Væ Victis

Væ Victis press kit

Woe to the Conquered. A gothic pixel action game by Serifeus Studio, free in your browser.

Every picture here is the game itself: gameplay frames and the game's own lettering. Use them freely to write about Væ Victis.

Description

Væ Victis is a gothic pixel action game, free in your browser. They killed Wick on a stone, and something below said no. Now the revived vampire lord walks back up the hill to collect from six noble houses, lord by lord. Kill them or spare them: every lord you kill comes back a saint.

The long version

They wore the Church's robes. They bought an orphan, ruined his life on purpose, and killed him on a stone. The one below raised him for revenge.

Væ Victis is a gothic action game drawn in 32 colours at 320 by 240. You are Wick, a vampire lord dragged back out of the grave, and six noble houses owe you for what they took. You walk back up the hill to collect: through the bat lord's court, the gutter and the cistern under Marrowmere, a circus that pitches on the land of the last lord to fall, a sunlit greenwood, an acid works, and a river where the ferryman tells you your fare was paid years back.

Every lord ends on their knees, and every one asks. Hold the blow and they die. Let go and they walk. The ones you kill come back as saints, and they thank you for it. Find out why before Wick does.

Væ Victis runs in any modern browser, on a computer, a tablet or a phone. There is nothing to download and no account to make. It is free.

History

Væ Victis began as VAE VICTIS; on 2 October 2026 it took its proper name, with the Æ carved into its title, and moved to its own home at vaevictis.vip.

Features

  • Kill or spare. Every lord ends kneeling, asking. Hold the blow and they die a saint; let go and they walk. The houses remember.
  • Bosses you learn. Every lord has their wind-ups, their circle, their asking. Read them, and strike.
  • Feed, bend, fly. Drink from the downed, throw the red thread and drive their will, take the shape of the bat and the crows.
  • Arms that change the fight. A sword, an axe that cleaves, a scythe that tangles, a halberd and more, swapped mid-swing.
  • A mystery you can actually solve. The kalendar, the ledger, the wall of offerings: every clue is in the world before Wick sees it.
  • 320 by 240, 32 colours. Every pixel is one of the game's own colours, under a CRT look you can switch off.
  • Free in your browser. On a phone, a tablet or a computer. No download, no account.

Videos

  • Trailer: coming. It is being re-scripted and has not been recorded yet.
  • The blow (a lord's asking, the held blow) and The bat lord (the Marquis Andrevel): coming, cut again on the current build.

Until then the loops below are the moving pictures: each one plays in place, and comes as a GIF, an MP4 and a WebM.

Stills

Gameplay frames at the game's own 320x240, captured from the running game with no interface over the field. Each comes at 1x, at 4x (1280x960), as a 16:9 crop at 1920x1080, and with the game's CRT look at both sizes. Every clean pixel is one of the game's 32 colours: scale them by whole numbers, nearest neighbour.

