A hooded monk holding a lit candle

Candleborne

Climb the tower.

Feed the flame.

Defy the darkness.

Candleborne is a top-down action roguelite about climbing a tower consumed by darkness. Begin in the crypt below and fight your way upward, surviving increasingly dangerous hordes and the guardians standing between you and the next floor.

Your flame attacks automatically, leaving you free to focus on movement, positioning, collecting Soul Shards, and choosing how your build develops.

The Flame Grows upgrade screen offering three choices, each with a price

Defeated enemies drop Soul Shards used to gain experience and grow stronger throughout the run.

Each level presents a choice of upgrades that can increase your offensive power, improve your survivability, and shape the way you approach the horde.

Choose carefully. The build you create will determine whether you’re ready for what waits at the end of the floor.

Not every gift is free.

Some upgrades make you stronger while also making the enemies more dangerous. Greater damage may come at the cost of harder-hitting enemies. Faster attacks may cause the horde to become more aggressive.

Decide how much risk you’re willing to accept in exchange for greater power.

The monk surrounded by slimes, ghosts, a skeleton, and a gargoyle in the crypt
An upgrade screen with a reroll die available while slimes gather in the darkness beyond the menu

You won’t always get the choices you want.

Limited dice can be spent to reroll your available upgrade choices, giving you another chance to find something better suited to your build.

Spend them early to establish your strategy or hold onto them for when you desperately need another option.

Your candle is more than your weapon. It is your protection from the darkness.

The monk fighting within a circle of candlelight while the crypt beyond falls into darkness

Stray beyond the reach of your candlelight and the darkness begins consuming your flame. Positioning isn’t only about avoiding the horde—you also have to remain within the light while fighting for the space you need to survive.

Each floor of the tower has its own identity, enemies, and guardian waiting at the end of the ascent.

Survive the horde, strengthen your flame, defeat the floor’s boss, and continue your climb toward whatever waits above.

  1. 07 ??? Locked
  2. 06 ??? Locked
  3. 05 ??? Locked
  4. 04 ??? Locked
  5. 03 ??? Locked
  6. 02 ??? Locked
  7. 01 Crypt Revealed
The monk confronts a staff-wielding guardian in the crypt

Official Trailer

Screen 01 / 03

Designed for Replayability

Learn the enemies.

Master the bosses.

Refine your builds.

Keep climbing.

Each climb gives you another opportunity to experiment with different upgrades, risks, and strategies. The choices you make—and the prices you’re willing to pay for greater power—shape how each run develops.

The tower awaits.

Wishlist on Steam