Hi everyone, 2024 was a transformative year for the studio, as we finally achieved relative stability and adequate resources to expand the scope of our projects and develop them at a healthy pace. Thank you for supporting us through this journey and the growing pains. I'd like to share my thoughts about our releases in 2024, as well as games the studio contributed to, and plans for 2025.

Dragon Ruins

As a long-time fan of David Allen's work (Mordor, Demise), I was surprised that no one created a successor to his games, so I decided to do it myself. Dragon Ruins started as a jam game to test the core gameplay and then reworked into an enhanced commercial version to test the waters. It became a hit for us and showed we weren't alone in wanting another game like this. We released a follow-up in January 2025, which also sold very well. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2929540/Dragon_Ruins/

Ringlorn Saga Gaiden

The original game shipped with a bonus mode called "The Tower of Rebirth" where you possessed enemies to reach the top floor. Ringlorn Saga Gaiden was created to develop this mode into a standalone open-world experience and work as a quick spin-off to keep fans busy until Ringlorn Saga: Book Two arrives. The idea took a few failed attempts, cuts, and shifts in design to make it work. Sadly, slower sales and prolonged development mean it's unlikely to break even anytime soon, but Book Two will still happen at some point in the future. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2262980/Ringlorn_Saga_Gaiden/

SKALD: Against the Black Priory

SKALD was developed by High North Studios and published by Raw Fury. I worked on it as a composer from 2019 until I finished my work in 2023. The game finally came out in 2024 and garnered a positive reception. Personally, I was surprised by how often the music was praised in reviews. Some of the later work was composed while dealing with blackouts, and I'd like to extend my thanks to the Kim family for providing me with a place to unwind, recharge my devices, and guzzle unhealthy amounts of kimchi jjigae. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1069160/SKALD_Against_the_Black_Priory/

Hazy Mind

I contributed some music to Hazy Mind in late 2023. To be honest, I'm yet to play the final version of the game, but the beta I played to get the feel for it had an amazing style. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2380340/Hazy_Mind/

2025 and Future Plans

We've released Dragon Ruins II in January. Since the original sold much better than initially anticipated, we had a decent budget to work with and enough time to research and develop features that we wanted to incorporate in the sequel. It sold much better than expected, and we're currently working on a standalone expansion to provide more stories for tired DRPG fans. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3293490/Dragon_Ruins_II/ Hanako's Flower Shop (by FantaJI) is coming out on April 25. I assisted with the QA, including checking the game on Steam Deck and checking the release candidate for errors. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1529640/Hanakos_Flower_Shop/ Apart from that, we are working on a big update for Demon Lord Reincarnation. Its commercial success took us by surprise, but internally, we were unsatisfied with the way it turned out, and player reviews reflect that. Since then, we've been quietly reworking the game from scratch, fixing elements that didn't work, and incorporating content and features that were cut to meet the deadline.
There's no ETA yet, but it's progressing at a steady pace. Once the update ships, the original version will be available on a beta branch.

Console Releases

You might've heard this before, but we are no longer working with Xitilon and are in talks with a new console publisher to handle our games. This means there's no ETA for future console releases until the deal is signed. Again, thank you for your support. --Romanus Surt of Graverobber Foundation

[ 2025-04-09 03:22:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

We're excited to announce Dragon Ruins II, our new project. Due to the positive feedback and demand for a deeper game, we've decided to make a new game and apply a few ideas we've wanted to execute for quite some time.

KEY FEATURES

• Take on various quests, from clearing the basements to facing ancient dragons
• Grow stronger through automatic battles with new twists
• Find new equipment and balance between power and speed
• Unlock new passive skills to get an edge over enemies
• Use Synergy attacks to get out of dire situations
• Revisit completed quests to see new stories unfold

Wishlist now: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3293490/Dragon_Ruins_II/

[ 2024-11-21 07:23:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

We're excited to announce Demon Lord Reincarnation Gaiden, our new game. Originally, this scenario was planned for a sequel, but it took off in its own direction and became an Ultima-style game with a new story. However, the initial draft was too good to abandon, so we turned it into a standalone expansion, similar to how Wizardry II was to the original Wizardry.

KEY FEATURES

• Enjoy a new scenario with new character classes and improved game systems
• Survive through brutal turn-based battles, where poor judgment can result in the permanent loss of a party member
• Unlock new skills in the heat of the battle, from devastating attacks to underhanded moves
• Inventory system with a variety of consumable items to buff, improve and customize your characters, including the ability to cheat death
• Come up with new party builds using new character classes and skills
• Find safe spots to regain your health and make sure the monsters won't get a drop on you
• Enjoy stylish visuals supported by atmospheric music and rocking battle tunes
• Read the manual, it's there for a reason!

Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2783400/Demon_Lord_Reincarnation_Gaiden/

[ 2024-01-28 16:13:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Das Geisterschiff and Der Geist series turn five years old today. In these experimental dungeon crawlers, you play as a mech pilot and complete dangerous missions in a dying world. These games offer unique wireframe-style visuals to simulate the "visual sensor" of your Robotic Combat Suit and atmospheric electronic music in the style of 80's electro-industrial. The series enjoyed limited success, but these games remain special to me, as they started my career as an indie game developer. All games are 66% off on Steam right now. https://store.steampowered.com/app/975230/Das_Geisterschiff__The_Ghost_Ship/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1217070/Der_Geisterturm__The_Ghost_Tower/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581240/Der_Geisterjger__The_Ghost_Hunter/ Also, we are making a new Der Geist game. It's in the early stages of development. Thank you for your support over the years. -- Romanus Surt of Graverobber Foundation

[ 2023-09-19 14:10:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

We're excited to announce Ringlorn Saga Gaiden, our next game. Due to the warm reception and interest in the Temple of Rebirth bonus dungeon in the original game, we've decided to make a standalone RPG based on the possession mechanics. Ringlorn Saga Gaiden is an adventure RPG inspired by the Japanese PC classics. After dying in a decisive battle, your spirit is separated from your body, and you must exact your revenge on the Dark Lord by possessing his minions.

• A short-but-sweet Action RPG that won't hold your hand, nor waste your time
• Fight enemies to get stronger, possess their bodies, and use their abilities to survive
• Explore an open world, find items that will strengthen your spirit, and complete objectives in any order
• Simple but nuanced game mechanics and controls
• MSX-inspired 8-bit sound
• CRT filter for an authentic retro experience
• If you lose your way, pray to Morrigan

Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2262980/Ringlorn_Saga_Gaiden/

[ 2023-02-24 18:06:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

We're excited to announce our next project. Ringlorn Saga is an adventure RPG inspired by the Japanese PC classics. Prince Gerhard the Brave embarks on a journey to the neighboring land to investigate the appearance of a magic barrier that surrounds it and his father's disappearance.

• A short-but-sweet Action RPG that won't hold your hand nor waste your time
• Explore the world, find new gear and valuable items, and get stronger while fighting a variety of enemies
• Stumble upon hidden events and quests
• Simple but nuanced mechanics and controls
• 8-bit style visuals and sound inspired by MSX
• CRT filter for an authentic retro experience
• If you ever get lost, have a drink with the bard

Wishlist: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2135990/Ringlorn_Saga/

[ 2022-09-02 00:41:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

To celebrate the Independence Day, we're offering two of our best games at the highest discount during the Ukrainian Game Festival. Now is the perfect time to give them a try. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581240/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1831020/ Stay tuned for the announcement of our new project later this year.

[ 2022-08-24 05:53:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

We'd like to announce Der Geisterjger, out latest game and our most mechanically complex title to date that will give the fans of tactical turn-based dungeon crawling another scenario filled with brutal labyrinth warfare. We'll go into deeper detail about new features in the coming weeks. Wishlist here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581240/Der_Geisterjger__The_Ghost_Hunter/

[ 2021-04-21 14:22:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog:

• Added the ability to change the controls by editing a configuration file.
• Adjusted the logic behind message boxes. Now they will wait for user input instead of staying on screen for a fixed amount of time.
• Adjusted status effect triggers to deliver more steady results.
• Fixed annoying delay whenever the door animation has finished playing.
• Fixed excessive draw calls in certain areas.
• Fixed a critical bug which would stop loading the music altogether if the game attempted to load a track while another track was being loaded.
• Fixed a rare critical issue which could bug autosaves between chapters. In case you ever encounter it again, please restart the current map/chapter from the death screen. [Reported by Tweed]
• Fixed unresponsive skip button in the intro text roll.
• Fixed certain objects being attached to the wrong prefab, making them appear a bit different when entering certain maps for the first time.
• Fixed subtle hissing in a few audio tracks.
• Improved music transitions with proper crossfading.
• Switched music format from ADPCM to Vorbis.
• Increased speed of door opening animations if they're opened via remote access.
• Reduced download size.
• Minor code optimizations.

Note: you can access 'controls.bnd' by going to 'c:/Users/[your username]/AppData/LocalLow/Graverobber Foundation/Das Geisterschiff/' to modify the controls. You need to run the game at least once in order to generate this file.

