Ikenfell

Lore & Background

Ikenfell's story follows Maritte Hildegaard, a teenage girl who travels to the magical school Ikenfell to find her missing sister Safina. Though initially non-magical, Maritte suddenly develops pyromancy while trying to enter the school, coinciding with mysterious changes in magic linked to the Dark Fold. She allies with non-binary alchemist Petronella, lightning magician Gilda, student Rook, and Safina's rival Pertisia. Together they uncover that the school's headmistress Aeldra is trying to preserve the Sapling, a plant whose death every thousand years causes a new generation of magic to arise. Aeldra's grief over lost friends leads her to imprison both the Sapling and the Dark Fold, a destructive wave of magic. Safina had discovered the truth and tried to stop her. The party eventually confronts Aeldra, frees the Sapling, and resolves the crisis, with several characters taking on new roles and relationships in the aftermath.

The game's development was led by Chevy Ray Johnston, who was inspired by Rainbow Rowell's novel Carry On to create a magic school game. Originally conceived as an action RPG about a witch on a final quest, Johnston shifted to a tactical format to better accommodate level design. He built the game using a custom C# engine on top of SDL2 and OpenGL, with Lua scripting for puzzles and events. The game was funded via Kickstarter in 2016. Consultant Joanna Blackhart was brought on to ensure accurate and inoffensive portrayal of LGBT characters, leading to a rewriting of parts of the story. The game was featured at the 2019 Electronic Entertainment Expo as part of Xbox Game Pass. A physical release was announced by Limited Run Games in September 2021, and a Japanese localization by 8-4 was set for a November 2021 release.

Johnston, an inexperienced pixel artist, drew most of the game's art, choosing the style for ease of iteration. Much of the game was developed in a public library, where he borrowed vintage books for reference. Visual inspirations included Mother 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Each character was designed with a distinct look, and the game's 2.5D perspectives display characters and the world.

Reader's Guide

Ikenfell received mixed reviews from critics. Some reviewers largely praised the game's combat and story, while others described it as having potential but let down by flaws in those systems. The game's tactical combat on an isometric grid, combined with timing-based button presses akin to Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG, was a distinctive feature. Position on the grid affects move efficiency and availability, and attack patterns grow more complex over time. Accessibility options allow partial or complete disabling of combat timing. The party system lets players control three characters at once, each with unique skills, and characters can be swapped at save points represented by cats. Exploration, adventure, and puzzle-solving occur outside battle, with no random encounters—enemies are always visible and can be avoided.

The game's significance lies in its attempt to blend tactical grid-based combat with rhythm-like timing mechanics, a relatively uncommon combination in the genre. Its story, which explores themes of grief, generational change, and LGBT representation, was shaped by consultant Joanna Blackhart to ensure authenticity. The game's development history—from a failed action RPG concept to a Kickstarter-funded project built in a public library—highlights the indie ethos behind it. The physical release and Japanese localization extended its reach, though critical reception remained divided. Ikenfell stands as a notable example of a small-team RPG that aimed for narrative depth and mechanical innovation, even if its execution drew mixed responses.

Did You Know?

• The game's combat timing can be partially or completely disabled for accessibility.
• Save points in Ikenfell are represented by cats.
• The game was inspired by Rainbow Rowell's young adult novel Carry On.