Philna Fantasy is an action-adventure RPG created by the indie team Sailike Game and published by AnotherIndie. Featuring charming pixel-style visuals and packed with RPG systems from start to finish, it often recalls the grind-heavy gameplay of the Shining Souls titles on the Game Boy Advance.
In a crowded sea of indie action RPGs, how does this modest-looking journey stand out among the best? This Niche Gamer review dives into its expansive world, brimming with the elements that make RPGs and adventure games so enjoyable.
Philna Fantasy
Developer: Sailike Game
Publisher: Anotherindie
Platforms: Windows PC, Mac
Release Date: January 14, 2026
Price: $14.99
Philna Fantasy feels like a tribute to the many RPG elements scattered across the genre, while also capturing the charm of classic adventure games like the top-down Zelda titles. At the start, you can choose from four playable characters: the berserker, which I went with, wielding a massive two-handed axe; the Ranger; the Chrono Mage; and the Assassin.
Once you’ve made your choice, the game opens with you being dropped from space and landing on a beach, where your journey begins. After a short tutorial on movement and smashing monsters with basic attacks, you’re sent off to check in at the Adventurers Guild.
As you start exploring the town, guild, and various facilities, and browsing through your in-game menus, a glaring issue quickly becomes apparent: the UI is a bit of a mess. Menus often layer over each other, appearing offscreen or blocking important details, especially when using crafting tables, making it frustrating to track item creation.
At first, I suspected my screen settings were to blame, but after experimenting with both full-screen and windowed modes, the problem persisted. Fortunately, these quirks didn’t detract from the game’s deeply rewarding RPG systems. Crafting, in particular, feels far more satisfying than in most modern titles. Potions, for example, are essential to keep stocked, especially given the game’s well-designed difficulty system that offers greater rewards for higher challenges.
It’s a refreshing contrast to many games today that remove incentives for overcoming tough gameplay, unlike, say, the recent Dragon Quest remakes, where you can become invincible at no cost. Crafting the same recipes repeatedly improves their quality, and all crafting and gathering skills fall under “Life Skills” that level up with experience, leading to even better results. Plus, new recipes can be discovered as you play.
Combat and exploration are where Philna Fantasy truly shines, pure top-down action RPG greatness. It’s like blending the exploration and puzzle-solving of Zelda: A Link to the Past with the addictive grind and character-building systems of a Shining Soul game. It feels as if these two genres were always destined to merge, and with Philna Fantasy, that dream finally came true. Playing as a Berserker, I was blown away by the extensive skill tree and the sheer level of player agency.
I built my character around repeatedly striking enemies to stack a buff that boosted my overall damage with each hit up to a cap, perfectly capturing the relentless offensive nature of the Berserker. Philna Fantasy nails the concept of class fantasy. That said, I wish there were more than just four classes. Surprisingly, there’s no sword-and-shield-wielding class, despite the abundance of swords hinted at through NPCs and town design; it’s odd to leave out such a classic archetype.
Exploring the dungeons is always a thrill, with nearly every screen and room offering some kind of puzzle or problem to solve before progressing. Sometimes it’s just a matter of clearing out enemies, but other times you’ll be stumped by an out-of-reach chest with no clear way to get it, often locked behind story-gated abilities like growing climbable plants.
On one adventure, I came across a ruin deep in a vast forest that required moving pillars into place to cross, stacking objects into a tall column, and growing a plant to traverse those pillars, all just to claim a single piece of a larger puzzle. Thankfully, areas with puzzles usually don’t mix in combat, giving players the freedom to focus on figuring things out.
Boss fights, especially on greater difficulties, are true tests of skill and patience, but in the best way. These enemies pack massive health bars and unleash near “bullet hell” levels of attacks. Dodging is fairly forgiving, but limited to three charges that recharge quickly, so spamming won’t get you far. One boss took me around five minutes to take down.
If you get stuck, you can always grind to power up your hero, with plenty of facilities and resources to help you face any challenge. You can also lower the difficulty at the town’s church, though this comes with reduced rewards, as it should.
Philna Fantasy is a strong indie adventure that took five years to create, and it’s definitely worth the wait. While it’s a bit rough around the edges in some spots, which I hope get smoothed out, the mix of grind with engaging adventuring and smart map design is something you don’t see often; it’s one or the other.
The developers should spend more time improving the interface, as it feels jarring and unintuitive, especially when crafting items. That said, despite its small flaws, Philna Fantasy clearly comes from a team determined to make the best game possible with all the right ideas, and they’re impressively close to hitting that mark.
Philna Fantasy was reviewed on PC using a code provided by Anotherindie. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy is here. Philna Fantasy is now available for Windows PC (via Steam).
