Summum Aeterna
Summum Aeterna, the prequel to Aeterna Noctis, is a Roguelite game that combines world crawler mechanics never seen before in the genre with a fast-paced combat system and a unique 2D art style.
Taking the role of the King of Darkness, a mighty, powerful, and badass warlord condemned to eternal life, you’ll explore uncharted territories populated with treasures, traps, hordes of enemies, and powerful bosses.
Explore wild territories, descend into the most dangerous deeps of Aeterna, and fight your way to the end of each world… If you can!
Classic Roguelite vibes
The King of Darkness may be immortal… But he can still be defeated. You will start your adventure over and over again, that’s how this kind of games works, right? Don’t panic, even if you’re defeated, you still keep some of the stuff and upgrades you earned the last time you lived… Some of them, at least.
Summum Aeterna allows players to keep their progress, featuring a permanent character and world upgrade system. No matter how many times you’re defeated, your progression in the skill tree will be saved, as well as the world improvements you unlocked will last forever.
Random worlds
Summum Aeterna includes a unique world generator system never seen before in the genre, the Seed Mechanic… Each one generates a unique world with different enemy behaviour, special events, and even a larger map size, depending on the rarity and the genes contained in the germinated seed.
The world modifiers, so-called “seed genes” are positive and negative attributes included in each seed you find. They will determine the dangers, encounters and rewards waiting for you once you start playing.
Seeds create worlds and genes make each seed different from the last, and so will the worlds generated from them!
Brutal fast-paced combat and frantic action
The key to surviving in Summum Aeterna is killing every single living (or undead, depending on the enemy) being you encounter. How to achieve that? Well, you play as a cursed monarch… Your weapons are crafted for a king!
Show no mercy, use your swords, pistols, and scythes to make them beg for their miserable lives before they do the same to you… You will choose a starting weapon at the beginning of each world, but you can switch it for a better one, whatever its type… It’s up to you and your skills!
Summum Aeterna also includes weapon customization options thanks to the gems, precious stones that increase weapon attributes and add cool upgrades. Add new offensive and passive capabilities and improve the combat performance of your weapons by embedding gems.
Rarity is a virtue
Every weapon, seed, and gem you find in Summum Aeterna has a rarity level: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythic, and Relic. The higher the rarity of an item, the more benefits it provides to the player.
A weapon’s rarity determines the number of gems that can be embedded in it, among other things such as damage level. Gems with higher rarity make higher upgrades to your tools of destruction. And as for the seeds… You guessed it, the less common it is, the greater rewards and dangers on the other side of the portal!
Custom adventures
In Summum Aeterna you can define your own adventure. Each world will give you lots of rewards, including new seeds and currencies to upgrade your character skills, unlock new weapons, make the ones you already have even more deadly, and, of course, improve the attributes of the world.
You can unlock new special rooms, increase the rarity of the items you find, and alter the world conditions by the world upgrade menu. You can also modify the rarity of your current seeds by mutating their genes or recycling the ones you don’t want to get a seed with a higher rarity…
Everything is set up to make each adventure different from the last!
Beautiful art style
Each asset, enemy, NPC and animation has been hand-drawn using traditional 2D animation techniques… Everything you see in Summum Aeterna, from the smallest chest to the most colossal boss, is possible thanks to countless hours of hard drawing work. The visuals speak for themselves, the game looks amazing!
Major Update 1 – “Demons’ Mother” July 2022
Challenge rooms
Certain chambers in Summum Aeterna have a particular reward or mechanic. Idalith Shrines are rooms dedicated to the Mother of Demons and hide a special offering. You want it? Easy, you just need to defeat a random member of the Grim Horde, Idalith’s minions, who guard these shrines and will exterminate any braves who desecrate the memory of their infernal lady.
Valatuk, Lord of the Wars, Samnindas, Plage Beaber, and Ledasios, High Inquisitor, are the currently available acolytes, each one featuring a unique combat style. The Grim Horde will expand in future updates with more lethal members. There are also plans to include more types of challenge rooms.
NPCs with unique mechanics
The seed expert allows you to use his machines for germinating seeds and mutating genes, but there’re also other NPCs in Famished Town like the dummy and the seller wearing a hat.
