become quicker, you have to be fast in your responses to the enemy, using items or healing at the right time. I tried to cut down on waiting and menu scrolling as much as possible. Good strategy will be rewarded, but you'll still need to be fast and offensive. There'll be a variety of weapons, each visible in their own attack animations in battle. I truly tried to make the enemy graphics animated too, but it simply just can't be done in RPG Maker 2003. That's the only compromise that I'm making.
I've also eliminated the EXP system. Now, leveling is achieved by exploring optional areas, finding secrets, and progressing through the main story. This means there is finite growth for your character, but you will never ever have to grind for EXP. You're rewarded for exploring and overcoming new challenges rather than tedium and meaningless repetition.
Lastly, I'd like to talk about the story. This game's story is built on the fountations and tropes established by many titles of the past. However, you'll find there's more underneath the surface. My main mission is to deliver a Dark Souls level of fantasy worldbuilding and atmosphere, while also having a Lisa/Undertale level of compelling characters that feel impactful. (I've started playing Final Fantasy 6, so there'll probably be a lot of those elements in there too.) There is really only one point in which the story reaches a point of no return, where you can't go back to where you came from, (at the middle) so don't worry too much about missing things the first time around. NPCs may often reveal some secrets in previous areas you can go back to.
The overarching story of Mantradox will be covered more in subsequent status updates, so I won't give anything away yet.