BitSummit 2026 Round-Up: Dungeons of Dusk, Wild Blue Skies, The Ashen Oz, Light Odyssey, and More

While a handful of things have changed over the years, one constant is that BitSummit remains one of the best places to meet talented, hard-working folk in the indie games space. The sheer number of fantastic ideas on display was staggering, and connecting with peers is always a delight. This year, however, the experience was heavily marred by something gaudy and new — AI booths took up a massive part of the showroom floor, and AI "art" (in quotes because it of course not 'art', but the easiest way to describe it in much the same way you'd describe Cream of Wheat as "breakfast") was plastered all over the venue.

This is a shame, because space was more constricted than ever before. More and more people choose to make the trip to Kyoto for BitSummit, which means less maneuvering around due to all the booths and crowds, and by simply removing the offensive AI garbage, a lot of real estate could have been freed up. Never before have I had to sift through my BitSummit collectables like I did this year, meticulously trashing anything with the word "AI" in it, putting companies under a microscope to determine if it was worth my time engaging with them.

All of that is to say that, in some ways, this BitSummit felt more hollow than past iterations, but that doesn't stop the main reason I go every year — to see the hard work and talent on display. Developers pour their heart and soul into a project and bring it to a trade show to show the world what they're made of, which I now bring to you, dear reader, to peruse and enjoy.

Not everything on this list is an RPG, as this year I elected to instead highlight games that I had fun playing (though I did try to center in on RPGs where I could.) As always, it is literally impossible to try every single game that makes its way to the show, so apologies for any games I happened to miss. Finally, many developers were either openly hostile towards AI or extremely tight-lipped about whether or not GenAI was used in the development process (weird, I wonder why.) If a game on this list later comes out to have used GenAI then I was not informed about it. With that out of the way, let's dive in!

The Ashen OZ (Ashbone Games)

Yes, Hollow Knight is a fantastic series and has inspired many developers to try their take on the action-platformer genre, but The Ashen OZ was the first one I tried that attempted to focus on something a little different. The atmosphere is heavily based on The Wizard of Oz, and the combat revolves around an "Umbrella Parry" system (parry at the right time to deflect most attacks; otherwise, you beef it and take damage.)

Combining that with the standard roguelite "pick one of three" fare, and you have a pretty serviceable game that was fun for the few minutes I got to play. The combat felt good enough and the environmental design was on-point, but it could use a little bit more polish with localization and making sure the flow of the game really sticks together. Definitely keep an eye on this if you want more action-platformers in your life.

Light Odyssey (GRAVITY)

Exploring a heavily contrasted world of shadows striking things with a tiny sword of light in a top-down adventure package was pretty fun, and the presentation is extremely somber in ways that tickle my brain extra good. The hitboxes for many of the boss attack patterns were a little wonky (I'd take damage sometimes when not anywhere near an attack), but exploring the world and solving puzzles (poorly, and publicly) generated a bit of enjoyment for me. This is definitely not the venue to experience this type of game, I think, but in a darkened room at home, Light Odyssey would definitely shine.

AI Limit (SENSE Games)

I did review this game already, and I stand by what I wrote, but the often-forgotten thing about written reviews is that they snapshot a specific time, place, and mental state of the reviewer and their experience. That doesn't mean a game is eternally whatever score they were reviewed as, nor does it mean that a game will strictly, always, be the exact same as it was when it was reviewed. I have often wanted to play a Soulslike without actually playing Dark Souls or Elden Ring, and my go-to has been AI Limit.

Sometimes I get frustrated (the Fisher gang section in particular) and put it down; other times I breeze right through the game and enjoy every second of it. AI Limit has gotten a lot of quality-of-life updates and bug fixes since my review, along with a free DLC update, and there is an upcoming DLC 2 being worked on (no ETA, sorry gang).

If you like Soulslikes, I can't recommend AI Limit enough — give it a shot, and you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. And no, AI Limit has not disclosed any GenAI usage in their development process; it's strictly a name related to the in-game story.

Knights of Fiona (CharacterBank)

Disclaimer: I worked on a previous game from CharacterBank in an official, paid capacity (RuinsMagus), but I have not worked on nor seen any part of Knights of Fiona's development process. This was my first interaction with the game in any capacity.

If you have a VR headset and are hankerin' for more VR RPGs, CharacterBank's newest offering might be just what you're looking for. Cycle between different weapon types at will, mimic the actual actions of swinging a sword, blocking an attack, drawing an arrow back and letting it fly, or summoning magic with a flick of your wrist — it's like living out an RPG (in that weird, uncomfortable, VR headset kind of way.)

