Meridiem Presents the Illustrated Art of

The Bearer & The Last Flame

A carefully crafted artistic direction that reinforces the game’s visual identity and narrative.

Meridiem is pleased to announce that The Bearer & The Last Flame will feature completely original illustrations created by artists Ion Ander Ramírez Rodríguez and Adrián Lucas Hernández, who is also responsible for the game’s cover design. These works have been created by hand and digitally by the artists, reaffirming the project’s commitment to human creativity and traditional art.

Ion Ander Ramírez Rodríguez, known as Ion Ander ART on social media, has been working as a freelance illustrator for several years. Although he practices various traditional techniques, such as oil painting and charcoal, he has specialised in digital techniques, which are currently the main focus of his work.

Throughout his career as an artist, he has collaborated as a cover artist and illustrator for several publishing houses (Eunate, Nowevolution, etc.), and has also worked in the field of board games and video games. He has also published several books on folklore and mythology through Amazon, one of the main themes of his most personal work.

He currently combines his work as a freelancer with his presence at numerous art conventions in Spain and Europe, where he presents and sells his own original work.

Adrián Lucas Hernández is an illustrator born in Tenerife, drawn to the art profession from a very young age thanks to impressive collections of storybooks his parents brought him, featuring fantastic illustrations made with pencil, tempera, and watercolor.

He is passionate about the narrative aspect of illustration and about telling stories through images. For this reason, he combines his work as a storyboard artist for animation companies (such as Mondo TV and currently Red Animation) with creating illustrations, either by collaborating with publishing houses (especially Celaeno Books on their Choose Cthulhu saga) or with video game studios.

Although he began in the video game industry creating concept art for Path Games, he produced his first cover art with Meridiem for the video game The Bearer & the Last Flame. Thanks to this, he has been able to collaborate with other studios and publishers, including Dojo System, Guarida Games, and Selecta Play, leaving his signature on games such as Dino Punk, Among Ashes, Die by Anything, and Dark Mass.

About The Bearer & The Last Flame

Developed by Dark Reaper Studio, The Bearer & The Last Flame is an epic dark fantasy action-adventure created by a single developer, inspired by the classics of the Soulslike genre, and will immerse you in a world ravaged by death.

Meridiem has been responsible for the design and creation of these physical editions: The Bearer & The Last Flame – Standard Edition for PlayStation 5 which includes the PlayStation 5 game and The Bearer & The Last Flame – The Knight’s Edition which includes, in addition to the PS5 game, a game guide and a special sleeve.

• Watch the trailer of The Bearer & The Last Flame here
• Download press kit here

The Bearer & The Last Flame is now available to pre-order in physical format on PlayStation 5, and digitally for PlayStation 5 and Steam. It will be released on March 6th, 2026.

For more information, please visit www.meridiem-games.com

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Solve Your Own Client’s Murder in Time-Loop Noir Thriller ‘The Posthumous Investigation,’ Launching March 31 on PC

Award-winning indie mystery with 20k+ wishlists puts a supernatural spin on the detective genre; Coming to Steam March 31, Nintendo Switch to follow.

SÃO PAULO – February 3rd, 2026 – Developer Mother Gaia Studio and publisher CriticalLeap today announced that The Posthumous Investigation will launch on PC via Steam on March 31, 2026.

In this hand-drawn noir thriller, death is not the end—it’s just the opening statement. You play as a private eye hired by a most unusual client: the victim himself.

Brás Cubas is dead, but his spirit is restless. Trapped in a purgatorial time loop in 1937 Rio de Janeiro, you must solve the mystery of his murder to break the cycle. Blending the deduction mechanics of Return of the Obra Dinn with the atmosphere of classic Film Noir, players must manipulate the schedules of 14 suspects, uncover contradictory alibis, and piece together the perfect crime before the day resets.

The Case File:

• The Client is the Victim: Investigate a murder where the only witness is the ghost who hired you.
• Master the Loop: You have one day to solve the case, but infinite chances. Learn the routines of 14 distinct characters, shadow them through a stylized 1930s Rio, and use knowledge from previous loops to unlock new dialogue paths.
• A Living Literary World: Inspired by the biting satire of “The Brazilian Shakespeare,” Machado de Assis, the game offers a witty, morally ambiguous narrative where no one—not even your client—is completely innocent.
• True Deduction: No hand-holding. Use your “Thinking Board” to physically connect clues, reconstruct timelines, and identify the killer through pure logic.

