Tantalus

Tantalus is an unconventional role-playing game set in Hell, a crumbling penal colony. Yerba cannot remember her past life and has been accused of heresy; she is placed in Hell’s custody under the supervision of Mastema, a cruel angel. There, she meets Satan, a demon of a long-forgotten pagan deity who plans to overthrow the regime of the “One True God” and free the wrongly convicted. To carry out his plan, Satan needs Yerba, a mysterious woman named Lilith and a treasure from God’s most sacred sanctuary.

Battles

Combat is about forcing enemies to surrender through pain or a knockout. Powerful spells require focus points, which you gain through strategic actions during battle. You can use strengthening and weakening magic, as well as exploit elemental weaknesses to make enemies flinch and miss their action.

Yerba is a frail witch, while Satan is a monstrous pacifist. Their abilities complement each other: Yerba brings magical force, and Satan provides sturdy, mischievous support.

Boons and exploration

Yerba develops and gains customization options through boons rather than experience. These include magic scrolls, enchanted clothes and the life-giving ichor of the gods.

You solve puzzles to cross a field of debris left by a millennium of inept tormentors and unruly demons. The ruins also conceal a mysterious prehistory yet to be uncovered.

Hell’s inhabitants

The world includes characters both lowly and divine, each with a story to tell. They are caught up in an ancient drama involving gods, humans and empty desire.