The Dark Lord Aklor returns after a centuries-long banishment, with his minions spreading across the land. Rio, heir to the Sword and a direct descendant of the hero who once banished the evil from the land is ripped out of his idyllic existence as the evil army descends on his village. Saved only by the timely intervention of Reima, a mage desperately seeking the Sword, he and his new ally face a monumental task: Uniting the eight elements scattered across Ardemia for a chance to defeat the evil once again and save the world.
No struggle comes without a cost: As Rio and Reima travel across the land, they will see loss, sorrow, and grief as Aklor's army spreads across the world, bringing pain and misery everywhere they go. They will suffer their own losses and have to come to terms with them - just how much are they willing to sacrifice to save the world from certain doom?
Embracing its JRPG roots, Shrine's Legacy combines a complex, multi-layered story with real-time combat and rewarding exploration. Rio focuses on melee, with well-timed attacks and movement crucial to realizing his full potential as he unlocks the magic of the Sword of the Shrine, while Reima relies on a wide array of spells to overcome obstacles in their way.
Their diverse skills are necessary to succeed in the desperate quest for victory over Aklor: A single player can switch between the two characters at any moment during gameplay - or they can invite a friend, configure a second controller, face Aklor and his minion together at the same time, sharing a single screen.
Awaiting them is an expansive world full of dungeons to delve into to uncover new treasures and develop both protagonists using an elegant JRPG progression system, unlocking new abilities and spells. Beyond them lies a vast overworld full of intriguing characters and stories to experience, and a gripping, well-paced story - all brought together by smooth pixel graphics inspired by the heyday of 16-bit gaming when SNES reigned supreme.
Ready to face Aklor? Shrine’s Legacy will launch on Steam on October 7th, 2025.
ABOUT POSITIVE CONCEPT GAMES
Positive Concept Games is an independent studio founded by lifelong friends Joseph Duke and Alan Gabbard, based in Indiana. Officially registered in 2020, the studio’s origins trace back much further—Shrine’s Legacy, their current project, began as a passion project during their high school years and started to take its modern shape in 2016. Joseph serves as Technical Director, bringing years of personal modding and game development experience that began on his dad’s PC. Alan, the Creative Director, found his love for game development after playing Final Fantasy IX as a kid.
Today, Positive Concept Games is supported by a close-knit team of two level designers and a rotating group of freelance pixel artists and digital illustrators. United by friendship and a love for classic RPGs, the studio is dedicated to crafting heartfelt, imaginative games built on years of shared creativity.
ABOUT INDIE.IO
indie.io is home to hundreds of the world’s most innovative independent video games and developers. Founded in 2020 by Donovan Duncan and Ben Robinson - industry veterans with a collective 40 years of experience across the video game landscape - our mission is to provide support to independent developers and set the standard for gaming creation, management, and promotion. Our tools and services include marketing, QA, playtesting, partnership deals, and distribution to all major platforms to maximize your visibility, revenue, and engagement to ensure long-term success – with no upfront costs. You may know us from Echoes of the Plum Grove, HumanitZ, the Dark Deity franchise, and Coromon!
We’re powered by a worldwide team of 35 remote employees; a mix of semi-professional esports players, developers, and gaming enthusiasts whose passion and technical know-how fuel the company’s mission. As industry experts, we dedicate ourselves to providing innovative marketing support services and integrations; as players, we want to discover and elevate the creators of exceptional, inspiring, and unexpected games of every genre. Join us on our quest to cultivate a vibrant global community of players and creators alike!