Sunfall

SUNFALL

An epic solo RPG gamebook series set in a dark fantasy world inspired by Aztec mythology.

From Michael J. Ward, the author of the bestselling DestinyQuest series, and the producers of Legendary Kingdoms, comes a new open-world gamebook adventure inspired by the mythology of the Aztecs. Take on the role of a fallen hero, newly awakened from imprisoned slumber, called back to the world by a desperate summons.

The Calendar Stone lies broken.
The days pass without record.
The Hollow Times have begun.

This is the end of the Third Age – one that should have perished in fire and brimstone. Instead, the natural balance of the cosmos has been upended, and dark powers are now at work to forge a new world of chaos and corruption. You are humanity’s last hope: a trickster of fate, gifted with a sacred destiny – to either save the world from ruin, or finally condemn it to a fiery grave.

Are you prepared to answer the call?

Take up your faithful weapons and spirit-born powers, and march boldly into a horrific world of apocalyptic menace – one where there are no happy endings for the foolhardy or the complacent. Pillage ancient ruins and defiled temples, delve deep into monster-infested dungeons, and seek out the hidden places among jungles and fetid swamplands, where age-old mysteries and rare treasures still wait to be discovered.

The Hollow Times are here. When great stories will be told. 

What Players Think...

Download a Free Testplay

What Makes Sunfall Different.

Sunfall draws heavily from games such as Dark Souls and Elden Ring, to craft a game world that is both visually striking and bleak in tone. At the heart of these games is their intense combat, and Michael has teamed up with epic writer and game designer Oliver Hulme – best known for the Legendary Kingdoms gamebook series – to build an innovative battle system that rewards strategy and cunning, capturing the frantic, nail-biting dance of melee and magic familiar to fans of this grim-dark genre.

The story of Sunfall unfolds across four interlinked books, immersing you in a vast and detailed world where you are free to choose your own path. The journey begins in the underworld of Mictlan, before opening out into a branching set of narrative regions, each using a dedicated Travel Journal feature that records your progress and allows movement between locations without penalty.

Over the course of your adventure, you will be delving into jungle ruins, haunted caverns, festering swamplands, and plague-riddled cities. The world of Sunfall is immense and richly detailed, filled with hidden places, forgotten histories, and dangerous secrets. And of course, bold exploration and daring choices are always rewarded.

Sunfall Preview.

Gamebook Features.

Sunfall has been over two years in development and delivers the following RPG features:

• Pick your path. A unique travel system offers an immense open world full of adventure and opportunity: unlock new areas and shortcuts, revisit earlier regions, dynamically alter the landscape, and reveal hidden content as you progress.
• Tactical combat. Every fight is a test of judgement and resource management, blending melee and magic in fast, lethal encounters where timing, preparation, and careful decision-making matter more than raw power.
• Level up. Discover a refined RPG system of attributes and talents that allow you to define your own strengths and weaknesses, shaping your hero to suit your chosen playstyle.
• Craft your hero. With over sixty weapons to discover and nearly a hundred unique abilities, the possibilities for hero builds are vast. Whether you favour brutal two-handed weapons or cunning spirit-magic, Sunfall gives you all the tools and choices to craft a hero worthy of the age.
• Build your renown. Earn achievements by overcoming difficult challenges, defeating notable foes, or completing special quest goals. Each grants a unique title – and the more achievements you collect, the greater your fame, which can shape how the world responds to you.
• Blood Sports. Compete for honour in the Tlachtli ball courts, where brave warriors test their skill and endurance in brutal contests. This exciting sub-game uses its own streamlined rule set, capturing the pace and pressure of high-stakes competition.
• Replayability. Sunfall is built around meaningful choice – from small decisions to world-shaping dilemmas. Every playthrough tells a different story, defined by the paths you choose, the alliances you forge, and the objectives you pursue. 

Where Do I Start?

Sunfall begins in The Ashlands of Book 1, which offers a complete, self-contained story arc and serves as the starting point for all players. From there, your journey will extend eastward into the swamps and sunken ruins of The Festering Coast (Book 2), before striking westward across parched plains and scarred wastelands into the dense, impenetrable horror of The Weeping Jungle (Book 3). Ultimately, your paths and choices may then lead you toward the blighted lake-island capital of Tenochtitlan or the haunted depths of Mictlan, where the greatest challenges await in The Pyramids of the Blood God (Book 4).