“We wanted to create a detective game where the setting itself is a puzzle,” said Bruno Toledo, Game Director at Mother Gaia Studio. “By combining the time-loop mechanic with the rich, satirical world of Machado de Assis, we’ve built a mystery that challenges players to think like a true investigator—where every failed loop is just another clue.”

Play the Demo Instantly:A playable browser-based demo is available immediately via Spawnd, allowing press and players to step into the noir atmosphere without a download.
[Link]

The Posthumous Investigation launches on Steam on March 31, 2026. A Nintendo Switch version is currently in development.

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[California – February 5] Launching today as part of Steam Typing Fest, Tomb of the Bloodletter is a strategic roguelike that resolves combat entirely through typing. The dark fantasy dungeon crawler challenges players to survive using cursed letters and volatile Magicks, focusing on moment-to-moment decisions rather than long-term optimization. Developed by solo creator Ethan’s Secretions, the game is available now on PC via Steam for $7.99 USD, with a 20% launch discount available for a limited time.

Every encounter in Tomb of the Bloodletter is fought at the keyboard, where words themselves become weapons. As players enter each floor, Magicks bind themselves to individual letters, following strange and specific rules that reshape how words behave in combat. Some letters reward precise placement, others offer healing or retaliation, while certain combinations introduce dangerous trade-offs, pushing players to think carefully before committing to a word.

Runs are tightly paced and randomized, lasting around 30 minutes and ending in either victory or defeat. Instead of encouraging long-term build planning, the game centers on the puzzle each turn presents. Players begin every run with access to their full keyboard, while Magicks dynamically change how letters behave. Any word can be played at any time—the challenge lies in timing, sequencing, and managing unstable interactions rather than vocabulary size.

As players descend deeper into the shifting, cursed tomb, new grave robbers are unlocked, each dramatically altering how word-based combat unfolds. The Hereticembodies the game’s risk–reward philosophy, with prayers that cost health and a first attack each turn that restores it, creating constant tension where aggression can be both salvation and downfall. Survival hinges on bold decisions and carefully chosen words.

Other characters explore different pressures within the same systems. The Scholar begins each run with immense power that steadily fades as enemies grow tougher, demanding efficiency before knowledge slips away. The Prophet must obey the commands of an unpredictable lord or face punishment, reshaping each run around external demands, while the Adventurer offers a straightforward, no-frills path for those who want to confront the tomb with grit alone. No matter who enters, survival is never clean, easy, or guaranteed.

The tomb itself teems with cursed beasts, deceitful specters, and entities best left unspoken, each handcrafted with unique mechanics that demand clever thinking and precise wordplay. As runs progress, new Magicks are acquired whether players want them or not, gradually transforming the keyboard into a volatile spellbook that is equal parts weapon and liability.

Tomb of the Bloodletter is available now on Steam as part of Steam Typing Fest. Whether players are chasing narrow victories or spectacular failures, every run is shaped by the words they choose to spell. Stay up to date by following the developer on Bluesky.

Claim the Bloodletter—or let it spell your doom.

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Build, Trade, and Conquer the Medieval World  in City States: Medieval – Demo Available Now on Steam

[Canada, Toronto] February 2, 2026— Fans of RTS and grand strategy, it’s time to sharpen your maps and ledgers. The City States: Medieval demo is live now on Steam, offering a guided first look at a deep medieval strategy experience. Developed by Reverie World Studios and published in partnership with indie.io, the demo invites players to step into a world shaped by ambition, influence, and long-term decision-making.

City States: Medieval is a grand strategy game where power is earned through trade, diplomacy, and carefully chosen military campaigns. Players guide ambitious medieval city-states across a living world, managing economic networks, navigating shifting alliances, and responding to threats both at home and abroad.

Central to every decision is a single Hero,  the player’s leader and strategic anchor. This Hero doesn’t simply provide passive bonuses; their physical presence determines how the game is played. When stationed in a city, players gain direct real-time control, enabling rapid RTS-style construction, hands-on city defense, and active command of armies. When the Hero leaves, the city continues to function on the world map, but progress slows, and conflicts are resolved at a higher strategic level.

This creates a constant strategic push and pull for players. Keeping the Hero at home strengthens infrastructure and defenses, while sending them into the wider world opens expansion opportunities. As the Hero gains levels and new abilities, their influence over the fate of the city-state grows, deepening the long-term strategy and forcing players to reassess where their leader is needed most.

Demo Features:

The demo is taken directly from one of the game’s three full campaigns, placing players in the opening chapter of the Republic of Genoa storyline, offering players 3.5–4 hours of meaningful progression. Over the course of play, players will travel across the medieval world — from the Holy Land to Italy — encountering distinct cultures, cities, and political landscapes while learning how economic networks, political relationships, and military conflicts interconnect. 

