Trial Forged

Fight a challenge. Earn a reward that is yours to keep. Pick the next, harder one.

Trial Forged is a fantasy arena RPG for one to four players. Climb five depths of an ancient arena — choosing your path at depths 2 and 3 — to face the Grave Warden, a boss who raises the dead, slams the ground and cleaves through anyone who isn't paying attention.

Early alpha. Free while it grows: no sound yet, balance still being tuned, and your feedback decides what changes next.

Features

• Play together anywhere. The host gets a six-character join code; friends type it in. No port forwarding, no IP addresses. Up to four players — or play alone, every class can.
• Three classes, three real roles. The Warrior breaks enemy attacks and creates openings. The Mage chills enemies so an ally's heavy hit Shatters them. The Priest lays sacred ground that turns allies' shots into healing. Combinations work across players.
• Talent trees that change how you play. Twelve talents per class: pick an opening, push down a branch to its keystone, and respec for free at the checkpoint — try a build on the training dummy before the next fight.
• Every victory counts. Each player's progress and rewards are saved on their own computer. Win together and everyone keeps the win.
• Read the fight. Every enemy attack is drawn on the ground before it lands — its shape, its edge, and a line closing in that shows when. Step out or dodge through.

Playing together

1. The host chooses Host a party and continues or creates a character — the checkpoint shows a join code (also copied to the clipboard).
2. Friends choose Join a party, type the code, and bring their own character.

Everyone needs the same version (it's shown on the title screen). A direct connection (same network, or Tailscale) is there too if you prefer.

Controls

• Move: W A S D
• Aim / turn: Mouse
• Primary attack: Left mouse (hold)
• Dodge: Space
• Skills: Q, E — R and F unlock as you level
• Free the cursor: Tab
• Pause: Esc

Installing

• macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel): unzip, then Control-click the app → Open → Open the first time (the app isn't notarized by Apple yet). If macOS says it's damaged, use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.
• Windows (64-bit 10/11): unzip the whole folder and run TrialForged.exe. If Windows SmartScreen appears: More info → Run anyway.

The zip includes a READ-ME with everything above.

System requirements

A mouse and keyboard; a 64-bit Windows 10/11 PC or a recent Mac (Apple Silicon or Intel) with a graphics card from the last several years; an internet connection for online parties. Developed and tested on an Apple Silicon Mac.

Feedback

Leave a comment below — what you loved, what confused you, what broke. The game can keep a small record of your fights on your computer (title screen → Open save folder → playtest/sessions.jsonl); attaching it helps a lot. It is never sent anywhere by itself.

Privacy

Online parties connect through Unity Gaming Services (an anonymous sign-in and Unity's relay servers; see Unity's privacy policy). When it starts, the game asks itch.io whether a newer version is out. Nothing else leaves your computer.

Credits

• Characters and their weapons — AI-generated with Tripo
• Animation — Stylized NPC by NHance (Unity Asset Store)
• Interface art — GUI Pro – Fantasy RPG by Layer Lab (Unity Asset Store)
• More animation — Universal Animation Library 1 & 2 by Quaternius (CC0)
• Fonts — Cinzel & Cinzel Decorative (Natanael Gama), Alata, Josefin Sans (SIL Open Font License)
• Made with Unity