SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 – The Dog Empyre is cracking under the frost, and Darkway: Murder of King Mere is baring its teeth. The painterly-pixel noir where loyalty decides who lives and who hangs has dropped a new reveal trailer, offering the first look at the snowbound City of Ink, its rooftop parkour, and a cast of suspects, allies, and liars, all circling the truth as you step into the role of the Apprentice. It all ends on a chilling warning: “They are coming. They’ll destroy us all.” And there’s not long to wait. The investigation begins this October.
Wishlist on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3875890/Darkway_Murder_of_King_Mere
What the Reveal Shows
The new trailer highlights both sides of the Empyre. Snowbound rooftops and sweeping vistas collide with rough sketches that hang like warnings of what’s to come. Every corner of the city feels like a secret waiting to be weaponized, and every whisper points to the same truth: something is coming.
Welcome to the City of Ink
The King Mere Is Dead. His brother stands accused. The truth is buried deeper than bone.
In the remote City of Ink, diplomacy has died alongside its greatest champion. King Mere, once the Dog Empyre's beacon of peace, now lies a bloodstain on the snow while his brother August faces swift conviction. But you're not here to accept easy answers - you're here to dig up what others want to keep hidden.
As the Apprentice, you're left piecing together scraps of truth in a city where every answer only leads to another question.
Was it simple regicide, or a conspiracy that threatens the entire Empyre? Will you uncover what really happened? Will you die trying? Or will you find yourself behind bars?
Key Features
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Branching Conversations - Choices matter. The truth shifts depending on how deeply you're willing to dig.
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20+ Fully Voiced Characters - A diverse cast brought to life with full voice acting. Uncover secrets, build trust, and gain allies - or enemies.
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Fluid Parkour Movement - Scale castle walls, leap rooftops, and slip through hidden alleys as you gather evidence.
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Painterly-Pixel Art Style - Hand-crafted visuals that blur the line between painting and pixel art.
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Multiple Endings - Your investigation will determine not just who you expose, but whether justice or conspiracy wins the day.
Programming, art, 3D models, music, narrative, every piece of Darkway: Murder of King Mere has been built by a single developer. One set of hands shaping an entire empire of loyalty and betrayal. The result is a noir mystery as personal as it is political, a vision of fractured power struggles created without compromise.
Platform: Steam (PC)
Release Window: October 2025
Developer: IM/MORTAL Studios
Director: Pierce Papke (Ekpap)
Genre: Murder Mystery / Narrative Adventure
Links
Steam (Wishlist Now): https://store.steampowered.com/app/3875890/Darkway_Murder_of_King_Mere
Press Kit: https://impress.games/press-kit/bonfirepr/darkway-murder-of-king-mere
About IM/MORTAL Studios & Pierce Papke
Led by director Pierce Papke, IM/MORTAL Studios creates emotionally resonant games about the complexity of loyalty, truth, and power. Papke has worked with Nexon Korea (Dave the Diver) and Hero Forge before founding IM/MORTAL Studios. With Darkway: Murder of King Mere, the studio delivers an anthropomorphic noir where justice has claws and the truth always bites back.
Press Contact: hello@bonfirepr.co.uk
Media inquiries, previews, and interview opportunities available.