PIXELStep into a 90s-inspired exploration RPG, raiding deadly dungeons, caves, and temples for gear and treasure on a vibrant, hand-crafted island. Defeat formidable
Secrets of Temple Isle is out on Steam, priced at $13.99 with a 28% launch discount running for its first week. It is an action RPG built almost entirely by one person — Moses Doyle, who spent six years on it.
Six years, one developer
Doyle is self-taught. He started at 13 after finding a discarded QBasic book on the walk home from school, moved on to C++ and DirectX, and has been iterating on the engine underneath this game since the late 1990s. His wife helped with the creative side; family and friends did the play-testing. There was no team.
It used to be called Wacambria
The project shipped a demo under that name before Doyle renamed it. His reasoning, posted to the Steam community hub, was that the island itself — the temples, the vaults, the brewing revolt — mattered more than the old regional name. Wishlists carried over.
Parry-based combat, not button mashing
Combat is third-person and built around timing. The store page describes invading soldiers who strafe and respond rather than stand still, with parrying as the core defensive tool. There is a gear and cosmetic system layered on top, so armour you find changes how your character looks as well as what they survive.
Exploration is the point
The island runs from jungle to arid ruins, with hidden temples, caves and abandoned towns to pick through. Doyle has been explicit that discovery is meant to pay — loot, currency, experience and story all sit behind going somewhere you were not told to go. Whether that holds across a full playthrough is the question a solo-built RPG usually lives or dies on.
Fourteen dollars
Standard price is $13.99. At the time of writing the launch discount brings it to roughly $10, and Doyle has said that runs for the first seven days. Windows only, tagged Action, Adventure and RPG.
Solo development shows, for better and worse
Six years by one person produces a particular kind of game: consistent in vision, uneven in polish. Doyle wrote the engine himself, starting from a C++ book in the late 1990s, which is unusual in an era where almost everyone reaches for Unity or Unreal.
That choice explains the retro presentation. It is not a stylistic filter over a modern engine — it is what the engine does.
At a glance — verified Steam listing
Developer and publisher: Moses Doyle · Released: 15 September 2026 · Price: $13.99 (28% launch discount, first week) · Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG · Platform: Windows · View on Steam
Read more on PixelForge Network
Best Cozy Games on Steam 2026 · Cloudscrapers Officially Out on Steam · Best MMORPGs in 2026 · Upcoming 2026 Games
This article may contain affiliate links to trusted partners. PixelForge Network may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support our independent gaming coverage. Read our full disclosure.
