If you’re in the mood for a dark fantasy RPG that flips the usual hero story on its head, Iratus: Lord of the Dead is worth a look—especially right now while it’s heavily discounted on Steam. Released on April 23, 2020, this roguelike-inspired role-playing game puts you in control of Iratus, a necromancer newly freed after millennia of imprisonment. Your mission isn’t to save the world. It’s to reach the mortal realm, fuel your revenge, and build your power from the shadows.
The premise is simple and deliciously grim: you play as the villain. From your growing underground lair, you’ll expand your operations, gather resources, and send handcrafted undead servants to crush anyone standing in your way. Rather than recruiting traditional party members, you create your army from the remains of fallen enemies—turning the battlefield into a supply chain for your next monster.
One of the game’s standout mechanics is minion crafting. You can build up to 19 different types of undead minions using body parts collected during your runs. Each minion comes with six unique skills, giving you plenty of ways to shape your squad and experiment with strategies. On top of that, Iratus himself develops through multiple talent paths, encouraging different playstyles depending on whether you prefer magic-heavy builds, alchemy-based tactics, rage-driven aggression, or pure destructive power.
Combat is turn-based and heavily focused on planning. Winning consistently means learning enemy strengths and weaknesses, managing your team’s abilities, and choosing when to push forward or play it safe. And because the game leans into roguelike tension, losses can sting: if one of your servants falls in battle, they’re gone for good. That permanent consequence adds pressure to every encounter and makes survival-oriented decision-making just as important as dealing damage.
Iratus: Lord of the Dead has earned a strong reputation among players, with thousands of reviews praising its atmosphere, accessible fundamentals, and striking 2D visual style. Many fans highlight the dark fantasy setting and the satisfying loop of building a terrifying team, upgrading your necromancer, and pushing deeper with smarter tactics each run. The game also uses a structured difficulty system, requiring you to clear one difficulty level before moving up to the next—something that can make progression feel more guided and goal-focused.
That said, it’s not without criticism. Some players report that the gameplay can feel repetitive over time, and there have been complaints about bugs—especially issues involving save files. It’s also worth noting that while the current price is extremely low, similar discounts have appeared multiple times in recent years.
As of the details provided, Iratus: Lord of the Dead is listed at $2.99 (down from $29.99) on Steam until March 23, 2026. If you’ve been curious about a roguelike RPG where you command undead minions, embrace the role of the antagonist, and grind your way toward vengeance in a bleak fantasy world, this is one of the cheapest chances you’ll get to try it.
