Okay, yes, the last couple of years haven’t been the best for the Codex, and there’s probably a lot I’ve missed posting about…or have only posted about much, much later. But Rat Tower Games’ in-development dungeon crawler Monomyth escaped my notice entirely…even when it was being crowdfunded on Kickstarter back in 2021.

For those who likewise haven’t heard about it, Monomyth is described by its developer as “an immersive, first-person dungeon crawling RPG in the vein of Ultima Underworld, Arx Fatalis, and the King’s Field series”. Successfully crowdfunded in just three days back in August of 2021, the game has seen steady development progress since then, and a demo is currently available on Steam for anyone who is interested in giving it a try.

And seriously, just look at it. It’s a gorgeous game!

As you might expect, Monomyth promises to implement a number of features that fans of the Ultima series will know and take joy in, including open world exploration and grid-free dungeon movement, emergent gameplay (especially where spells and useable items are concerned), interactive environments, keyword-based conversations with a large cast of NPCs, and a host of game systems that don’t necessarily contribute to completing the game but still add to the experience (e.g. drunkenness, baking bread, playable instruments).

The most recent update on its development is largely concerned with how Rat Tower Games has been improving its performance; that’s the subject of the video embedded above. It’s a fairly technical update, but those at least passingly familiar with how 3D engines work will recognize some of the techniques being used to reduce draw calls and improve lightmap performance.