Swordmonkey Studios Inc

Doesn't matter how excited you are, how dedicated you are, you're not making a good 60-80 hour JRPG with modern 2.5D graphics and a bunch of mini-games in different genres in a year of dev. Even making a 60-80 hour JRPG with Atari 2600 graphics in a year would be very tough.

This rules

I’m publishing a sample JRPG project plan. This document contains every step you need to take to create a commercial JRPG, from beginning to end. It's based on my experience working on JRPGs like Quartet, Cris Tales, Threads of Time, Coromon, My Familiar & Forge of the Fae. tinyurl.com/6yxt77fm

Welcome to the realm of Canadia, where Dragon-sized Geese rule the skies. In this turn-based #CRPG, gather your party of punk-rock Beavers, noble Gooseborn and stoic Moose, master the magic of colour, and paint a corrupted world back to life. Wishlist now on Steam! #IndieGame #TurnBased #WishList

We will be attending Game Con Canada 2026! In this cozy wholesome simulator, run a cat shelter from the perspective of Mikan the cat. Care for strays, build trust, and help them find loving furever homes! Developed by Mikan House with codev support from us <3 Wishlist Now: t.co/lRF4paDWX7

When you load a save file on New Game Plus, you get a cute little star on the slot. New Game Plus, Nightmare difficulty and Dev commentary mode coming to the 1.4 update of Quartet! #QuartetRPG #indiedev

Changes to tonight's stream: Instead of Ys VIII, I will be streaming Quartet's Gluhender's Grotto update They say up to 90 mins game play.. So the stream will be 5 hrs long 😂

Making a very late appearance in my games-of-2025 is Quartet, an RPG heavily influenced by the best 16-bit games -- I'm only about six hours in so far, but the story, graphics, music, combat systems all feel very strong. store.steampowered.com/app/1307960/...

Honored that Quartet (and Juna) are nominated for some awards, in a particularly stacked year! Make sure to let your voice be heard!

Quartet is now 20% off on Steam, GoG, and Epic stores for the Winter Sale! Experience this classic styled turn based JRPG, featuring a cast of characters you'll cherish all season! #QuartetRPG

We appreciate all of the supportive comments from our recent post. It means a lot and keeps us going. Fan support is what makes it all worth doing next the the craft of making art itself. So, here are some of our favorite pieces of fan art over the years!

Please don't do this. We poured years of our lives into this game and only worked with real human artists on everything: From the writing to the coding, all work was done by human hands. We do not endorse generative AI and will never use it.

Here it is...the brand new "Under the Lights" trailer for People of Note, featuring Heather Gonzalez and LEXXE as Cadence! Be sure to wishlist on Steam at store.steampowered.com/app/1626170/...!

Infinite Alliance is an epic crossover coming to PC & Console! 🥰Unites 13+ Indie JRPGs like Chained Echoes, Quartet, & Kingdoms of the Dump! ⚔️ FFX-style Turn-Based Combat 🤩 Lets you discover great new games 🆓 Totally FREE! Wishlist here #PitchYaGame: store.steampowered.com/app/3720330/...

Quartet feels thoughtful, deliberate. The soundtrack in Alex's story is jazz. Alex's family owns a local store, but they're also struggling to pay medical bills. She runs herself to exhaustion, powered by her mom's old saying: "Excellence is a habit." Those kinda sayings? IYKYK

But it's also still marginalized, and THAT MATTERS! Being Black is part of where these folks are from are and why. There's a line where an old man says he's surprised they brought electricity to Wallside, that they're usually far behind the rest of the city. My Intellisenses WENT OFF.

Wallside is a whole neighborhood full of Black and Brown-sprited faces, complete with 16-bit textured hair and just... it's just something I never got to see as a kid. And it's NOT A SLUM!

After the prologue, you choose one of four scenarios to play through, revolving around a key character. I picked Alexandra because...well, because she looked like a Black woman, and I frankly wasn't sure if she actually WOULD be by the time I started play. It's her WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD, friends.

I checked out a game in my backlog yesterday: Quartet. It's a turn-based RPG that feels straight out of a SNES Final Fantasy, with a killer soundtrack and SUCH good writing. I'm just getting started, but I'm struck by the storytelling in Wallside. 🧵 youtu.be/L7Ssh_a5mGc

Hey #screenshotsaturday! This is "Quartet" - a retro turn based rpg with strong characters and great writing. Coming soon to PC! #indiegame #pixelart

Quartet drops tomorrow and Something Classic gave me the chance to take an early look at it. Now that I've played through it I want to tell you why this is THE Indie RPG you need to keep your sights on! youtu.be/4FyfrB0lr-k

Long time no post, but I've been BUSY at work! And one of these projects is OUT TOMORROW!💎 @somethingclassic.bsky.social gave me the privilege to draw key art for #Quartet!🗻 This throwback pixel #RPG has you taking on 8 unique and wonderfully written party members (yep, even a hippo).

