Press release

A New Hellish Dungeon Crawler Arises in 2026

Ars Goetia and Publisher Dear Villagers are Teaming Up for The Dark Fantasy Dungeon Crawler Sequel

Montpellier, France – June 2, 2025. French independent developer Ars Goetia and publisher Dear Villagers are proud to reveal HellSlave II: Judgement of the Archon (trailer, website). The sequel to the demonic Dungeon Crawler will release in 2026.
 

 

After a first successful collaboration with Dear Villagers’ sister branch, PiD Games, solo developer Baptiste Miny (Ars Goetia) wanted to delve deeper into the handcrafted Demon World he has given life to with Hellslave, and to celebrate this announcement, Ars Goetia and Dear Villagers are delighted to share that Hellslave, the first game in the franchise, is free to collect for a limited time on Steam, during Dear Villagers’ Publisher Sale on Steam, starting today, until June 16. The Publisher Sale also features discounts on other great experiences published by Dear Villagers, such as Caravan SandWitch, Fabledom or The Forgotten City.

 

With the aim of keeping what made the first installment successful, Miny now wishes to offer a more immersive, more open and more ambitious experience.

 

I’m thrilled to offer a new HellSlave experience with a deeper, bigger and better designed game.” said Baptiste Miny, solo developer on the game
 

HellSlave II is the result of listening to the players while trying to surprise them and offer them even more than they could expect.

 

In the same way as its predecessor, HellSlave II: Judgement of the Archon will be a dungeon crawler, in which players will have to put an end to the eternal conflict waged by 6 Demon lords. In a demonic twist of fate, demonic powers will await players, but their use will come at a terrible cost as the Heaven has granted a last reprieve to humanity after sending the Archon of Judgement to wipe out the Demon lords and humans alike.


In each of their runs in HellSlave II: Judgement of the Archon, players will have the opportunity to discover a deeper narration, enriched gameplay features, and handcrafted art more detailed than ever, all wrapped in a grim dungeon crawler gameplay experience.


KEY FEATURES
 

Customize Your Damnation

Start as a Warrior or Sorcerer and specialize in six deadly classes from spectral assassins to plague-bearing mages. Mix and match powers in a flexible talent tree and forge your path through fire and fury.
 

Turn-Based Combat with a Time Twist

Plan every move carefully with a unique time-based combat system. Each skill takes real-time seconds to execute, forcing you to balance aggression and survival in every brutal fight.
 

Explore a World on the Brink

Walk inside the map to travel an immersive overworld/underworld and explore cursed dungeons, ruined villages, and sanctuaries. Every location is filled with lore, secrets, and NPCs clinging to the last threads of hope.
 

Fight or Be Forgotten

Face hordes of monstrous enemies and hellish bosses. Use active powers and passive talents to unleash devastating combos and ride the edge between light and complete corruption.

 

Follow Dear Villagers on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/dearvillagers
https://x.com/DearVillagers
https://www.tiktok.com/@dearvillagers
https://www.youtube.com/c/dearvillagers
 

Follow Ars Goetia on social media

https://x.com/ArsGoetiaGames
https://www.instagram.com/arsgoetiagames/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdpgAxDW317OFPqhlu6SrKQ
https://www.facebook.com/arsgoetiagames
https://discord.com/invite/j9bsR4uRFb

 

KEY INFO

Genre: RPG, Roguelite, Indie

Platforms: Steam

Release date: 2026

Website: https://hellslavegame.com

About Ars Goetia

Ars Goetia explores and narrates tales of the dark atmosphere lingering in the Demon World. The studio has shaped and designed stories and experiences from this twisted universe, such as Blind Prophet – Blood of the Apostle and Hellslave which were both praised for their art direction. Ars Goetia is a solo endeavor founded by Baptiste Miny and is now on the path of its next tale: HellSlave II: Judgement of the Archon, set to release in 2026.

About Dear Villagers

Based in the South of France, in sunny Montpellier, we are a boutique publishing label composed of a team of twenty people. Open-minded and versatile, Dear Villagers offers handcrafted marketing and production guidance. Our mission: We tell memorable stories through memorable games.