Stunning new indie game is Dark Souls in reverse, with you as the final boss

If you've ever smashed your head against a deadly Dark Souls or Elden Ring boss, you might have paused to consider how bizarre the situation looks from their perspective. A lone adventurer wanders into their throne room, only to fall near-instantly to a blow from your mighty mace. But then they come back. Again, and again. What good is your power in the face of unending resilience? That's the question posed by new indie game The Dark Queen of Mortholme, which has just landed on Steam, and you can grab it for less than $5 if you're fast.

In The Dark Queen of Mortholme, developer Mosu flips the best soulslikes on their head, and as such this doesn't really play out like a traditional Elden Ring battle, although the stunning pixel-art aesthetics are worthy to stand alongside the likes of Blasphemous and Nine Sols. Instead, this is a tale of action, psychology, and maybe even a flash of romance, and one that could find itself among our best indie games in 2025. As the eponymous Dark Queen, you wield an evolving arsenal with which to obliterate the plucky hero that won't stop trying again.

With each subsequent attempt, you'll be able to start making conversation with your newfound nemesis, and you might even begin to come around to their way of thinking. Your choices affect how the story plays out, with multiple endings to discover. I won't give away too much; The Dark Queen of Mortholme is designed to be a single-sitting game, so it won't eat up a huge amount of your time, although it's at a suitably low price to match, and a launch Steam sale means you can grab it even cheaper.

The Dark Queen of Mortholme is out now on Steam, with a 20% launch discount meaning you can get it for just $4.79 / £3.99 until Friday August 22, or $5.99 / £4.99 thereafter. Find it here if you're ready to prove your might as Queen Everlasting.

Looking for a little more long-form brutality? The best action games are a great place to find that, and we've rated the best PC controller in 2025 so you'll be well-equipped for any situation.

If you were a Dark Souls boss, what would your weapon and weakness be? Discuss your answer with over 10,000 PCGamesN readers in our community Discord server, where we even have a dedicated indie channel to share your thoughts on The Dark Queen.