While each book expands on the last with new regions, encounters, and story threads, players are not locked into a rigid sequence. As areas are discovered and routes unlocked, there are multiple opportunities to move freely between books and regions.

Each book contains dozens of hours of gameplay, and the series as a whole is designed for replayability — allowing you to explore alternate routes, uncover new locations, and experience different outcomes shaped by your decisions.

A Beginner's Guide to Combat.

The Story Setting.

The Aztecs believed in the Legend of the Suns – that the universe had been created and destroyed four times before, and that they were living in the fifth and final age. Each age was defined by a different sun, sustained by the gods and brought to an end through catastrophe. Sunfall is set in one of these earlier, mythical eras: the Third Age, a gruelling world told through the lens of the Aztecs – their culture, beliefs and mythology – one that will feel both familiar and fantastical.

In this Third Age, the boundary between the mortal plane and the spirit realm is thin. Primordial energies are abundant and powerful, allowing for the wide use of blood magic – known as Brujara – by those versed in its ritual and sacrifice.

The land itself is vast and dangerous. Dense jungles, marshlands, mountains, and ruins are inhabited by ferocious beasts and monstrous entities. Some are natural predators shaped by an untamed world; others are twisted creations born of the corruption spreading through the age – a sign that the cosmic balance has begun to fail.

Drawing heavily on Mesoamerican belief systems, customs, and religious ideas, Sunfall blends historical detail and inspiration with dark fantasy tropes to create a unique setting for daring adventure, memorable encounters, and epic tales where every choice matters.

What Kind of Player is Sunfall For?

Sunfall is designed for players of all types, who enjoy challenge, story and discovery.

• Explorers who want the freedom to roam, revisit old regions, uncover hidden routes, and piece together a world through careful observation and study.
• Strategists who enjoy tense, tactical combat where preparation, weapon-mastery, and powerful ability combinations allow them to prevail in the most dangerous of locales. 
• Completionists who take satisfaction in mastering systems, unlocking achievements, earning renown, and pushing themselves to overcome the game’s hardest challenges.
• Lore-driven players who enjoy uncovering history and meaning – using what they learn to shape their world-view, forge alliances, and complete objectives.

While the world of Sunfall can be unforgiving at times, careful planning, adaptability, and persistence will lead every player to one of the many dramatic story-endings – defined by their actions and decisions.  

Pledge Levels

Digital Book One - £15 (Approx $20)

Get started on your adventure with this digital copy of Book One: Champion of the Ashlands

Not ready to dive into all four books of the adventure, this pledge is for you.

In this pledge, you will receive a digital copy of Book One in the Sunfall gamebook series, to begin your adventure. This book, with over 500 sections, offers a complete, self-contained story arc and serves as the starting point for all players.

Digital files will be in PDF format and available through your BackerKit account at the end of the campaign. 

Taxes, where applicable, will be charged in BackerKit, and don't worry, if you want to upgrade this will also be covered when you receive your survey.

Softback Book One - £25 (Approx $35)

Get started on your adventure with this softback copy of Book One: Champion of the Ashlands

Not ready to dive into all four books of the adventure, this pledge is for you.

In this pledge, you will receive a softback copy (along with a free pdf copy) of Book One in the Sunfall gamebook series. This book, with over 500 sections, offers a complete, self-contained story arc and serves as the starting point for all players.

Digital files will be in PDF format and available through your BackerKit account at the end of the camapign. 

Taxes, where applicable, will be charged in BackerKit, and don't worry, if you want to upgrade this will also be covered when you receive your survey.

Softback editions measure approximatley 204mm wide by 249mm high and between 12mm - 15mm thick (approximately)

Four Book Digital Bundle - £50 (Approx $70)

Get the entire Sunfall series in digital format.

In this pledge, you will receive a digital copy of all four of the books in the Sunfall gamebook series.

Digital files will be in PDF format and available through your BackerKit account at the end of the campaign. 

