Slay The Foul Undead!

Hi, my name is Bryan Abner, founder of Rez The Dead Ltd. and I’m developing a new indie dungeon crawler called, The Priest and The Paladin: Slay the Foul Undead™. STFU for short, a third person, single player/co‑op dungeon crawler inspired by games like Dungeons of Daggorath, Delver, and Barony. The game is being built with Unreal Engine 5.7+, with full Xbox controller compatibility for smooth, intuitive gameplay. The classes are influenced by the iconic classes found in Dungeons and Dragons; the Priest is based on the Cleric Class, the Paladin based on its namesake. While I will not be following 5e class/game rules strictly, I will draw a lot of influence from the D&D rules.

This fundraiser helps support development efforts, and it also helps me gauge interest as I shape future funding efforts as/if needed.

What I’m Creating:

Slay The Foul Undead™ is a single or two‑player co‑op dungeon crawler built for replay-ability, challenge, and that “just one more run” feeling. You can play alone or with a friend as you fight through cursed catacombs filled with undead enemies, traps, secrets, and divine mysteries. I've been hand crafting tiles to accompany a randomized tile-based dungeon generator I created so that every new dungeon run is randomized; it's never the same crawl twice!

Every dungeon is randomly generated using handcrafted tiles, including:

This randomized tile‑based system allows for the unpredictable charm that makes dungeon crawls so memorable.

Why a dungeon crawler?

One of the first computer games I played as a child was Dungeons of Daggorath on the Tandy TRS-80 my dad had gotten me one Christmas; STFU is somewhat of an ode to my initiation into PC gaming. I’m building this game as an independent developer, handling everything from design to business operations. This project isn’t backed by a publisher, it’s powered by passion, determination, and people who believe in indie games.

Gameplay

Players begin the game with 3 lives total, whether a single player or co-op game. In single player, you play as either the Priest or the Paladin; in co-op, one player is the Priest, the other is the Paladin. Players are tasked with clearing the undead from the catacombs, collecting gold to pay tithe to the church in exchange for Favor, Favor allows for resurrections, the purchase of extra lives (capped at 10 lives total), and other benefits. The game will be played in a third person perspective with action melee combat similar to that found in Valheim.

Visual Aesthetic:

Why No Gameplay Visuals?

I’m outsourcing the art side of development, which means I don’t have game‑accurate visuals to show just yet. High‑quality art takes time and funding, and I want to reveal the aesthetic properly in a gameplay video once it’s ready. Your support directly helps make that reveal possible.

How Your Support Helps.

Your contributions go directly toward:

Every dollar helps move the project forward in a meaningful way; estimated 6-9 months for Slay the Foul Undead single player/co-op playable demo, aiming to release the full game in time for Steam Next Fest 2027.

How You Can Help

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for supporting independent game development. Together, we can bring something unforgettable to life.