Dummytama is a being incapable of feeling pain, you can test all your weapons on it as long as they are unlocked. Show no mercy! Rasen Lupine is a merchant that trades items of dubious origin, allowing you to buy seeds of different types and levels quickly and safely. He uses runes as currency.
Major Update 2 – “Blood Moon” August 2022
A new world
With the inclusion of the “Dark Castle” world, there are 3 already available since the launch of Early Access. This world with a gothic setting adds 2 brand new areas to the 4 already playable, making a total of 6. The level design and atmosphere of the cursed village and the interior of the castle are based on elements of classic horror mixed with sinister elements, fog, rivers of blood, ravens cawing, and nightmarish creatures.
9 different enemies with unique mechanics have been also included. Do you dare to walk the streets of the town and the corridors of the castle until you defeat the evil that has corrupted this land? To achieve this, you must reach the highest tower alive and meet with an old friend of the King of Darkness.
A new final boss
Do you remember the vampire who revealed himself after defeating Dantilus and Umehara? Count Xander has been waiting for you for a long time and is thirsty for fresh blood. The fight against this creature of the night will put your reflexes to the test and promises high doses of frantic action. In Summum Aeterna we have no mercy with our players, and if you have reached his chambers, it means that you are not afraid of a challenge and the satisfaction of overcoming a new boss.
Many more surprises
Among the additions in this update is a new NPC called Usnar Ali, who acts as a banker in the main lobby, allowing players to exchange their currencies.
New genes have also been included to multiply the variety of scenarios and situations in each new adventure. Particularly noteworthy are those that allow enemies to trigger status ailments in the main character… Be very careful with germinating seeds that contain these genes!
Major Update 3 – “Will of the Kings” September 2022
Crafting blueprints
It’s about time the Dark King got to do some crafting! Crafting plans have been added with which to modify the appearance of the king by alternating his with different color combinations. Other plans allow you to unlock new weapons so that they appear in the stores of each adventure.
Through weapon ascension blueprints, you can turn your Dark King into an unstoppable machine of destruction. Through certain planes it will be possible to ascend the weapons to the Summum level, unleashing all the power of him and endowing his majesty with powerful unique abilities until now. A weapon promoted to this level becomes a devastating piece of armory.
A new game mode
Once you have found the “Vial of Kings” you must fill it with chaos to be able to invoke the “Will of the Kings” mode the next time you go to germinate a seed. Once activated, you will start an adventure in which you will not be able to change your starting weapon, but you will be able to apply certain improvements to it.
Playing in this mode you will not be able to access the shops to buy and exchange weapons. Instead, these are replaced by a new type of room: “Royal Forge”, where you can improve your weapon both in level and rarity and even promote it to “Summum” level. A game mode worthy of the King of Darkness, right?
A new miniboss
Djaderas, Master of the Forbidden Arts, is the new member of the Grim Horde, adding a total of four fanatical warriors of the infernal goddess Idalith. The fight against this warlock promises great doses of action!
Loyal servant of the Mother of Demons, and one of the greatest experts on occult forces to have served under Idalith. His track was lost shortly after the fall of the infernal lady… But he has finally returned to the rest of his brothers-in-arms.
Many more surprises
A new sword, scythe and pair of pistols have been added with different designs and properties, including the possibility of being ascended to Summum level. His majesty skill tree has been expanded too with 3 new powers as well as new seed genes, making the variety of scenarios and situations even greater.
Major Update 4 – “Duel Behind the Scenes” October 2022
A new world
“Port of Venetia” is the new world available in Summum Aeterna, making there 4 available in the adventures of the King of Darkness in Roguelite format. It is a universe with a Renaissance setting that includes 2 exclusive areas, making a total of 8. As its name suggests, this time you will have to explore a world inspired by the Venice of the 16th century, going through streets, canals, and inside a majestic theatre, while you kill everyone who crosses your path.
A new world also implies a beast of new enemies. 7 different enemies with unique mechanics and behaviours have been added. Its design includes references to Renaissance statues and da Vinci blueprints, culminating in “Genoa, Maiden of Puppets”, the most powerful being in the world of “Port of Venitia”. Don’t be fooled by its colourful settings and the light that bathes the calm waters of the city… Will you survive the challenges that lurk in this paradisiacal world?