[ 2021-04-21 13:06:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

The DLC (Original Soundtrack, Declassified, and Remixed) has been updated to the new 'Music' app type. If you own any of these, check your Steam library in order to access it. If you can't find it, check the filters and see if 'SOUNDTRACKS' item is checked. In order to download the FLAC files, go to Steam settings and check 'Download high-quality audio files' item in the 'Music' tab. Thank you for your patience. We've encountered a few issues along the way, but they've been fixed and we'd like to also thank Valve for their assistance in the matter. Enjoy the music. --RS

[ 2020-01-15 10:18:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

We are currently updating the soundtrack DLCs for Das Geisterschiff. Apologies for the temporary issues. --RS

[ 2020-01-09 06:25:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Der Geisterturm is coming out on January 23, 2020. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1217070/ Happy New Year, folks, the future is metal.

[ 2019-12-31 21:27:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

We've been quietly working on the next DG game, and now is the best time to make an announcement. Der Geisterturm (The Ghost Tower) is a turn-based dungeon crawler and a spin-off to Das Geisterschiff. You wake up in a strange tower and a mysterious man commands you to reach the top floor.

What Der Geisterturm can offer to Das Geisterschiff fans?

• Expanded combat system: encounters against multiple enemies, combat stances, fire modes and damage types add new layers of decision-making to the game, as standing in one place and firing randomly will only lead to your death;
• The pilot is present in the game and can be hurt or killed if attacks penetrate the armor;
• New abilities: Booster and Shield offer new ways to survive through each encounter;
• Expanded progression: from collecting upgrades for your RCS, weapons and abilities to natural progression of the pilot by gaining experience from battles;
• A single dungeon with 15 interconnected floors that will challenge your survival skills.

The release is planned for Q1 2020. Stay tuned, folks, the future is metal.

[ 2019-12-08 19:39:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changelog:

• Fixed minor scripting issues.
• Fixed missing translations on a couple of signs.
• Fixed a freeze during an attempt to analyze one of the bosses.
• Changed menu text to make certain functions more obvious.

Thanks to Lightbane and Daikatan for reporting these issues.

[ 2019-05-12 09:36:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Fans, Update v1.0.666 (codenamed 'Amberhell') is now available. It includes the content update as well as additional bugfixes and tweaks.

Bugfixes

• Fixed inability to move the cursor in the target list menu.
• Fixed incorrect printing of remaining save points on death screen.
• Fixed incorrect adjustment of the hit chance for explosive weapons.
• Fixed rare z-fighting issues on certain configurations.
• Fixed several incorrectly tagged objects @ Cargo Bay.

Tweaks

• Users' systems should no longer go crazy @ Unity logo.
• Priority of control keys has been adjusted to make controls smoother.
• Removed 'ENEMY TURN' message and reduced the delay before 'YOUR TURN' message disappears to reduce downtime in combat.
• Slight optimization of line rendering.
• Slightly expanded tutorial text.
• Slight tweaks to the player starting stats to make character growth more apparent.
• Slight balance tweaks to enemy stats and weapons.
• Encounter rate has been adjusted to deliver more steady results while remaining low.
• Doubled door opening/closing animation speed to reduce downtime.
• Removed aiming animation when desired target is not in the field of view.
• Additional tweaks to enemy AI.

Additions

• Added a new side quest to the Gangland chapter.
• Added a new encounter to the Ghost Ship chapter.
• Added an alternative ending with a small, combat-heavy dungeon.
• Added a slight accuracy penalty to attacks made with ATTACK ram response.
• Enemies now warn nearby units about your presence, increasing the encounter chance within a small radius.
• Added notifications about saves before points of no return in the Ghost Ship chapter.
• Added support for 5:4 aspect ratio.

Other

• Added two new tracks to the Original Soundtrack DLC.
• Engine upgraded to v5.6.7f1.
• Replaced old splash screen with studio logo.
• Additional minor bugfixes, changes to text & tweaks.

Warning: in order to access new content and avoid issues such as missing events, you will need to either restart the chapter you're currently in (except for the introduction or tutorial) or consider restarting your playthrough altogether. Thank you for your support, --RS

[ 2019-05-01 03:07:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Fans, As of today, the content update is complete and enters the testing stage. It is going to be released together with a 1.0.666 patch, which includes additional bugfixes and adjustments to the game.
This update adds extra events to the base game as well as an alternative final dungeon for hardcore players who want to put their skills and understanding of game mechanics to the test.
Approximate ETA: about a week or so. Patch notes will be posted as soon as it's released. Thank you for your support and have a great weekend. --RS

[ 2019-04-26 14:20:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Fans, After thorough analysis of player feedback, we've decided to make several big changes to Das Geisterschiff to make sure our game remains fun and accessible to the widest possible audience.

Reworked Combat

Instead of a boring, 'what-is-this-1945?' turn-based combat system, Das Geisterschiff will adopt two-step tango combat from true dungeon crawling classics that nobody played.

