Iratus: Lord of the Dead

About

Iratus: Lord of the Dead is a single player tactical role playing game with fantasy, dark fantasy and violence themes. It was developed by IratusLord and was released on April 23, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

Iratus: Lord of the Dead is a dark, challenging turn-based roguelike RPG where you play as an evil necromancer escaping from your dungeon prison to once again embark on the domination of the world.

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,302 reviews

gameplay235 positive mentions

grinding147 negative mentions

Engaging tactical turn-based combat with multiple minion types and skill variations allowing diverse team compositions and strategies.
Unique reverse Darkest Dungeon premise where you play as the villain necromancer, leading an undead army and using stress attacks against foes.
Good blend of RPG progression, crafting, base building, and resource management with immersive gothic atmosphere and entertaining voice acting.

Runs can be very lengthy and repetitive, making pacing feel slow and sometimes causing grind and monotony, especially at higher difficulties.
UI and quality-of-life features are lacking, such as cumbersome minion management, forced repeated squad selection, and unclear mechanics or poor explanations.
Imbalanced and inconsistent difficulty spikes with some bosses feeling unfair or trivial, plus some minion types and items being underpowered or overshadowed.

gameplay
782 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
63%
7%
Iratus: Lord of the Dead offers a gameplay experience heavily inspired by Darkest Dungeon, featuring turn-based tactical combat with a focus on managing an undead squad and inflicting sanity (stress) damage on enemies rather than enduring it yourself. The mechanics include minion crafting and progression, base upgrades, and unique spells, providing considerable depth and customization that keeps the combat engaging and strategic for about 20-30 hours. However, some players find the gameplay loop repetitive and occasionally unbalanced, with a learning curve hindered by incomplete explanations of mechanics, and certain encounters or bosses relying on frustrating RNG or tedious resummoning tactics, making it more appealing to fans of challenging roguelikes who appreciate experimentation and managing a complex system rather than casual players.
- “It truly gives the sense of learning eldritch knowledge as both your character improves and you learn more about the game mechanics.”
- “The combat is deeply tactical, with a focus on a unique 'sanity' mechanic that allows you to break enemies' minds, making them attack their allies or flee in terror.”
- “Once you learn the basic mechanics, this game is highly addictive.”
- “Honestly, the gameplay loop at the start seems pretty solid; however, it quickly devolves into tedium around the end of the second floor.”
- “After a while the fights are just tedium; you fight the same enemies over and over and lose only through bad luck or frustrating mechanics. For example, a boss fight where the boss summons allies, dies, resurrects, and then resummons the same allies.”
- “The core gameplay loop is extremely repetitive; in my one playthrough, I literally spent 90% of the time just clicking buttons.”
graphics
325 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
43%
3%
The graphics of the game present a dark, gothic, hand-painted 2D art style that effectively captures its macabre and eerie atmosphere, with detailed character designs and smooth animations. While it draws frequent comparisons to Darkest Dungeon—often considered to have superior, more complex visuals—many appreciate its distinctive aesthetic, though some find it a bit cheesy or simplistic. Overall, the artwork is praised for its thematic consistency and charm, enhanced by strong voice acting, even if animations and certain stylistic choices receive mixed reactions.
- “The dark, gothic atmosphere of the game is beautifully portrayed, with stunning hand-drawn visuals that perfectly capture the grim and eerie nature of the world.”
- “The graphics and animations are really nice, there is a lot of eye for detail.”
- “The art style is very cool, there's lots of options in combat, all the monsters have clever animations, plenty of upgrades and management between battles, and the overall story is pretty cool.”
- “It has a bit of a mobile game feel, both in the graphics and the different items/currencies to upgrade your team.”
- “Outdated graphics, boring mechanics, and a slow pace turn the playthrough into a painful ordeal.”
- “Graphically, the game looks really simplistic and does not do much to convey its own sense of worldbuilding.”
story
225 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
69%
9%
The story centers on playing as an evil necromancer seeking revenge and world domination, serving mainly as a simple backdrop to the gameplay rather than a deep or complex narrative. While some find the premise fun and enjoy the villainous angle, many reviewers note the plot is thin, somewhat cheesy, and lacks meaningful depth or motivation. Overall, the story is considered mediocre and minimal, with the game's appeal relying more on its tactical combat and atmosphere than on storytelling.
- “A good strategy dungeon crawler that has engaging storyline and good gameplay.”
- “The game has a fun story with some cool lore, great atmosphere, and voice acting.”
- “Playing as this intensely powerful necromancer breaking free is an awesome gothic power fantasy, and it really nails the feel of you being the villain in someone else's story.”
- “While the writing for Iratus is entertaining, the overall plot lacks complexity and doesn't offer a strong motivation for a long-term campaign.”
- “The story is almost non-existent but the 'bad guy' vibe makes up for it.”
- “The story is paper thin anyway so it's not a huge deal but I still found it strange how they pitched the story at me.”
grinding
156 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
3%
94%
