Metroidvania game Twilight Monk to be published by Gravity Game Arise

■ About the Twilight Monk Series

Twilight Monk is a series of kung-fu, fantasy, adventure novels, and art books beginning with “Secrets of Kung Fulio.”

The epic storyline, overwhelming worldview, and unique characters are the main attractions of the series.

The game is a 2D action–adventure game featuring hand-drawn stylized art, meticulously designed Metroidvania dungeons, and an open world. Players take on the role of Raziel Tenza, the last descendant of the “Ancient Monks of Twilight” a race of demon hunters as they seek to hold off armies of “Darksprites,” supernatural demons that plague the land of Speria.

■ About the Twilight Monk Metroidvania Game

Twilight Monk is a fantasy, kung-fu adventure with meticulously crafted Metroidvania designed dungeons, connected by an open world.

In Twilight Monk, you will hunt down and destroy powerful Darksprites as Raziel Tenza – the last descendant of Demon Hunters.

Weapon of the Ancients

Rack up combos with the Phantom Pillar to obliterate foes.

Solve Puzzles

As you explore, you will need a variety of tools to reach previously inaccessible areas to solve puzzles.

Living Towns

Switch to a three-quarters angled world view between dungeons to explore towns and acquire equipment, make bets or discover dungeons.

Key Features

• Choose your Destiny – Destroy or recruit Darksprite foes.
• Discover maps to find hidden dungeons across the land.
• Meet an unconventional cast of characters, each with their own story.

The Catacombs beneath Crescent Isle hold many secrets. Be immersed in unspoken stories of an imaginative world on the brink of destruction.

■ About the Developer

Trent Kaniuga started his career as an indie artist from Indiana and self-published his comic book CreeD at 16.

He worked on Marvel comics and later joined Capcom as a concept artist, voice actor, and cinematic director.

At Blizzard Entertainment, he designed World of Warcraft and Diablo III. Trent also redesigned the art on League of Legends‘ most famous map, “Summoner’s Rift,” and contributed to Legends of Runeterra in 2012. And started Aquatic Moon in 2013, creating concept art, novels, and art books. He teaches concept art on YouTube and the Twilight Monk game release on Steam established Aquatic Moon as a developer, with Twilight Monk being its first major video game release with a publisher.

■ Gematsu Exclusive: Interview with Trent Kaniuga

Why did you decide to sign a publishing contract with GRAVITY?

Trent Kaniuga: “The team at GRAVITY has a genuine passion for the kind of game that we were developing. Their experience as a publisher makes it a perfect fit for the Twilight Monk game.”

What do you expect from a publisher?

Kaniuga: “Many indie publishers approached us after we announced the game. But we really needed to partner with a company that has an established global presence. It was also very important to have partners that will care enough about the game as we do, as developers. GRAVITY has displayed a strong commitment to ensuring that we can deliver the best game that we can to players who love hand-drawn Metroidvanias.”

Why did you decide to create Twilight Monk intellectual property?

Kaniuga: “I grew up playing games like Samurai Shodown at the local pizza place that had an arcade. When I was in elementary school, all of my free time was spent drawing kung fu characters fighting dragons, and other Dungeons & Dragons creatures. These have always been the things that I love to create the most! When I sat down to create Twilight Monk, I simply put together all of my favorite things to draw. I’d been trying to make the Metroidvania game for over 20 years but got sidetracked working on other games for big publishers.”

How did you create the world view and story of Twilight Monk intellectual property?

Kaniuga: “Many of the themes and stories in the Twilight Monk novels stem from parallels throughout our own human history. On the surface, it’s just insane mystical kung-fu action. Raziel kicks and punches through ancient mythical monsters. But on a more subtle level, it’s about the internal conflict of growing up and having a meaningful life of struggle to create order in the chaos. Sometimes doing the ‘right thing’ requires great sacrifice. The character, Raziel Tenza struggles with trying to become the hero that the world of Speria needs, while also realizing that such responsibility is also a curse.”

Why did you decide to make a game of Twilight Monk?

Kaniuga: “Twilight Monk was always intended to be a game. Even the novels are intended to read like episodic adventures of an RPG hero’s journey. Making a game is incredibly expensive and time-consuming. So I’d been working out the story through novels and art books until I felt that I had enough to begin on a simple ‘demo’ version of a game. Once that demo was shown on Steam, Gravity Games approached me to develop the project. Since then, It’s been my sole focus and the focus of my team.”

Why did you choose the Metroidvania genre?

Kaniuga: “I’ve always loved Metroidvania RPGs. But I really want to evolve the genre. You can expect to acquire many mystical kung-fu abilities, find many secret rooms, and dig into some pretty rich lore. There are many features that I can’t talk about yet until we get closer to release. But I think that we’re going to introduce new standards to what people expect from this type of game.”

What kind of game do you plan to make of the Twilight Monk Metroidvania game?　What are the strengths and characteristics (differences and differentiation from other games) of the Twilight Monk Metroidvania game?

Kaniuga: “We constantly strive to dazzle the player with folklore inspired monsters, and subtle drama through the ‘unspoken’ storytelling in the world design. For instance, when you’re playing through a location, you’ll spot details that tie together the lore of why the world looks the way that it does, and what conflicts plague that region. Also, using Unreal Engine, we’re able to connect the world in a way that weaves dungeons together in ways that have never been done before, as each zone is seamlessly connected.”

What is your message to the users who are waiting for the Twilight Monk Metroidvania game?

Kaniuga: “We are working hard to create an immersive experience for everyone to enjoy, so please stay tuned for more information!”