Ultra-Indie Daily Dose: Lianthus Asks If Horror Can Be Charming (The Answer Is Yes)

Sometimes an indie project is just so charming that I can’t not add it to the list. Today’s Daily Dose isn’t exactly scary, but it has enough horror elements that it needs to be recommended. Lianthus, released yesterday by developer Dev_Dwarf on itch.io, is a neat isometric title more visually reminiscent of EarthBound than your average skeleton-based game. What’s not to love?

Lianthus has you filling the calcium and marrow shoes of a kindly skeleton, resurrected by an equally kind witch. Armed with a fearsome femur as a club, you venture into the nearby forest, making friends and exploring. But not all is well in this whimsical world; an invasion of the Darkness is spreading. You must enter the dark realm and figure out how to save your home.

Lianthus has combat, but is not really a combat focused game. It’s more an aesthetic experience, so you’ll have to find another game for some Diablo 2-style necromancer combat. But don’t let that deter you. Lianthus has a fantastic visual style, great sound design, and great music.

You can try out Lianthus for free on itch.io by clicking here. And to keep up with any future projects, you can follow Dev_Dwarf on Twitter through their handle, @Dev_Dwarf.