Grinding in the game elicits mixed reactions: many players find it significantly less grindy and tedious than Darkest Dungeon, appreciating mechanics like quick minion leveling and no farming/backtracking; however, others report repetitive combat, grind-heavy achievements, and lengthy map traversal that contribute to a sometimes slow, tedious experience, especially during later stages and for completionists. Overall, while grinding is reduced and made more bearable compared to similar titles, it can still feel monotonous and time-consuming depending on playstyle and goals.
- “No grinding, less time wasted on leveling new units.”
- “No grinding like DD.”
- “The variety of available minions is to my liking (and there will be more), there are enough possible ways to create and use different builds and the progression is decent enough (not too grindy, not too fast).”
- “The most tedious thing that made me remove this game from my Steam account (and that is something to say, because I completed all achievements in Darkest Dungeon) is the fact that when you lose a minion, you have to click-find-(click-find organ part)*4, give it a better brain, which will overwrite its level from 1 to a much higher (if you are at a higher level but have no brains, restart the entire floor (six floors in total)), and 20x click to increase your chosen stats.”
- “Skill upgrades stop mattering by the end of the third biome — everything is maxed out, and after that, it’s just stat grinding.”
- “As achievements go, most are easy to get with a few tricky exceptions but I already see that the grind achievements are horrible and it will take me tedious weeks to complete.. kill 1000 enemies in a zone?”
replayability
129 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
55%
5%
Replayability is generally praised, with many highlighting the variety of minion builds, team compositions, difficulty settings, and additional content from DLCs that keep the gameplay fresh and engaging. While some users find the game limited in replay value due to linear progression, short length, or repetitive encounters, the majority appreciate the depth, customization, and challenge that encourage multiple playthroughs. Overall, the game offers substantial replayability, especially for fans of roguelike and tactical squad management genres.
- “There's a lot of replayability with different team compositions and talents/artifacts combinations.”
- “I've done 3 playthroughs and still have not encountered every enemy type, so plenty of replayability between building different teams and trying out the various difficulties.”
- “Thus, there is huge replayability in trying out new minion compositions, ascending to higher difficulty for challenges, or just playing for fun because the core gameplay loop is addicting fun.”
- “As a first timer I really enjoyed this game, but it's only worth it for a lower price as it is very short and even with all the minions it lacks replayability due to the above issues.”
- “Replayability is pretty much none, progress is very linear and stiff, has a handful of good mechanics but they never got any depth put into it, like to do 'it just works,' why bother polishing and add some depth to it...”
- “Becomes a bit of a slog at the end and I didn't find it replayable after finishing it the first time as there weren't enough new options available to make it a different experience.”
music
107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
53%
8%
The music in the game generally receives mixed to positive feedback; it effectively complements the dark, gothic atmosphere and mood but is often described as repetitive, monotonous, or lacking variety. While some praise the soundtrack and voice work for enhancing immersion, others find it forgettable or too soft for the game's tone, with a few players preferring to turn it off in favor of external playlists. Overall, the soundtrack does its job but rarely stands out or reaches the impact of comparable titles.
- “The game has a strong gothic horror aesthetic, with grim environments, a moody soundtrack, and evocative narration by Stephan Weyte (voice of Caleb from Blood), who adds a lot of charisma to Iratus.”
- “Brilliant round based gem with spectacular optics, bombastic soundtrack and splendid gameplay.”
- “Additionally, the soundtrack perfectly complements the eerie atmosphere of the game, adding to the overall immersive experience.”
- “The soundtrack is forgettable, narrator is edgy and the joke is cringe.”
- “The music's a little monotonous, there is not much variety and that really sucks.”
- “Being a fan of Darkest Dungeon the biggest flaw with this game is the voice acting and music which lack the gravitas of that wonderful game but otherwise it is an excellent game and anyone who loves turn based games should get it.”
atmosphere
105 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
38%
4%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its dark, gothic, and richly detailed world, enhanced by fitting music, voice acting, and art that create an immersive, tense, and eerie experience. While often compared to Darkest Dungeon, it stands out with a unique reverse narrative and fresh villainous perspective, though some find its atmosphere less deep or oppressive and occasionally less consistent. Overall, it successfully delivers a compelling dark fantasy ambiance that complements its gameplay and setting.
- “The dark, gothic atmosphere of the game is beautifully portrayed, with stunning hand-drawn visuals that perfectly capture the grim and eerie nature of the world.”
- “With clear influences from titles like Darkest Dungeon, Iratus stands out due to its reverse narrative perspective, deep combat systems, and richly atmospheric world.”
- “The tense atmosphere of managing resources as you send a group to explore a very dangerous location, making sure they don’t go insane or come back with crippling consequences, creates a unique and engaging experience.”
- “It's clearly very inspired by Darkest Dungeon but it does nothing to capture its atmosphere, tension, and urgency.”
- “The puzzle-like combat is there, but the dark atmosphere has been replaced by 80's villain cheese.”
- “Firstly, the atmosphere is severely lacking from an audio and gameplay standpoint.”
humor