Color Options

The bloody orange color palette received mixed reception and a color change option has been requested for many weeks. We are adding the following options to the game: [table] [tr] [th]Colors[/th] [th]Description[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]Red & Black[/td] [td]Virtual Boy-style palette for old school gamers.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Black & Red[/td] [td]Reversed Virtual Boy-style palette for old school gamers.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Pink & Cyan[/td] [td]Retrowave-style palette for connoisseurs.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Shades of Pink[/td] [td]Fabulous palette for fabulous players.[/td] [/tr] [/table]

Achievements

According to the feedback, a game without achievements is worthless in 2019. We've spent months coming up with good and meaningful achievements one can wear like a badge of pride. Take a look: [table] [tr] [th]Name[/th] [th]Description[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]Impatient[/td] [td]Skip the tutorial.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Reading is Hard[/td] [td]Die during the tutorial.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]No Pain No Gain[/td] [td]Die 1000 times.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Left a Large Crater[/td] [td]Fall into a pit 10 times.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]More Balls Than Brains[/td] [td]Waste all ammo during the mission.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]I'm not cheating, honest![/td] [td]Beat the Tunnels map in less that 10 minutes.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]I said I'm not cheating![/td] [td]Beat the game without dying.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]True Professional[/td] [td]Beat the game without killing critters.[/td] [/tr] [/table]

Microtransactions

We've decided to introduce minor microtransactions to let struggling players finish the game. Here's the list of options currently under consideration: [table] [tr] [th]Name[/th] [th]Price[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]Light Armor Plate[/td] [td]$0.24[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Medium Armor Plate[/td] [td]$0.49[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Heavy Armor Plate[/td] [td]$0.74[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Weapon Magazine[/td] [td]$0.49[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]10 Save Points[/td] [td]$0.99[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Access to Full Map[/td] [td]$0.99[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Quest Marker[/td] [td]$0.99[/td] [/tr] [/table] If you're worrying about predatory and anti-consumer practices, you can relax -- there will be NO changes to the difficulty. We're very excited about these changes and can't wait to hear your thoughts. Happy April Fools!

[ 2019-04-01 14:05:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Das Geisterschiff Remixed DLC is out now and contains four remixed and rearranged tracks by Daniel Northwood, Chronomantique, Skinny and Romanus Surt. We are currently cooking up a free content update for the base game with a new dungeon, new events, as well as balance and AI tweaks. Enjoy!

[ 2019-03-19 00:38:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update fixes a critical issue introduced by v1.0.5 as well as provides additional tweaks and bugfixes. Changelog:

• Fixed a critical issue introduced in v1.0.5 which wouldn't let players progress past the first chapter upon starting a new game.
• Fixed incorrect assignment of sfx and music volume in the main menu.
• Analyze function no longer shows approrimate target DC higher than max DC.
• Gates are no longer identified as switches if the player is travelling through the dark zone.
• Increased ambush chance from 20% to 30%.
• Removed a redundant option in the FPS Limit submenu.

[ 2018-12-07 15:24:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update addresses feedback about the difficulty in second half of the game and fixes a major issue in the major (yet optional) event in the Gangland chapter. Changelog:

• Fixed buggy event in the Gangland chapter which would load the trailer and demo/beta ending screen. If you ended up encountering this issue and quit the game, simply load the savegame and re-enter that tile. Thanks to lightbane for reporting this issue.
• Slight tweaks to the enemy stats and AI in the Ghost Ship chapter.
• Boosted the damage from suicidal attacks of certain enemy types.
• Tweaked the boss fight with Krutz by making him start hunting the player once he gets closer to him @ Gangland.
• Additional tweaks and fixes.

In addition, there was a mistake on our part and Mac version of the demo has not been updated to v1.0.4a. An update has been released to address this issue.

[ 2018-12-03 16:25:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Das Geisterschiff Original Soundtrack and Das Geisterschiff Declassified DLC are available on Steam with a 10% discount until December 3rd. Enjoy!

[ 2018-11-26 16:31:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update fixes a critical savegame-related bug reported shortly after release. Changelog:

• Fixed incorrect loading of player data if the game was saved on another map. If you're in the middle of the mission and ended up encountering this bug, please select 'Restart Current Chapter' from the death menu by pressing SUICIDE > CONFIRM.
• Fixed incorrect access level on the Docking Bay gate @ Junction.
• Reduced loading time upon start of the game.

This update is also available for the demo version.

[ 2018-11-25 11:15:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Das Geisterschiff Demo is available with the introduction chapter from the full game as well as the tutorial so you can get a good grip on game mechanics. The save files are compatible with the full game, just make sure to save before the end of the introduction. Enjoy!

[ 2018-11-20 07:10:53 CET ] [ Original post ]