Carson Kompon

Will you die, or will you Vertikill?

After grabbing the sword wedged deep in a rock, expecting to be the hero of the land, our foolish peasant found himself falling deep into an unknown cavern. Just before they hit the ground they feel their body suddenly stop, hovering in midair before crashing down on the floor. After reclaiming their senses, they hear a dark and foreign voice speaking through the thick darkness. The sword is animate, talking of freedom from this drenched place.

Vertikill was a passion project between Yukon Wainczak and I, with us bringing it to PAX East to show it off in 2017. The game featured arcade rogue-lite gameplay with a dangerous twist, your sword can kill you at any time if mishandled. We were aiming to provide the player with a rich loop of fighting and curses, spread across multiple environments. Vertikill was abandoned due to a lack of time from both parties.