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a strong dark and macabre sense of humor, largely delivered through charismatic voice acting and witty narration by the villainous Iratus himself. Players frequently praise its blend of gothic flair, snarky dialogue, and ironic in-game text, which provide levity without undermining the dark fantasy atmosphere. While some find certain jokes repetitive or less funny, the overall humor enhances the gameplay experience by making it entertaining and distinct within the strategy genre.
- “The voice acting, particularly that of Iratus himself—performed with delightfully sinister flair by Stephan Weyte (best known as the voice of Caleb in Blood)—adds a layer of dark humor and villainous charisma to the game.”
- “There is nothing more satisfying than hearing his menacing cackle and dry gallows humor as you slaughter your way to destroying the world.”
- “Playing the villain is refreshing, and the writing leans into this with humor and gothic flair.”
monetization
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The monetization of the game is widely criticized for intrusive in-game advertisements, particularly on the main menu and loading screens, which many players find tacky and unwelcome despite the presence of a supporter pack. While DLCs are generally viewed as reasonable and content-rich rather than exploitative, the persistent ads and shady discounting tactics have led some players to consider refunds. The developers do avoid microtransactions and maintain good community communication, but the advertising approach overshadows these positives.
- “Daedalic is advertising this game and Inkulinati as being heavily discounted by using fake retail prices that are close to double the actual price.”
- “There is a straight-up advertisement for different games from the same publisher (Daedalic Entertainment) on the home screen of the game in the bottom left corner.”
- “I even bought the Darkest Dungeon support package, but I didn't refund theirs because they didn't have any shady practices to get people to buy the support package—nor did they play ads in the game I just spent money on.”
stability
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
61%
Stability reports are mixed, with many players experiencing a smooth, bug-free experience and no crashes across multiple platforms, including Linux and macOS. However, a significant portion of users report frequent freezes, crashes, graphical glitches, and bugs, especially after extended play or at specific points in the game, indicating inconsistent stability overall.
- “The game runs 'straight out of the box' and appears to be bug free.”
- “Aside from some minor frustrating moments, it's been bug free throughout my entire playtime with no performance issues.”
- “It runs great on multiple platforms including Linux, macOS Monterey, and iMac with Big Sur.”
- “Brand new gaming computer, game freezes nonstop.”
- “74 battles under my belt, closing in on my first victory, game crashes while loading a battle, permanently freezes every time I try to load my save.”
- “After crafting minions in my tutorial, I couldn't open the map as instructed even after clicking (M). Then I tried creating a second file just in case the first save was bugged; that game then freezes while creating the second file.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
Optimization reviews are mixed, with some users reporting smooth performance and no major bugs even on older hardware, while others experience extreme loading times and intermittent stutters that detract from gameplay. Graphical options are limited, leading to occasional visual issues like jaggies, but overall, performance is generally stable for many players.
- “Performance wise the game ran perfectly for me and my computer is a 5 year old $200 stock piece of crap.”
- “The game itself has very few bugs and runs smoothly.”
- “The graphical options are limited, but the game, performance wise, has been fine for me so far (running at 3840x2160 to try and mitigate the aliasing and still maintaining a rock solid 144fps).”
- “Extreme loading times for a simple game with my computer optimized for FPS.”
- “There were a few temporary performance issues that didn't really make sense to me.”
- “Surprising and confusing intermittent performance stutters.”
character development
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
29%
21%
Character development in the game is praised primarily for its unique, cohesive, and visually striking character designs that fit the grimdark and eerie atmosphere. While the characters feature thoughtfully crafted abilities and animations that enhance gameplay variety, some users note a lack of variety in team composition at higher difficulty levels and criticize the overly sexualized designs as inconsistent with the game's dark tone. Overall, the character design is a strong highlight that contributes significantly to the game's immersive RPG experience.
- “The character design is exemplary, with unique looking, beautifully animated heroes to fight, armed with thoughtfully crafted sets of abilities that mesh more or less well with their peers and creating challenges of varying degrees to your own minion team builds.”
- “Real in depth, robust RPG with great art, character design, and sound design.”
- “The atmosphere created by the character designs, the bits of lore, and the theme give it a nice mix of dark and quirky.”
- “The character designs are a huge problem and would really push this game forward if they weren't so overly sexualized for a game that's supposed to be dark and eerie.”
- “Character design has no punch.”
- “The character design, the game play.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes a mix of emotions, from engaging and occasionally heartbreaking moments to a lack of deeper emotional investment due to disposable characters and limited narrative depth. While players feel some attachment to key losses, the overall emotional impact is lessened by a sense of detachment from most minions and the need for more developed story elements.
- “Really cool and can get a bit heartbreaking... but all worth it.”
- “Yes, I cried when I lost my first death knight.”
- “A more finished game should aim to flesh this world out; as ancient and evil as the necromancer is, some other hero, villain, or rivals to overcome would give more emotional investment in the game.”