Players are given room to experiment and make long-term decisions, and experience how trade, diplomacy, and warfare shape the rise of a city-state over time. In the finished game, this campaign spans25–30 hours, making the demo a substantial introduction to the systems and pacing of the full experience. 

Players can try the City States: Medieval demo, now available on Steam. To stay up to date on development Wishlist and follow on Steam. 

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Tackle Trauma with the Undead in Vampire Therapist, Launching on Consoles Later This Month

A therapy session you can really sink your teeth into

Berlin, Germany — February 3, 2026 | Little Bat Games, in partnership with Ultimate Games S.A., is thrilled to announce that its BAFTA-nominated visual novel adventure through the (im)mortal mind, Vampire Therapist, is coming to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch later this month, before arriving on Xbox in March.

Released on PC in 2024, Vampire Therapist sees players take on the role of a reformed Wild West gunslinger-slash-vampire, as they guide their fellow undead spawn through the twists and turns of an immortal existence. The world may not accept them, but perhaps they can learn to accept themselves.

Watch the Vampire Therapist Accolades Trailer below:

Vampire Therapist launches on consoles complete with the base game, all free content updates, and the Couples Therapy DLC included. The game has also been revamped with improved controller support, so console players can sink into their chaise longue (other sofa types are available) and enjoy Vampire Therapist in relaxed repose.

Vampire Therapist Features:

• Real Therapy Concepts: You’ll learn and apply real cognitive behavioral therapy concepts vetted by licensed therapists. By challenging client statements that contain “cognitive distortions”, you’ll help vampires see where their thoughts don’t match reality.
• A Comedic Look Through History: Meet emotionally damaged vampires from ancient Greece, Renaissance Italy, revolutionary France, Tudor England, and Iron Age Ireland.
• An All-Star Voice Cast:  Featuring Matthew Mercer (Critical Role, Baldur’s Gate 3), Francesca Meaux (Hades), Sarah Grayson (Gone Home, Hades II), Kylie Clark, and the game’s creator, Cyrus Nemati (Hades, Pyre).
• Unique Setting: Vampire Therapist merges cozy self-introspection with a dark European goth vibe. In fact, the whole thing takes place above a goth club in Germany filled with willing necks to bite.
• Minigames: Learn mindfulness meditation, safely and consensually bite sexy necks!

Vampire Therapist launches on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch on 17 February 2026, before arriving on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on 5 March 2026.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cozy Match-3 Chowdown Kitty Is Coming to Steam on February 12, 2026 

[January 29, 2026] Meow, we’re talking! Chowdown Kitty, the cozy Match-3 puzzle game about feeding endlessly adorable felines, developed by indie studio Lunar Peace, launches on Steam February 12. In Chowdown Kitty, the goal is simple: match tiles, fill bowls with treats, and keep the cats fed. Do that, and your reward is more cats. Many more cats. It’s easy to learn, hard to put down, and dangerously cute.

Blending the relaxed joy of pet-focused games, the irresistible pull of collecting cute cats, and the instantly familiar satisfaction of Match-3 puzzles, Chowdown Kitty encourages players to progress at their own pace. While each level is timed to add energy and light challenge, the overall experience stays friendly, relaxing, and welcoming. As players fill bowls and unlock new feline friends, they build a cozy story centered around care, companionship, and creativity, in a world made for cats and the people who love them.

Cozy Gameplay ( But the cats are impatient)

Match three or more tiles to drop treats into waiting bowls. Feed the cats enough, and they’ll happily move in with you. But keep an eye on the timer,  the clock doesn’t stop ticking, and nobody wants disappointed cats staring them down.

Hundreds of Cats to Adopt. Literally

There are dozens of stages and hundreds of hungry kitties to collect, each ready to join your growing cat-alogue. Cats can be dressed up with hats and accessories, adding even more personality to your feline friends. Keep them happily fed and spoil them with toys!

Hang out in the Lounge

Need a break from feeding time? Head to The Lounge, a fully customizable hangout where players can relax and interact with their favorite feline companions. Change the vibe of the lounge with an in-game jukebox, decorate the space with items from an ever-changing shop, and build the ultimate cozy cat haven to share with your furry friends.

Chowdown Kitty mixes things up with bonus stages and special challenges that twist the formula using unique power-ups and playful surprises. These stages unlock even more special kitties, because yes, there are always more cats.

Chowdown Kitty launches on Steam February 12, 2026. For anyone who’s ever wished they could adopt every cat they meet,  Chowdown Kitty awaits.

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