The haven: the throne hall under the cathedral, where Wick wakes.
The haven. The throne hall under the cathedral, where Wick wakes.
1x 43 KB · 4x 54 KB · 16:9 64 KB · CRT 4x 1.3 MB · CRT 16:9 1.9 MB
The Marquis Andrevel, the bat lord, spreads his wings over the pit.
The bat lord's court. The Marquis Andrevel, the bat lord, spreads his wings over the pit.
1x 60 KB · 4x 71 KB · 16:9 82 KB · CRT 4x 1.4 MB · CRT 16:9 2.0 MB
The gutter: the city's lanes, lit windows and wet cobbles.
The gutter. The city's lanes, lit windows and wet cobbles.
1x 77 KB · 4x 76 KB · 16:9 82 KB · CRT 4x 1.6 MB · CRT 16:9 2.0 MB
The cistern: the Duchess of Marrowmere on her seal, her wards on the walk.
The cistern. The Duchess of Marrowmere on her seal, her wards on the walk.
1x 49 KB · 4x 68 KB · 16:9 63 KB · CRT 4x 1.5 MB · CRT 16:9 2.0 MB
The asking. Hold the blow and she dies a saint. Let go and she walks.
Kill or spare. The asking. Hold the blow and she dies a saint. Let go and she walks.
1x 38 KB · 4x 51 KB · 16:9 55 KB · CRT 4x 1.4 MB · CRT 16:9 1.9 MB
The big top: the ring, the stands and the red carpet in.
The circus big top. The ring, the stands and the red carpet in.
1x 24 KB · 4x 38 KB · 16:9 36 KB · CRT 4x 1.5 MB · CRT 16:9 1.8 MB
The Dream-reader holds the ring under the big top.
The Dream-reader. The Dream-reader holds the ring under the big top.
1x 38 KB · 4x 53 KB · 16:9 58 KB · CRT 4x 1.7 MB · CRT 16:9 2.2 MB
The fairground: the circus has pitched on the land of the last lord to fall.
The fairground. The circus has pitched on the land of the last lord to fall.
1x 36 KB · 4x 50 KB · 16:9 54 KB · CRT 4x 1.7 MB · CRT 16:9 2.2 MB
The road: the circus arriving.
The circus parade. The circus arriving.
1x 29 KB · 4x 37 KB · 16:9 43 KB · CRT 4x 1.5 MB · CRT 16:9 1.9 MB
Marrowmere Falls: the plunge pool.
Marrowmere Falls. The plunge pool.
1x 41 KB · 4x 57 KB · 16:9 69 KB · CRT 4x 1.5 MB · CRT 16:9 2.0 MB
Marrowmere Falls: the Stair of Pools beside the great fall.
The Stair of Pools. The Stair of Pools beside the great fall.
1x 49 KB · 4x 69 KB · 16:9 80 KB · CRT 4x 1.8 MB · CRT 16:9 2.4 MB
The Greenwood: the road, the river and the verderer's hounds.
The sunlit Greenwood. The road, the river and the verderer's hounds.
1x 54 KB · 4x 61 KB · 16:9 69 KB · CRT 4x 1.9 MB · CRT 16:9 2.4 MB
The Greenwood: the deep wood.
The Deep Wood. The deep wood.
1x 56 KB · 4x 80 KB · 16:9 88 KB · CRT 4x 1.8 MB · CRT 16:9 2.4 MB
The acid works: the falls of the vats.
The acid works. The falls of the vats.
1x 47 KB · 4x 84 KB · 16:9 83 KB · CRT 4x 1.7 MB · CRT 16:9 2.3 MB
The acid works: the head of the race.
The works' head. The head of the race.
1x 51 KB · 4x 76 KB · 16:9 83 KB · CRT 4x 1.6 MB · CRT 16:9 1.9 MB
Slack Water: Mardle poles the ferry down the river.
The ferry. Mardle poles the ferry down the river.
1x 39 KB · 4x 44 KB · 16:9 47 KB · CRT 4x 1.2 MB · CRT 16:9 1.6 MB
The axe's cleave among the tax-gatherers at the Gallows Downs crossroads.
The axe. The axe's cleave among the tax-gatherers at the Gallows Downs crossroads.
1x 53 KB · 4x 67 KB · 16:9 70 KB · CRT 4x 1.5 MB · CRT 16:9 1.9 MB
The scythe on the salt flats.
The scythe. The scythe on the salt flats.
1x 18 KB · 4x 29 KB · 16:9 33 KB · CRT 4x 1.7 MB · CRT 16:9 2.3 MB
The churchyard: the burst grave's red door among the headstones.
The churchyard. The burst grave's red door among the headstones.
1x 74 KB · 4x 85 KB · 16:9 91 KB · CRT 4x 1.5 MB · CRT 16:9 2.0 MB

GIFs and loops

Seamless loops at real speed. The GIFs are 640x480 (under 5 MB each); the MP4 (1280x960) and WebM (640x480) run at 60 fps and are much smaller.

