‘Lunaraxia - The Magpie Sings of the Apocalypse - (hereinafter Lunaraxia)’ was easily one of the most striking games I had the pleasure of playing at the Busan Indie Connect Festival (BIC) 2025 this past August. Its distinct art style, the blood-red moon reminiscent of Bloodborne, and the sheer, weighty impact of every swing left a lasting impression. Specifically, the tactile feedback of timing your shield to parry an incoming blow and nullifying all damage felt nothing short of divine.

Sadly, with the hustle and bustle of the demo floor, I couldn’t get much out of the developers. As it was merely a vertical slice, the deeper narrative and character nuances remained a mystery. So, I trekked to Pangyo to sit down with Shin Ji-ho, the CEO of IronDeer, and get the lowdown on what this game is really about.

The team behind Lunaraxia, 'IronDeer', is a compact trio. Founded by CEO Shin Ji-ho, it features illustrator Ahn So-yeon and developer Seo Han. They kicked off development around February this year, meaning they managed to whip up a playable demo in just about six months in time for BIC 2025.

CEO Shin spent about eight years in the local gaming industry. While he originally set his sights on being a game designer, the last four years at a major conglomerate saw him mostly stuck in market analysis. Watching others build games, however, the itch to create his own became impossible to ignore. He eventually left to start development with his wife, illustrator Ahn So-yeon. The core gameplay loop of Lunaraxia draws heavy inspiration from the FromSoftware titles Shin loves.

Illustrator Ahn So-yeon, originally a doctor of neurology, is effectively making her game industry debut here. One of Lunaraxia’s biggest selling points is its idiosyncratic art style, and Shin notes that she is “working tirelessly, day and night.”

Developer Seo Han is a four-year veteran who released a grid-based turn-based strategy roguelike called ‘Twin Annihilation’ last year. “His track record is stellar, and we click perfectly,” Shin says. “The rapid progress of our builds is entirely down to Seo.”

Lunaraxia is a roguelike action game set in a rather peculiar world. It’s a near-future where AI and technological advancements have pushed humanity to actual immortality. Having conquered death, labor, and deprivation, humanity stopped having children, opting instead to create a ‘school’—essentially an arena—where genetically spliced kids compete for entertainment. Our protagonists are the children of the world's elite, living within the competitive confines of ‘Chorim High School’.

Then, catastrophe struck. A mysterious event caused the world to fall, a red ‘fleshy moon’ ascended into the sky, and a ‘Tower’ suddenly sprouted in the city centre. The students of Chorim High, tucked deep underground, found themselves in a relatively stable position with ample supplies, allowing them to expand their territory. But with resources running dry, five protagonists—each with their own agenda—set out for the Tower, where precious treasures are said to be buried.

The narrative of Lunaraxia is a heady cocktail of myth, philosophy, and sci-fi. The setting regarding humanity is inspired by Arthur C. Clarke’s ‘Childhood's End’. The title itself, Lunaraxia, merges the key motifs of the ‘Moon’ and ‘Ataraxia’. “Lunaraxia reflects on the constant, systemic oppression of the youth and the feelings of alienation in our modern social structure,” explains Shin.

Adding to the allure is the striking art, which feels like a collision between cartoons and Japanese anime. It leans heavily into reds and blacks, with bold outlines to emphasize character movement. “We were inspired by works from Studio Trigger, Amazon Prime’s ‘Hazbin Hotel’, and the game Helltaker,” Shin shares. “We’ve strived to make silhouettes easy to read while ensuring the illustrator’s unique sensibilities shine through.”

Lunaraxia is a back-view roguelike, a rarity in the 2D space. It brings to mind the classic ‘Doom’ series and Windows’ maze screensavers. CEO Shin noted inspiration from the dungeon crawler ‘Valbrace’ in the indie collection ‘UFO 50’, and also referenced Alpha Denshi’s ‘Crossed Swords’. They verified the core gameplay through developer communities before hitting the ground running.

The combat is, unsurprisingly, heavily soulslike. As a die-hard FromSoftware fan, Shin has baked evasion, blocking, light attacks, and heavy attacks into the core. But the heart of it all is the ‘parry’—timing your block perfectly to mitigate damage. To keep the focus here, they’ve implemented animation canceling; if you’re mid-attack and need to block, the shield comes up instantly. It’s designed to keep you reactive and engaged.

With a back-view perspective, both ground and aerial enemies are a must. The BIC demo featured three types: ‘Scavengers’, ‘Magpies’, and ‘Flesh-beings’. Scavengers are humanoid fighters, while Magpies swoop down from the sky only when they attack, forcing you to watch for the right moment. These aerial foes are crucial for keeping the player’s attention split and modulating the combat difficulty.

Expect formidable bosses at the end of every stage. They break the mold with entirely different, punishing patterns. One boss, for instance, has a flower blooming where its head should be and wields a massive rapier, using relentless chain attacks and magical projectiles from above. “We are working hard on bosses that are as visually captivating as they are mechanically challenging,” Shin says. “I think players will respond well to them.”

Lunaraxia blends soulslike combat with roguelike structures. It follows a ‘Hades’-style stage progression: regular enemy rooms, elite rooms, shops, and events. You can swap or loot gear as you go. “Both genres offer the satisfaction of ‘mastery’,” says Shin. “We want to refine the experience for modern tastes by trimming the number of attempts and adding systems like respawns after failure.”

A single stage is divided into about 10 zones, and players choose their path forward. Some areas trigger text-based events. One standout from the BIC demo involved an ‘Ethics Robot’—cute in appearance, but its insufferable dialogue and the player’s brutal options really highlighted the game’s wonderfully unhinged world.

You can acquire various artifacts as you traverse zones. In the demo, these were powerful: one dealt damage across the entire screen on a heavy attack, while another boosted critical hit rates during dashes. Building a character through these artifacts is a key pillar of the fun.

Different characters also spice up the replayability. The BIC demo featured the default character, ‘17’. The full release will introduce others, such as a dual-wielder who can parry on every attack frame but lacks a shield, or a heavy-hitter with super armor who trades blows to win. “Our goal is for every character to offer a completely unique combat experience,” Shin notes.

Though development has been remarkably fast—a demo in six months—there’s still a long road ahead. The demo even had placeholders saying ‘not drawn yet’ for some assets, which users actually found quite amusing.

“A demo release this year is likely off the table,” Shin admits. “Maybe next February, or potentially later.” He adds that a full release shouldn't be expected before early 2027. Despite the initial pace, staff shortages and a busy schedule of game shows have caused some delays.

The feedback from BIC has been invaluable. “Concerns about limited gameplay or lack of variety in repeated runs have become our roadmap,” says Shin. “We are refining the UI and tweaking map traversal to be more imaginative to ensure maximum enjoyment.”

With a small team, asset and art production is the biggest hurdle. They are currently on the hunt for new artists. “Beyond the art and combat, we intend to weave themes of the sorrow and oppression felt by the youth into the narrative,” Shin concludes. “If you’re interested in joining as an artist for Lunaraxia, we’re hiring via our official website.”