I had never heard of it until I was working on an article a few days ago about 15 promising indie JRPG-inspired titles, and that’s when Runa came up.
An ambitious indie JRPG currently in development by Fennec Studio, a passionate team based in Madrid, which went through a successful Kickstarter Campaign. The game takes place in a fantasy realm of Akasha, a world where ancient runas hold great elemental power and mysterious relics of a long‑lost civilization shape its landscapes.
The world consists of a series of semi‑open environments, ranging from mist‑covered plateaus surrounded by waterfalls to ancient ruins and bustling urban areas. The ruins in the runas resonance zone are permanently dark and filled with elemental puzzles, making exploration and discovery a central part of the experience.
At its heart, Runa is a character‑driven, turn‑based RPG inspired by classics like Final Fantasy X and Persona, combining deep classic battles, rewarding exploration, and rich interpersonal relationships. Players step into the role of adept heroes harnessing the forces of the runas, using their abilities to solve environmental puzzles, manipulate elements, and defeat foes.
Runa’s combat revolves around its Elemental Break System and uses a turn‑based structure with an active party of four, allowing party swaps with no turn penalties. Each character’s basic attack is tied to an element, Fire, Water, Wind, Electro, Void, Aether, or Gravity, and enemies have corresponding strengths and weaknesses.
Exploiting elemental vulnerabilities can break an enemy’s balance, making it susceptible to debuffs and granting the party bonus turns. Breaking all enemies in an encounter triggers a group’s ultimate, allowing a powerful combined attack.
Character relationships play an important role throughout the story. It involves over fifteen romanceable characters, regardless of gender, and uses a social link system inspired by modern JRPGs. Building connections affects both the narrative and character progression, unlocking unique dialogue, abilities, and endings.
The party includes Ivier, a runa adept from Enyth; Ayla, a fire adept and inventor; Laizehl, a wind adept and member of the Kerta clan; Mumu, a water adept searching for belonging; and Nereanthi, an electro adept with unclear motives.
Exploration in Runa involves using runic abilities to solve environmental puzzles with seven elemental affinities and twelve unique runic abilities that can be used across the world map, within cities, and in dungeons. The party can build and expand facilities in the city of Enyth, which works as the main base, including farms, residences, labs, dojos, and an antique shop. Minigames such as fishing, farming, and cooking are also available.
Character progression is handled through customizable skill trees, allowing the player to shape the party’s abilities. Defeating Nirits, elemental spirits found throughout the world, unlocks additional powers. The game also includes a dynamic weather system and day‑and‑night cycle that affect exploration and certain areas.
The in‑game calendar provides structure and adds a sense of urgency to specific moments in the story. All environments feature hand-painted maps and minimaps, prioritizing clarity and design. Dialogue choices have a direct impact on character relationships and quest outcomes.
Runa aims to balance exploration, character interaction, and turn‑based tactical combat within a richly detailed, handcrafted world. It emphasizes party building, elemental mechanics, and a character‑driven storyline shaped by the player’s choices.
Supported by a successful Kickstarter campaign and a distinctive art style, I’m placing a lot of hope in Runa, and I think there’s something genuinely compelling here that’s worth following closely. It is currently available to wishlist on PC via Steam, and the developers have confirmed that it will launch first in Early Access with a release window of November 2026.
Console versions, including Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch, are planned but not yet confirmed. Below is the announcement trailer.