A new final boss
“Genova, Maiden of Puppets” is the governor of the City of Canals. Her desire for power led her to break her oath to the Darkness and declare herself an ally of the Queen of Light, a betrayal that will be very expensive… The fight against this character takes place on the theatre stage and promises not only a challenge for the players but also a great visual spectacle thanks to the display of effects and movements on the screen. Without a doubt, the most spectacular boss fight we will find in Summum Aeterna so far.
Many more surprises
The “Duel Behind the Scenes” update also includes “Kiromozu, Wise but Deadly” an NPC whose sense of humor may be familiar to you if you have played Aeterna Noctis, our Metroidvania title. Also included are 6 new ascension options to unleash the sheer power of the Dark King’s weapons.
Another of the great additions is the housing mechanics thanks to the incorporation in the main lobby of a farm that the King of Darkness can visit after each adventure. The options available in the royal mansion will be expanded in upcoming updates…
Main Update 5 – “Clout of the Stars” December 2022
Seed Influences
A rift to an unknown dimension has opened in the middle of Famished Town… Inside, a mysterious being that mortals call “Wandering God” seems to have the strange power to modify the influences in the seeds, being able to unleash curious effects in the germinated worlds. The influences allow you to include a series of special conditions that will make your adventure even more unique. Thanks to the tables guarded by this mysterious entity, the King of Darkness will be able to customize even more his adventures through the worlds.
The first influence is known as “Dominion of Chaos”. Those seeds influenced by it will include certain rooms flooded with Chaos, and guarded by enemies born from the pure essence of the Supreme God. These seeds will also grant unique wishes based on the chaos harvested by the player… And then there is the fearsome “Hand of Chaos”, a being sent to these dimensions to exterminate any form of organic life.
New artifacts, status ailments, and NPCs
New items have been added to make the adventure of the King of Darkness more interesting. Would you like to be able to reveal the entire map as soon as you germinate a new world? Now it is possible with the inclusion of the “Chaos Compass”. Perhaps you would like to include a few random gems in your weapon using the “Gem Embryo”, an artifact whose name speaks for itself.
“Void” is the new status ailment that can be suffered by both the King of Darkness and the hours of enemies that harass him. In the case of the cursed monarch, this effect will cause his accumulated Chaos energy to gradually decrease. As for the enemies… Equip a “void” gem and see it for yourself!
Zero, the Wandering God, is the new NPC available in Famished Town, more specifically, within the dimensional gap that has just opened in the middle of the city. This mysterious being is the one who governs influences, but talking to him will reveal interesting details about the filament between worlds and the other beings that, like him, can cross it. The way he speaks is… at times, complicated, but his words are full of ancestral wisdom.
More weapon ascensions
A total of 6 weapons can now be upgraded to the ultimate level to unleash their full destructive power. With this new batch, the King of Darkness is closer than ever to becoming a walking steamroller. Pay attention to the dialogues with certain NPCs to find out how to get the corresponding ascension diagram… It is possible that even one of those weapons will speak directly to you! Or there may be an unexpected tenant at his majesty’s house. In any case, frantic action is assured. May your enemies be prepared for the worst.
Major Update 6 – “Ragnarök” February 2023
A new world
The frozen lands of the mythical Hyperborea are the new addition to the worlds currently available in Summum Aeterna. Now there are 5 unique biomes waiting to be explored. The name of this new world speaks for itself, Hyperborea, the mythical kingdom beyond the north, is a region with a Nordic setting, populated by brave warriors who terrorize the southern coasts, and beasts taken directly from ancient Viking mythology. Among the new enemies that the King of Darkness will face are 9 new creatures, both humanoid and less anthropocentric, each with a different design and mechanics.
Hyperborea includes 2 different areas, which make 10 the number of environments available in the current state of the game. The Coast of the Fjords, the first of the areas that we will reach as soon as a seed of this world is germinated, and Odin’s Bastion, a fortress dug into a mountain, in whose heart the warriors fallen in battle celebrate an endless banquet. Many are the challenges and rewards that await his dark majesty in the land of those who terrorize the south.
