What it is
Leave Me Throne is an action game from the GameDev.tv Halloween Jam 2026 in which you play Lord Siesta, a tired lich who wants to nap while heroes keep invading the dungeon. It is a survivor-like with a twist: you are the boss, and winning means scaring heroes away rather than simply destroying them.
From the developer
In the developer’s own words, from gallmerci.itch.io.
Uninvited heroes. One very tired lich. Scare them until the kingdom gives up.
A survivor-like where you are the boss: win by terror, not by kills.
You are Lord Siesta, a Day-of-the-Dead lich and the last boss of the dungeon. You have won every fight for centuries. You are bored. You would like a nap.
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The heroes have other plans.
Controls
Move: WASD or arrow keys, or the left stick
Aim: mouse or right stick
Terror: Space, or A on a gamepad
Shadow step: right-click or Shift, or B on a gamepad
Upgrades: arrow keys and Space, a click, or 1 to 4
Upgrade tree: Tab, or Y
Pause: Esc, or Start
Fullscreen: F11 or Alt+Enter
How it plays
Your attacks cast themselves. You move, slip away with a shadow step, pick upgrades, and choose the moment to unleash Terror .
Kill heroes for souls and grow stronger, or terrify them and let them run.
Every hero who escapes spreads Dread through the kingdom. Fill the Dread bar of each act to end it.
Then the kingdom sends its last hope: the Chosen One . Beat him in the throne room, with an army of skeletons raised from everyone you defeated.
What's inside
A play in three acts. When the throne room gets too busy, the lich moves house. Pick the next room yourself: a Banquet Hall where heroes eat food meant for the dead, a Library where they read How to Defeat a Lich , or a Crypt where the fallen climb back out to fight for you.
Every room has its own tricks: stop the heroes before they feast, study or loot your ancestors, and spring your own traps: a falling chandelier, a burst of books, the family coffin.
A growing cast of uninvited heroes: squires, knights, rogues who steal your souls, archers, clerics who calm the runaways, torch-bearers, Grave Robbers, and the Witch-Hunter. Each one is introduced the first time it arrives and kept in a field guide in the pause menu.
States, with timers over the lich's head: crippled, pinned, hallowed, burning.
Keepsakes from the lich's own chests: fluffy slippers, a sleeping mask, Grandmother's ladle, and an heirloom weapon or two.
Three paths of upgrades: Slaughter, Terror and Undeath.
Four Nights: win one to unlock the next, each with a new rule.
In English and German. Auch auf Deutsch spielbar.
Night 1 takes a few minutes; the later Nights about 5 to 10 minutes each.
Made for the GameDev.tv Halloween Game Jam 2026 , theme "Uninvited" .
Community
Join my Discord to talk about the game and see what comes next: discord.gg/DXjkYKKnjM
Follow me on itch.io to hear about my next game: gallmerci.itch.io
Credits
Design and direction: Marc (Seven Imps)
Art, music, sound and voice: made with generative AI tools, directed and approved by Marc.
Fonts: Siesta Display, made from Metamorphous by James Grieshaber and Fondamento by Astigmatic; Fondamento; Open Sans (all SIL Open Font License).
Made with Godot Engine 4.7.
Editor takes
“Movement and shadow-step feel snappy, and the Terror trigger reads cleanly, but with the game still in dev I'm not trusting those hitboxes or the late-Night curve yet.”
“Landing first of 140 with three acts, four Nights, and three upgrade paths is a wild flex for a jam game, though the AI-assisted presentation still feels rougher than that ranking suggests.”
“Slaughter, Terror, and Undeath paths plus choosing your next room give each run a different shape, and the few-minute Night 1 loop is exactly the kind of short hit that begs for one more.”
How to play
Move your lich around the room, aim automatically with your attacks, and use a shadow step to dodge or reposition. Heroes who flee spread Dread through the kingdom, so choose when to unleash Terror and when to let survivors run. Pick upgrades between encounters and fill the Dread bar of each act to end it.
Tips
- Let heroes escape when you need Dread: every runaway spreads fear and brings the act closer to its end.
- Kill heroes for souls too, since souls let you grow stronger and later raise skeletons from the fallen.
- Use shadow step to slip away from groups before triggering Terror in a better position.
- Pay attention to each room's gimmick: stop heroes before they feast, study, or loot your ancestors.
- Try all three upgrade paths — Slaughter, Terror, and Undeath — to find a build that fits your play style.
Questions
Is Leave Me Throne playable in a browser?
Yes, the itch.io page offers a browser version with keyboard and mouse, and gamepad support is also listed.
How long does a run take?
Night 1 takes only a few minutes, while later Nights are described as about 5 to 10 minutes each.
Is the game finished?
It is currently in development, but it was entered in the GameDev.tv Halloween Jam 2026 and placed 1st out of 140 entries.
Which languages are supported?
The game is available in English and German.
Does it use AI-generated assets?
The developer states that code, graphics, sounds, and text were made with AI assistance, then directed and approved by them.
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