Taxes, where applicable, will be charged in BackerKit.

The bundle includes a PDF copy of: Book One – Champion of the Ash Lands, Book Two – Blades of the Festering Coast, Book Three – Treasures of the Weeping Jungle, and Book Four – Pyramids of the Blood God.

Collectors Edition Book One - £60 (Approx $82)

Get started on your adventure with this hardback, collectors edition copy of Book One: Champion of the Ashlands

If you are not ready to dive into all four books of the adventure, this is a great place to start your collection.

In this pledge, you will receive a hardback, cloth bound and embossed, burgundy and gold copy of Book One in the Sunfall gamebook series. Each collectors edition book is protected by a full colour dust cover. This book, with over 500 sections, offers a complete, self-contained story arc and serves as the starting point for all players.

Alongside this you will receive a digital copy of Book One. Digital files will be in PDF format and available through your BackerKit account at the end of the campaign. 

Added to this you will receive a bonus art pack which contains the following:

• 2 x black and white printed hero sheets
• 2 x  full colour printed hero sheets
• 4 x full colour prints of the cover artwork for the Sunfall series, painted by acclaimed fantasy artist Jamie Noble.
• Punchout card status tokens to keep track of your conditions during the adventure. (TBC)

Taxes, where applicable, will be charged in BackerKit, and don't worry, if you want to upgrade this will also be covered when you receive your survey.

Champion of the Ashlands hardback edition measures 204mm wide by 249 mm high and between 20mm - 25mm thick (approximately)

Softback Four Book Bundle – £90 (Approx $125)

The full adventure.

In this pledge, you will receive a softback copy of all four of the books in the Sunfall Gamebook series.

You will also receive, as part of your pledge, a free PDF copy of all four books in the series. Digital files will be in PDF format and available through your BackerKit account at the end of the campaign. 

Taxes and shipping will be charged in BackerKit.

Softback editions measure approximately 204mm wide by 249mm high and between 12mm - 15mm thick (approximately)

The bundle includes a Softback and PDF copy of: Book One – Champion of the Ash Lands, Book Two – Blades of the Festering Coast, Book Three – Treasures of the Weeping Jungle, and Book Four – Pyramids of the Blood God.

Collectors Hardback Four Book Bundle – £200 (Approx $280)

The ultimate collectors' set.

In this pledge, you will receive a hardback, cloth bound and embossed, burgundy and gold copy of each of the four titles within the Sunfall gamebook series. Each collectors edition book is protected by a full colour dust cover. 

Each book has over 500 sections, to take the adventurer on an extraordinary, immersive journey where your choices shape the narrative and will decide the fate of the world.

You will also receive, as part of your pledge, a free PDF copy of all four books in the series. Digital files will be in PDF format and available through your BackerKit account at the end of the campaign. 

Added to this you will receive a bonus art pack which contains the following:

• 2 x black and white printed hero sheets
• 2 x  full colour printed hero sheets
• 4 x full colour prints of the cover artwork for the Sunfall series, painted by acclaimed fantasy artist Jamie Noble. 
• Punchout card status tokens to keep track of your conditions during the adventure. (TBC)

Taxes, where applicable, will be charged in BackerKit, and don't worry, if you want to upgrade this will also be covered when you receive your survey.

Each hardback edition measures 204mm wide by 249mm high and between 20mm - 25mm thick (approximately)

The bundle includes a collectors edition hardback and PDF copy of: Book One – Champion of the Ash Lands, Book Two – Blades of the Festering Coast, Book Three – Treasures of the Weeping Jungle, and Book Four – Pyramids of the Blood God.

Shipping

Who is the Author of Sunfall?

Michael J. Ward is the author of the award-winning DestinyQuest series of gamebooks. He has been writing gamebooks for over a decade, beginning with The Legion of Shadow in 2011. Since then, the series has grown to six books and has gained a worldwide audience, with translations available in French, German, and Italian.

As well as being a full-time writer, Michael is also a keen gamer. He draws heavily on his experience with role-playing and video games to create gamebooks that push the genre forward, blurring the boundaries between traditional print-based interactive fiction and modern role-playing game design.

Watch this Q&A with the author, Michael Ward