A new final boss
In fact, there are 3 new final bosses, Frindala, Sveneka and Astrida, known as “the Defenders of Valhalla”. These Valkyries are priestesses at the service of the almighty Odin, and they are in charge of welcoming and caring for all the warriors who have fallen in battle. However, they despise those who have been marked with immortality, considering it an insult to the work of their god. It is clear that the King of Darkness will not be welcomed by these three warrior sisters. The fight against them promises to be an impressive choreography of steel, blood and ferocity. His majesty must show no mercy, and he should not expect it either.
New weapon ascensions
The Ragarök update also includes 6 new weapon ascensions to summum level. Diagrams have been added for 2 swords, 2 scythes, and 2 pairs of pistols, weapons that can reach their full destructive potential, turning the King of Darkness into an unstoppable killing machine.
Talking to certain NPCs will help you unlock some of these ascension diagrams. These characters will entrust you with a simple task and, as a reward, they will provide you with those precious blueprints. However, others will appear by fulfilling a series of conditions, such as performing a certain action while having the appropriate weapon equipped.
Germinate seeds and explore the new world of Hyperborea to unlock all the secrets of the new update for Summum Aeterna!
Major Update 7 – “Legacy of the Arcana” April 2023
New seed influence
The power of the arcana arrives at Summum Aeterna! The seeds affected by this new type of influence allow the player to find tarot cards in their worlds. The cards will have consequences of a different nature in the germinated worlds. It’s up to the King of Darkness to find these cards in the worlds influenced by the arcana, but the cards will be the ones who decide when to activate themselves, since they mark the destiny, not the other way around.
The Legacy of the Arcana is possible thanks to the addition of a new character: Morgana, the Destiny Croupier. Your first encounter with this lady will take place during your adventures in the germinated worlds, but after that, you can visit her whenever you want in her shop in the lobby to understand how the cards work. Do not be fooled by her behavior, after all, Morgana is only an intermediary, since it is the arcana who speaks through her voice.
12 arcana cards
Keeping the unique stained glass style from the Aeterna Universe, the 12 tarot cards feature a unique design as well as a short description that explains their qualities and adds new details about the lore of the franchise. The full deck includes the following cards: Death, Demon, Priestess, World, Judgment, Hermit, Emperor, Wizard, Tower, Justice, Strength, and Fool. Some images may be familiar to veteran Aeterna Noctis players!
Your starting hand includes 3 cards, but you can unlock more as you progress through the worlds subjugated by this influence. The cards will unleash positive, negative, and ambiguous effects on the germinated world, and not all of them are equal to each other… The ones known as “illustrated cards” will trigger major consequences once they wake up, but their number is small.
Multiplayer Leaderboard
This update includes a new challenge system, the so-called “Board of Champions”. This mechanic records the highest level seed completed in the shortest time possible by each competitor. There is a leaderboard for influenced seeds and another one for standard seeds, be sure to talk to the new NPC you will find in Famished Town to find out all the details.
The reward for being in the top 3 places in the qualifier will be a gold, silver or bronze crown, which his highness will wear in-game regardless of the player’s skin, and as long as the player remains on the podium. Do you want your King of Darkness to be crowned as every monarch deserves? You will have to compete against other players to win!
Game Discussion
Steam User 53
You will defeat these enemies with the power of darkness!! Oh, and this gun you found.
This game is so criminally underrated right now. It’s a mix of Aeterna Noctis platforming and action mixed with Dead Cells mechanics, and it is such a f**king chef's kiss of pure fun you can pick up and put down anytime for some quick action.
This game is fun. It's just fun. It’s really fun if you’re a fan of the Rogue Legacy flavor of meta progression. Every run is a little different. It's casual to just start it up and do a run real quick to see how far you can get. Some full 3 world runs can take over an hour, but as you get the hang of it you could blaze through in about 30 minutes. If you have other stuff to do with your day, you can drop it and pick it back up whenever. You have some control on picking or modifying your first world seed in each run but each world after that in your run is random. So you don't know if you're gonna have it easy or not. The best example of a similar game would be Salt and Sacrifice or Dead Cells.
