Maple Blade

Maple Blade is a short, grid-based exploration game about exploring a haunted forest and rescuing a neighbor’s cat. You chop through trees, fight restless spirits, solve puzzles and help the townsfolk. Its short spooky story follows Maple Montressor as she solves the haunted mysteries of the Sage Grounds, purifies the spirits of the dead and keeps the tourists happy.

Explore the forest

The forest layout changes nightly, so each playthrough is different. You can explore freely, cut paths through trees, hop across lily pads, stop or start forest fires, smash pumpkins and hunt for treasure. Missions can be completed in any order, and items let you adjust the risks and rewards.

Combat and time

Combat takes place on a grid, and time advances only when you move, giving you time to plan even when a fight gets hectic. Your sword can cut through nearly anything, including tombstones, but doing so can curse you.

The Visitor Center

Between levels, you can spend time at the cozy Visitor Center, chatting with wise locals and clueless tourists. Its gift shops sell useful items, magical charms, keychains, palette filters and hats for the cat; the hats are purely decorative.

Art and music

The game uses hand-drawn pixel art and an autumn setting, with an original soundtrack by Tim Myers. Its presentation pairs chunky pixel art and modern game design with a serene atmosphere, including during combat.