Playing with storytelling in the veil of Wild ARMs or Octopath Traveler, indie RPG Quartet from Something Classic Games is ambitious and exceeds its promises. Review: www.rpgfan.com/revie... #Quartet #SomethingClassicGames #Retro #Indie

Soldiers, form up! "Quartet" is launching on PC - tomorrow, August 26th! #QuartetRPG #indiedev

Can hardly believe that after seven years of hard work we are finally releasing our second full-length JRPG. I hope you all check out "Quartet" - especially if you love the classics! August 26th! #QuartetRPG #jrpg

We’re excited to announce an extra special pre-release stream of QUARTET by @somethingclassic.bsky.social, hosted by our very own SNES RPG Master Scar! Join us Sunday August 24th beginning at 8am Eastern for your first look at #QuartetRPG prior to its launch on August 26th: www.twitch.tv/rpgamer

Hey can we talk about how AMAZING an accessibility option this is? Not even just for people who may struggle reading certain fonts, but also people playing on different sized devices. Other indie RPG devs: please steal this concept.

Time for an announcement! We have signed up with Deck13, Publisher of games such as CrossCode and Chained Echoes. They will be publishing Forge of the Fae. And to celebrate the news, there's also a fresh trailer available! www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9jg...

Some world map shots from Quartet, which is releasing later this month! #QuartetRPG #pixelart #indiedev

Games I’m looking forward to this month 🎮(3/3) • Quartet (8/26) | @somethingclassic.bsky.social • Space Adventure Cobra – The Awakening (8/28) • Metal Gear Solid ∆: Snake Eater (8/28) • Pigface (Aug. TBA) | @titolovesyou.bsky.social

A sealed staff, lost for generations. You can unseal it in "Quartet" - coming to PC August 26th! #pixelart #jrpg

Battle fierce monsters in "Quartet" - coming to PC, August 26th! #indiegame #pixelart

The talented @swordmonkey.bsky.social studios is back at #GDX2025! Check out their many projects and immerse yourself in an RPG world! Find them in Hall F, open until 10 pm every day of #KDays — learn about their upcoming game, Legends of Canadia! #IndieGames #IndieDevs #GameDev #GameDevelopment

We talked to Molly @swordmonkey.bsky.social We checked out Quartet, a great update for a classic style of game! We also checked out My Familiar. What struck me was the incredible overall design of this game. Definitely treat yourself to this one! #bubbleupgame #kdays2025 #gdx2025 #indiegamedev

Magic dagger 🕷🗡✨️ #pixelart

Last day to come visit the Swordmonkey booth at Game Con Canada! Booth #382, near the Warhammer Open section! #gcc2025 #gameconcanada

Second Next Fest video is finally ready, this playing Quartet by @somethingclassic.bsky.social! I only meant to play an hour with each demo, then I thought this demo wouldn't be more than an hour-and-a-half, so, uh... Here's a two-hour video of the whole thing :') youtu.be/gVtM_M57Lbs

✌️🎃📢 Yo! Come check out #MyFamiliarRPG on #RPGdirect alongside a ton of other great games! Gonna be dope!

We are heading to Game Con Canada! Find us at booth #382 at the Edmonton Expo Centre - June 13 to 15 and get hands-on with FOUR different turn-based role playing games and 1 language learning VR setup. Come say hi and get free swag! #GameConCanada #YEG

Juna holding on by a thread. This one of many exciting turn based battles you'd fight in "Quartet" - coming to stores this year! #QuartetRPG #pixelart

Into the Ghost Sector in #QuartetRPG

Sewer side ceviche 💪🦐💪 #pixelart #gamedev

Together, we can make Alberta the best place to make games in the world! We want to also thank our sponsors and supporters for this event! Thank you to @swordmonkey.bsky.social for the delicious breakfast treats, Labo Coffee for keeping us caffeinated, and Digital Alberta for supporting the event.

We are now on the final day of Global Game Jam at the Walkthrough Collaborative Centre and have been thrilled to welcome so many folks to our jam site! Tonight, we'll be seeing some of the incredible work that went into these games and celebrating what can happen over a weekend.

A collection of screenshots from Eternal Remnant: The First Chapter! 🥳 #EternalRemnant #pixelart

We are seeking a part-time Environment Concept Artist/Illustrator for an exciting unannounced project! Details: swordmonkey.com/contract-env... - Fully Remote within Canada - Must be Canadian Citizen or permanent resident - Part-time Contract with an estimated commitment of 15 to 20-hours/week.

Fiora and gang running through the woods at sunset! #gamedev #pixelart

Forge of the Fae on Bluesky! 😍 #pixelart #gamedev #JRPG