It has an interesting Seed System that allows you to enter different biomes at the start of a run so it’s unique that you are not only staring with a specific biome each run. It plays a bit like Dead Cells like previously mentioned but I found the character slightly more floaty in Summum Aeterna. The controls have that same Aeterna Noctis feel, which is great. Similar mish-mash of art styles, It has some of that same charm, though there's no platforming remotely close to AN, no teleport arrows, just multiple jumps and dash. There is a massive amount of metaprogression (passive skills, armor, weapon unlocks, armor skins), and although the biomes can get a bit repetitive, there's modifiers that switch things up a lot (randomnes modifier for example, also there's one where you have to keep your starting weapon and have to upgrade it). Then there's mini events and bosses to unlock as well. If you like that kind of thing, it's a game for you. Summum reminded me quite a bit of Rogue Legacy 2 as well.
It’s hard as f**k in the beginning. But I assure you once you start building yourself up it gets much easier. I really didn’t think I would get as far as I have, and I’m really loving the game. Some advice, remember playing RPGS where you have to grind like crazy? Consider it that way. You need dark matter and you can make yourself stronger. It takes a good number of runs. But with perseverance you will get there. You will get armor and boots and all kinds of stuff with abilities to help you. Don’t give up. The game eventually will level out. To a point. Remember you can create the world as hard or easier as you want it. Grinding is the key. There is SOOO MUCH stuff to unlock to break down the barrier of difficulty. Keep at it you’ll see what I mean.
The controls are very fluid and a little better than Aeterna Noctis honestly. Some notable differences between the previous game are, you do not take damage on just waking into an enemy they have to actually attack your hit box (in most cases), this is a difficult game at times but no where near as frustrating as Noctis, the character is larger due to the camera position being locked and not pulling out in certain large areas like in Noctis either (this helps you focus more on combat than the environment). This is a prequel in the story of the king of darkness. His attitude is a bit more playful and upbeat than that of Noctis.
The meta progression is god-like. The humor, the easter eggs, the soundtrack, the smooth controls and very addicting gameplay loop, the possibilities to customize your character to your playstyle are all fantastic and make this game just hit all the right points. If you're even remotely interested pick it up!
8/10
Steam User 3
Good game, maybe needed a bit more content, few more bosses and maps, gets a bit repetitive, but overall an enjoyable experience.
I thought Aeterna Noctis was much better though.
Steam User 1
Game seemingly exists to fund the Lucis and looks to have done that initial job. Combat is fun for a while before it becomes overly repetitive for way too little payout to the player for the hours of investment it asks per unlock. Ultimately you run in circles for hours but instead of cheese at the end you get a thumbs up.
complete 50/50 on the rec. Support the studio for their next game if you're a fan or looking for an enjoyable few hours of timesink. If you're looking for a revolutionary roguelike I doubt this will be it for you.
Steam User 2
Summum Aeterna (SA) is an excellent side-scrolling, action-oriented RPG. It is remarkably replayable with high stage and weapon randomization and customization.
SA features four distinctive weapon types, though each has a variety of base abilities, levels and quality tiers. There is also a great socketing system giving you much to experiment with. Everything has a use and there is no junk equipment or abilities.
SA’s graphics are clear and crisp and similar in style to Bloodstained or GBA/DS-era Castlevania. The game runs well and is perfectly playable on the deck.
The gameplay is fun and involves runs, earn income and spend said income on persistent upgrades and town unlockables to enhance subsequent play throughs. The toughest part is deciding where to spend the currency.
The stage creation and fusion is quite unique and allows you to customize, lengthen and increase the risk and reward of your run.
Though there are a lot of systems to learn, it is not overly complex and the game does a nice job of slowly introducing new aspects. Most importantly, you can save and quit during runs!
There are many similar games, but this tops popular competitors like rogue legacy or Isaac.
Steam User 1
hidden gem. you'd think a game with not even 300 ratings would be short or unfinished or maybe just not that good but it's literally on the level of hades/dead cells i'd even argue some aspects are better in this one also it's HEAVILY inspired by castlevania and world seeds are a very unique mechanic. The cosmic area is just gorgeous 10/10.
Steam User 0
I’m really enjoying this game. It controls great and looks good with nice upgrades. It’s worthy of a buy anytime if you are going to play it. This game reminds me of my favorite fast food when I’m hungry. By no means the greatest but a very enjoyable game.
Steam User 1
Summum Aeterna is an ambitious and demanding roguelite action title that expands the dark fantasy universe previously established by its creators, offering a faster, more repeatable structure built around endless runs and procedural worlds. Developed and published by Aeternum Game Studios S.L., the game places players in the role of the King of Darkness, a powerful yet eternally trapped ruler whose journey is defined by failure, rebirth, and gradual mastery. Rather than following a traditional linear progression, the experience is designed around constant experimentation, where each run becomes both a test of skill and a strategic decision made long before the first enemy is struck.
