DaRmaZat Spindle opens with a thunderclap, a fishing rod, and a fate you never saw coming. One stormy night, while fishing, something stirs in the sky—and in an instant, the world goes dark. You awaken in a place that feels utterly foreign, guided only by a mysterious Pig who insists you follow. Before long, you realize the truth: you are Death—or at least, his newest incarnation. Your task? To uncover why no one in this world can die anymore, and what force has thrown the cycle of life completely out of balance.
A Diverse, Pixelated World
Forget talking swords or wise mentors. In Spindle, your only companion is a pig. A helpful one, too: it can crawl through tunnels, reach hidden levers, and even take over playable sections. Together, you’ll explore vast lands filled with temples, tombs, and bustling towns.
As the newly-awakened Reaper, you gradually regain lost powers. Your first tool, naturally the scythe, separates souls from bodies, trims plants blocking your path, and shatters objects to collect Odic Crystals. These crystals charge your Odic Force Bar, letting you heal by holding down the right button. Exploration also reveals relics like a fishing rod—yes, you’ll be fishing as Death!
The game blends Zelda and Metroidvania design: each ability unlocks new paths, encouraging backtracking to previously sealed areas. The world feels surprisingly large, with a bustling central town showing the care put into every hand-crafted detail. You’ll want to linger, talk to every villager, and soak it all in. Nearly every building can be entered, and almost every NPC has something to say—sometimes useful, sometimes odd. With no journal, quest log, or map, you rely on memory and intuition, an old-school approach that fits the game’s retro spirit.
Fighting for Coins and Crimson Souls
The dungeons themselves mix environmental puzzles and combat rooms in equal measure. You’ll push crates to form patterns, pull switches to bridge gaps, and occasionally clear out mini-bosses before moving on. Combat in Spindle is simple but satisfying—at least at first. You dodge, swing, and counter with your scythe, collecting coins from fallen foes. The rhythm feels responsive, though the single attack sound can become repetitive over long sessions. Yet the boss fights stay a highlight for me, offering multi-phase battles that demand precise dodging through flashy attacks that fill the screen.
Between the skirmishes, you’ll find Death Coins, which can be traded at statues for permanent upgrades. Early on, Charon himself also appears, serving as your spectral advisor, explaining how corrupted souls cling to their bodies and guiding you to restore the natural order. He also gifts you the Spindle—a mystical item on which the souls you gather are threaded, one by one. As a result, Spindle keeps building on itself, layer by layer, until you realize how cleverly everything connects—and by then, you’re already drawn deep into its world. However, What did stand out to me, and even somewhat disappointed me, was how little the pig actually gets to do—after all, the focus is mostly on you as the Reaper.
Gorgeous, Not Flawless
There’s no denying that Spindle looks gorgeous. Its 16-bit-inspired pixel art glows with modern lighting and animated detail, giving every village and dungeon a hand-painted quality. The sound design shines too: the music intrigues, storms crack with believable force, and fitting ambient noises lend each region atmosphere.
But for all that polish, there’s also a fair share of rough edges. Falling off the world’s boundaries costs you lives—sometimes simply by walking too close to an invisible edge. Worse, the game occasionally places puzzles near these drop-offs, forcing you to reload entire sections if you slip. A “reset puzzle” option would have fixed this instantly. Camera transitions can misfire as well, leaving your Reaper off-screen or running into dead ends because of the confusing perspective.
Final Thoughts
Spindle isn’t perfect, but it’s hard not to admire what it achieves. Its pixel world feels alive, every corner hand-crafted with care, and its quiet tone sets it apart from louder, flashier adventures. The rough edges—occasional camera slips, invisible boundaries, and a few repetitive moments—don’t overshadow its heart. What stays with you isn’t the frustration, but the charm: the little pig who helps you along—albeit in a rather passive way—the melancholy world slowly learning to live again, and the sense that even Death can have a gentle touch.
Additional Information
Release Date: Oct 13, 2025
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Wobble Ghost
Publisher: Deck 13
Website: Spindle
Relevant links: Spindle on Steam
