Welcome to the Lair of the Leviathan - A brand-new old-school RPG published by Deck13 Spotlight
Lair of the Leviathan is an old-school turn-based RPG with a beautifully handcrafted pixel world, directly inspired by classic legends such as Ultima, Pools of Radiance, and the early Baldur's Gate series.
A whisper in the dark. An echo to the ear.
O brave warriors, stand tall! Defy your fears!
Out of myth and time, Death slumbers in the Lair.
There, past Ocean’s Edge, where Glory meets Despair.
Deck13 Spotlight is proud to announce Lair of the Leviathan, an old-school RPG developed by the talented teams of Nostalgic Realms and Whiskybarrel Studios, two solo developers who joined forces to create the game of their dreams, as no one else was willing to take on this mission.
Watch the beautifully crafted Announcement Teaser!
Two developers, one quest
RPGs have lost their identity over the last decades. Once, they were about exploring and writing your own adventure. Getting lost in interesting side quests, forming a party, and fighting well-balanced turn-based battles. Large worlds to explore at your own pace. Handcrafted dungeons and towns brimming with detail and life. A world the players experience in mind, instead of showcasing bombast all over the place. Game maps that beckon you to forge your own path rather than a task list of quest markers.
That’s what Lair of the Leviathan is all about. We’re hoping to bring back what was great about RPGs. That intangible magic that somehow got lost along the way. Inspired by legendary series such as Ultima and Pools of Radiance, with a mix of the early Baldur's Gate games. All visualized in a stunning pixel-art style as seen in the official Announcement Teaser.
Announced among friends
Lair of the Leviathan was revealed during the Announcement Event for Drova II - Torn Lands, another old-school RPG to be published by Deck13 Spotlight, where frenetic applause echoed in the old dungeon-like location when the last scene revealed amazing cover art by Matt Stawicki, and everyone knew that this marks the return of the era of RPGs.
Lair of the Leviathan was officially announced for PC and Consoles. Gamers can now wishlist on Steam and GOG. A first Announcement Teaser has been released, with further details to follow in the coming months.
German Press Release
French Press Release
Polish Press Release
Press Kit
YouTube
About Nostalgic Realms & Whiskeybarrel Studios
Nostalgic Realms - David
Frustrated with the growing divide between the RPGs he so fondly remembered and the modern RPGs he saw, David started developing Lair of the Leviathan several years ago after teaching himself pixel art as a stay-at-home dad. What started as a hobby then turned into a full commercial project, and after Oliver Joyce came on board, it has grown into something much larger than he ever imagined doing.
Lair of the Leviathan is his first game, and he still can’t believe it is a real thing.
Whiskeybarrel Studios - Oliver Joyce
Oliver has been making games for as long as he can remember. He began his game dev journey as a child, faithfully copying code from BASIC adventure game books and was one of the stars of the wild west days of Flash gaming, making games that reached hundreds of millions of players on games portals far and wide. Now grey bearded and (debatably) wiser, he turns to the ‘serious business’ of making epic role playing games to compete with the titans of the genre.
Over twenty years in the industry, Oliver has made hundreds of games ranging from obscure Flash titles to the cult classic Swords and Sandals gladiator series, beloved by a generation of kids all over the world. A decade ago he founded Whiskeybarrel Studios and has shipped more than a dozen successful games on Steam, console and mobile platforms. Oliver’s ultimate goal was to bring a game like Lair of the Leviathan to life.
Now, teamed up with David and his formidable pixel art talents, we’ve spent the last two years forging this most epic and ambitious of projects - an RPG that captures the essence of what we miss the most about the games of our youth, but also brings with it the modern lessons of game design and usability. A game that captures the essence of why we play RPGs, that recaptures that lost wonder of our dice-rolling youth.