Some of the required movements could have used a little more polish, and a few menus kept popping up while I was trying to actually use the bow and arrow, but beyond those minor annoyances the game is shaping up to be something special. CharacterBank's unique, beautiful character and monster art returns to really give you a sense of something grand and immersive. No ETA on release for this quite yet, but based on what I played, it probably won't take too much longer to release.

Own Time, Own Target (No Average Joe)

Not an RPG, but you ever play a game that you just know would be a hit at a house party? Imagine this scenario: You're at said party. Combo Breaker pools for...some game, let's say Melty Blood, is on stream on the big TV on the wall, but on a smaller monitor off to the side you're sitting with your friends all hootin' and hollerin' over The Game you're playing.

This Game has many forms, but it always exists as a way to screw with your friends in increasingly funny and hype ways. Divekick, Duck Game, Smash Bros (all items), Nidhogg — you know the type of game I'm talking about. Own Time, Own Target is That Game. Two players face off in a post-apocalyptic Singapore where they have to contend with falling blocks, stage hazards, and of course, the other player. While there were only four characters to demo, each one had distinct playstyles and personality — from a machine-gun-toting chief of police, complete with spray and pray gameplay, to a sniper character that had an extremely long intermission between shots and could reflect bullets with her reload animation.

This was one of the few games I had to return on day two and get more games in with the dev team, who were extremely fun to talk to and play against. I will have my rematch victory one day, No Average Joe!

Spellbrush's Tactical Game

While I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with the game, this Android/iOS game offers pocket-sized tactics gameplay and RPG progression on the go. I played on the hardest difficulty and, despite sacrificing a few units, managed to scrape my way through a few levels, but beyond the challenge, the presentation and art of the game are quite stellar.

Characters on the battlefield have cute blorbo sprites and animations, the game was quite responsive and felt easy to control, and the Seasonal Path system (where you pick a season to contend with between rooms, essentially a roguelite progression mechanic) offered interesting choices that heavily impacted how my next fight would go. Unfortunately, I don't have much information on the game's development process, or some screenshots, so this is more of a "trust me, it exists" scenario, but this is worth keeping an eye on.

Wild Blue Skies (Chuhai Labs)

Also not an RPG, but I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention the incredible looking Wild Blue Skies. Yeah, it's indie Star Fox, but it has a lot of original thought going into it. Extremely good furry designs, the gameplay was extremely tight and fast-paced, and the voice acting was on point. I'm not terribly good at these types of games, so I didn't advance very far in their demo, but what I played was enough to make me instantly wishlist it, so definitely keep an eye on this. There is a demo out now so you can try it on your own!

Dungeons of Dusk (New Blood)

You don't need me to tell you that New Blood games are fantastic, and the developers are some of the realest people in the world. What you do need me to tell you is Dungeons of Dusk is an extremely well put together dungeon crawler that scratched the exact itch I had been struggling to scratch for ages.

The demo had a few stages, but I only proceeded through the first stage, which was meaty and lengthy enough of a tutorial to know that this game is an instant buy on launch. Turn-based crawling with melee and ranged options (a handgun substituting in for a more traditional bow/arrow system), the ability to lay landmines, throw molotovs, and fight off way too many poisonous rats — this game has the juice. There is a demo available now if you haven't tried it out, and you really should.

Kernal Hearts (Ephermera Games)

I didn't get to spend much time with this hack-and-slash RPG, but from what I played, it felt a bit like a Hoyoverse game in presentation and progression, without all of the weird gacha requirements and a more cohesive connection between characters. There also appear to be multiplayer options for those interested. I'm personally not a big fan of hack-and-slash, but what I tried was very well put together and may be your personal cup of tea. Kernal Hearts does have a demo so you can find out for yourself.

Project Solaris (Greenhorn)

Extremely charming pixel art and smooth pixel animation alongside roguelite deck-building makes this an extremely interesting game to keep an eye on. You have 100 days to take your failwitch protagonist and make her into an honest-to-god Mage, and the choices you make influence how that pans out. I believe Project Solaris is a working title, so it might change over time, but the Steam link should work regardless. There is a demo for you to try, as well!

The Remake of The End of the Greatest RPG of All Time (Coin Drop Games)

I did not play this at BitSummit, but it was there. I was not aware of this game at all until someone asked me if I saw it (I had not.) I went to Steam and looked at it and immediately regretted that I did not see this at the show, because I would have most likely instantly loved it. You, however, can check it out on Steam yourself, because this type of game kind of defies description. It's not so much an RPG (though it is) but more of a puzzle game (centered around RPGs and the metaphysical ludology of sorts surrounding a game from the 90s.)