The held blow. Hold the blow and she dies a saint. 5 s loop
GIF 640x480 742 KB · MP4 1280x960 797 KB · WebM 640x480 835 KB
The bat. Wick takes the bat’s shape, flies, and lands where he rose. 5 s loop
GIF 640x480 3.8 MB · MP4 1280x960 1.8 MB · WebM 640x480 1.8 MB
The axe’s cleave. The axe’s cleave among the tax-gatherers. 4.05 s loop
GIF 640x480 723 KB · MP4 1280x960 491 KB · WebM 640x480 595 KB
The scythe. The scythe tangles the brine dogs on the salt flats. 3.58 s loop
GIF 640x480 119 KB · MP4 1280x960 185 KB · WebM 640x480 249 KB
The circus parade. The circus arriving on the road. 3 s loop
GIF 640x480 425 KB · MP4 1280x960 251 KB · WebM 640x480 463 KB
The acid surge. The shift bell, and the works surge. 6 s loop
GIF 640x480 2.4 MB · MP4 1280x960 1.9 MB · WebM 640x480 2.6 MB
The waterfall. Marrowmere Falls: the great fall beside the Stair of Pools. 3.7 s loop
GIF 640x480 2.3 MB · MP4 1280x960 2.3 MB · WebM 640x480 2.7 MB
The ferry crossing. Mardle poles the ferry down Slack Water. 3.32 s loop
GIF 640x480 2.9 MB · MP4 1280x960 843 KB · WebM 640x480 964 KB
The big-top boss. The Dream-reader in the ring. 4 s loop
GIF 640x480 1016 KB · MP4 1280x960 358 KB · WebM 640x480 466 KB

Posters

Composed from gameplay frames and the game's carved title, at the game's own pixels, then scaled up by whole numbers. The print poster is 2:3.

The bat lord (print)
The bat lord (print). 2:3 print poster: the Marquis Andrevel over the pit.
1920x2880 119 KB · 3840x5760 177 KB · 960x1440 72 KB
Marrowmere Falls
Marrowmere Falls. 2:3 portrait poster: the great fall.
1920x2880 130 KB · 960x1440 75 KB
The big top
The big top. 16:9 landscape poster: the circus fairground.
1920x1080 82 KB · CRT 3840x2160 6.5 MB · 3840x2160 124 KB
The ring
The ring. 16:9 landscape poster: the Dream-reader holds the ring under the big top.
1920x1080 82 KB · 3840x2160 123 KB

Logos and icon

The carved title from the game, on transparent, at whole-number scales: red (the game's own), light (for dark grounds) and dark (for light grounds), alone or over the motto.

The icon: apple-touch-icon 5 KB · favicon-32 2 KB · icon-192 5 KB · icon-512 13 KB · maskable-512 12 KB

Wallpapers

The title screen at 4K, rendered by the game at a wider (or taller) view, desktop and phone, with and without the title, and without the CRT look.

vae-victis-4k-desktop-nocrt.png
desktop nocrt
3840x2160 82 KB
vae-victis-4k-desktop-textless.png
desktop textless
3840x2160 4.3 MB
vae-victis-4k-desktop.png
desktop
3840x2160 4.6 MB
vae-victis-4k-phone-textless.png
phone textless
2160x3840 4.2 MB
vae-victis-4k-phone.png
phone
2160x3840 4.4 MB

The collector's box

A 1990s big box for a game that lives in a browser, built from in-game screens. Turn it in the box viewer.

The box, 1600x900 1009 KB · back face 4 KB · front face 5 KB · spine-left face 2 KB · spine-right face 2 KB · top face 1 KB · Share image 1200x630 84 KB

Downloads

ZipFileSize
Everythingvae-victis-presskit.zip132 MB
Stillsvae-victis-stills.zip72 MB
GIFs and loopsvae-victis-gifs.zip34 MB
Postersvae-victis-posters.zip7.6 MB
Logos and iconvae-victis-logos.zip207 KB
Wallpapersvae-victis-wallpapers.zip18 MB
The collector's box and the share imagevae-victis-box.zip1.1 MB

Every file and its size: · · the fact sheet as text: press-facts.txt

Credits

Væ Victis is made by Serifeus Studio. It is built on:

The full list, with every licence: the credits page.

Special thanks

Playtesting

Research guidance

Contact

hello@vaevictis.vip

For press, interviews and anything else. Play it at vaevictis.vip.