Scrabdackle is here to rescue us from polished perfection and remind us that messy can be magic. The scribbly, hand-drawn Metroidvania-meets-Souls-meets-Zelda hybrid has officially dropped its first big chunk of content on PC, and it is delightfully unhinged in all the right ways.
The premise is simple: You are a baby wizard who gets launched out of a building mid-attack. No one gives you a map or a lecture. You just land in the dirt and toddle off into a strange world filled with talking creatures, weird landscapes and bosses who clearly woke up choosing violence.
Act 1 already has 12 to 15 hours of gameplay, and you can head in whatever direction your ADHD heart takes you. If you get lost, that is simply the vibe.
Awww, look at the art. Haha wait, the art wants to kill me.
Scrabdackle looks like someone drew an entire fantasy universe during a slightly feral sleepover. Wiggly lines. Loose shapes. Characters that feel like doodles that crawled off the page while the artist blinked.
Do not let the cuteness fool you. This game will absolutely beat you up.
There are nine bosses in Act 1. Each one has patterns to learn, tantrums to survive and a healthy disrespect for your comfort levels. If you are here for a chill wander, you can tweak the difficulty. If you want to fight God, the option is also available.
Souls challenge. Zelda exploration. Metroidvania secrets. Stickers.
There’s a notebook that fills with collectible stickers as you explore. I should not be this attached to stickers. Yet here we are.
The magic system is playful. The pacing feels loose and curious. You gain power by just poking around and seeing what the world throws at you.
Accessibility also matters here. Scrabdackle makes room for different play styles. And it does so while honouring the joy of discovery.
A solo dev success story we love to see
Scrabdackle started as a hobby project from Jake, a developer whose background is more spreadsheets than spellbooks. The demo blew up on itch.io, a community formed instantly and a Kickstarter carried it into a fully funded future.
Two more acts will release free for existing players. The price will go up later, so starting early is basically financially responsible wizardry.
TLDR;
- Scrabdackle Act 1 is out now on PC via Steam
- 12–15 hours of gameplay with two more acts coming free later
- Hand-drawn Metroidvania that is cute and rude in equal measure
- Nine bosses, loads of spells, open exploration and collectible stickers
- If doodles and dark souls had a child, this is it
- Get in early for the cheaper price
Game Info
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Game | Scrabdackle Act 1 |
| Genre | Metroidvania, Soulslike, Zeldalike, Adventure |
| Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Developer | JakeFriend |
| Publisher | Fellow Traveller |
| Launch price | USD $14.99 with 10 percent launch discount |
| Release format | Early content with free future acts |
Final thoughts
Scrabdackle is messy in a way only deeply cared-for games manage to be. It is imaginative, funny and surprisingly tactical. It rewards curiosity. It invites weirdness. And it is made by one person putting their whole scribbly soul into it.
If you have ever doodled a wizard in the margin of a notebook and thought “I would die for him,” this is your moment.
Stay unruly.
