Cedric's Quest — a toon action-RPG, coming soon to Steam

5 min read Original article ↗

A toon action‑RPG for Windows, coming to Steam, in the spirit of Dragon Quest VIII — explore an open, cel‑shaded world, talk to villagers, fight monsters in real time, and lift the failing seal on the Hollow King.

The Cedric's Quest title screen: the game name over the starting village, with a New Game / Continue / Quit menu and wandering villagers
Cedric’s Quest — The Waning Ward. Your adventure begins in the village.

Coming soon to Steam · Free to play
Windows 10/11 · 64‑bit
Add it to your wishlist and Steam will tell you the moment it launches.

You are Cedric, a wandering knight. The ancient ward that binds the Hollow King is fading — its three ward‑stones have gone dark and the dead walk the forest after nightfall. Relight the wards, gear up, and face what the old world buried, from the starting village to the walled capital of Duskhaven.

4‑act story

The Waning Ward, from
a restless village to
the Hollow King himself

Four towns

Home village, walled
Duskhaven, coastal Saltmarsh
& snowbound Frosthold

Deep combat

Dodge, block, parry,
combos & charged heavies
— plus 32 side quests

Native

Rust + Bevy engine,
Windows 10/11 · 64‑bit,
free to play on Steam

The story

Long ago the shrine on the southern plains was raised not to worship but to imprison — a seal over the Hollow King, a warlord who cheated death and became a lich. That seal is now failing. Its three ward‑stones have gone dark, which is why slimes menace the fields and the nights have turned deadly.

An old keeper sends you out to relight the wards, each guarded by a boss‑tier foe — a hill‑stalking dino, a lake ghost, a forest demon — where you meet the honourable dead who first raised the seal. With the wards lit, night falls and won’t lift, and the Hollow King rises for the final confrontation. Far to the north, the walled capital of Duskhaven holds the secret of who he once was.

Screenshots

Cel‑shaded, low‑poly, and colourful — a living world with a day‑night sky.

Cedric before the town under a bright sun with a soft halo glowing in the blue sky
A living day‑night sky — the sun rides in a soft halo over the town.

Features

A complete quest

Four acts, stage‑aware NPC dialogue, a journal and objective markers, a world beacon that points you onward, and a proper ending scene with scrolling credits when the King falls.

A vast open world

Roam a huge streaming world — rolling hills, autumn forests, a lakeside, a western sea with a walkable sand beach, and a northern snow field. Four settlements to visit: the home village, the walled capital of Duskhaven, the coastal town of Saltmarsh, and the snow-bound hold of Frosthold — each with its own look, NPCs, and secrets.

Reactive combat

Full action combat: dodge‑roll with i‑frames, block & parry, combo chains and a charged heavy, critical hits, knockback and hit‑stop. Every enemy telegraphs its strike, and each of the seven kinds fights differently — frogs leap, cactoros spit spines, ghosts blink, dinos charge, demons slam. Kills earn XP: level up for more health and damage.

32 side quests

Villagers, farmers, forest dead and the folk of Duskhaven all have work for you — slay named beasts, hunt down hidden treasure chests, carry word between distant NPCs, and gather what the mages need. Track them all in your journal.

World bosses & a ruin

Five towering world bosses lurk in the far corners of the map, each guarding a chest of gear. Deeper still lies the Sunken Relic — an ancient ruin you can walk into, where a giant demon warden hoards the finest treasure in the land. Fall in battle and it costs you half your coins.

Music & sound

An orchestral soundtrack that shifts with the moment — calm village and overworld themes, an eerie forest, the stately old capital, and driving battle & boss music that swells when the fight is on — plus punchy sound effects for every swing, parry, hit, chest, and level‑up.

Shops & gear

Earn coins, then buy swords and armour from the village merchants — or make the trek to Duskhaven’s master merchant for the legendary Kingsbane blade and Aegis plate.

A living world

A day‑night sky with drifting clouds and soft cloud shadows, a cel‑shaded toon look with clean outlines, wandering villagers, and a save that remembers your progress and gear.

Native & small

Written in Rust on the Bevy engine — one self‑contained native app, no in‑app purchases, no analytics.

Controls

Keyboard and mouse — or play one‑handed: Q attacks just like the mouse.

WASDMove — hold Shift to sprint

Right‑drag · arrows · scrollOrbit camera · zoom

Left‑click / QAttack — tap to combo, hold to charge a heavy

CtrlDodge roll — brief invulnerability

hold FBlock — time it just right for a parry

HDrink a potion / heal

ETalk · open chest · interact

I · J · TabInventory · Quest journal · Shop buy/sell

EscPause / menu

Get it on Steam

A Jiang Games production — game design by Nora Jiang, Drake Jiang, and Hao Jiang.
Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Art CC0 (KayKit, Quaternius, ambientCG, Poly Haven).