One of the most distinctive aspects of Summum Aeterna is its seed-based world generation system. Instead of relying purely on random layouts, the game allows players to craft worlds using seeds that contain specific modifiers, referred to as genes. These genes influence nearly every aspect of a run, including enemy density, biome structure, rewards, hazards, and difficulty scaling. This system turns preparation into a meaningful part of gameplay, as choosing a seed can drastically alter how a run unfolds. Some seeds create relatively forgiving environments ideal for farming resources or learning mechanics, while others are intentionally brutal, offering higher rewards at the cost of relentless pressure. This approach adds a layer of strategy that goes beyond reflexes, rewarding players who understand the game’s systems as deeply as its combat.
Combat in Summum Aeterna is fast, punishing, and built around precision. Movement, positioning, and timing are critical, as enemies are aggressive and mistakes are rarely forgiven. The game features a selection of weapons that meaningfully change how encounters play out, ranging from traditional melee options to heavier, slower tools and even ranged firearms. Each weapon comes with its own strengths and weaknesses, encouraging players to adapt their playstyle rather than relying on a single dominant strategy. Weapon customization further deepens combat through a gem system that allows abilities, modifiers, and special effects to be slotted in, enabling builds focused on raw damage, crowd control, survivability, or risk-heavy burst potential. When everything aligns, combat can feel exhilarating and powerful, though it can also become overwhelming when multiple systems collide during especially difficult runs.
Progression is a core pillar of the experience, ensuring that even failed attempts contribute to long-term growth. Defeat returns players to a central hub where resources earned during runs can be invested into permanent upgrades. These improvements enhance base statistics, unlock new weapons, expand available mechanics, and gradually smooth out the game’s initially harsh difficulty curve. However, the depth of this progression system can be a double-edged sword. With multiple currencies, upgrade paths, and interconnected mechanics, the game can feel dense and intimidating, especially early on. Players willing to engage with this complexity will find a rewarding sense of control and customization, while others may feel burdened by the sheer amount of systems competing for attention.
Visually, Summum Aeterna embraces a dark, hand-drawn 2D aesthetic that leans heavily into gothic fantasy. The environments are moody and oppressive, filled with sharp silhouettes, ominous architecture, and biomes that feel hostile by design. While the procedural nature of the levels means that some areas can feel familiar after extended play, the art direction consistently supports the game’s tone, reinforcing the sense that the King of Darkness is wandering through cursed worlds shaped by decay and conflict. Enemy designs are varied and often grotesque, and boss encounters stand out as memorable highlights, combining striking visuals with demanding attack patterns that test everything the player has learned.
The game’s difficulty is unapologetic and forms a central part of its identity. Summum Aeterna expects players to fail frequently, especially in the early hours, and it offers little hand-holding in return. Enemy damage is high, traps are lethal, and momentum can be lost in seconds. Over time, however, mastery begins to replace frustration, as upgraded abilities and improved player skill gradually tilt the balance. This makes success feel earned rather than granted, though it also means the game is not particularly welcoming to those unfamiliar with demanding roguelites or action-heavy platformers.
Narrative elements are present but understated. Rather than delivering a story through long dialogue sequences or cutscenes, Summum Aeterna relies on atmosphere, environmental hints, and sparse interactions to communicate its themes. The focus remains firmly on gameplay, with lore acting as a backdrop rather than a driving force. Players already familiar with the broader universe may appreciate the subtle connections, while newcomers can easily engage with the game without feeling lost, even if the story itself remains intentionally distant and abstract.
In the end, Summum Aeterna is a complex, challenging, and system-heavy roguelite that prioritizes depth, replayability, and player-driven experimentation over accessibility and immediate gratification. Its inventive world generation, demanding combat, and layered progression systems combine to create an experience that rewards patience and persistence. While its complexity and steep difficulty curve may deter some players, those who enjoy mastering intricate mechanics and embracing repeated failure as part of the journey will find a richly constructed game that continues to reveal new possibilities long after the first victory.
Rating: 8/10