The Girl from Arkanya launches on Steam: capybara co-op and classic Zelda vibes with a twist

Why this caught my eye

We’re drowning in “Zelda-like” indies, but The Girl from Arkanya popped for one very specific reason: a magical capybara sidekick with proper drop-in local co-op. Arkanya Games’ adventure launched today on Steam (with a launch discount), promising hand-crafted Amazonian jungles, six classic dungeons, and that cozy-but-clever partner dynamic you don’t often see outside of niche hits like Rogue Heroes or Ittle Dew 2. I’ve been burned by nostalgia-bait pixel art before, but this one has enough mechanical identity to make me pay attention.

Key takeaways

• Steam launch is live now; console ports (Switch/PS4/Xbox One) are planned but delayed after a publisher split.
• Kapi, your capybara companion, isn’t window dressing: puzzles and combat lean on duo mechanics, and local co-op is drop-in/out.
• Expect classic top-down dungeon design across seven zones and roughly 15-20 hours for the main run, 25 for completionists.
• This is a love letter to early Zelda, but with modern quality-of-life and a distinct Amazonia vibe-less Hyrule, more humid and verdant.

Breaking down the announcement

Arkanya Games has finally shipped The Girl from Arkanya on PC via Steam, leaning hard into 2D pixel art and top-down action RPG rhythms. You play as Marisa, a treasure hunter whose ambitions get tangled up with the fate of Amazonia, aided by Kapi the magical capybara. On paper, it’s a tidy recipe: exploration-led overworld, six puzzle-forward dungeons, tools and spells to unlock paths, plus a layer of collectibles and upgrades that nudge you off the critical path.

Here’s the part that matters: Kapi isn’t just a quest-giver or shield with legs. The companion is designed into traversal and combat, and a second player can jump in to control Kapi at any time. If you’ve wished more Zelda-likes respected couch co-op-without devolving into chaotic Four Swords energy-this seems calibrated for that gap. The real question is how smoothly it plays solo when the AI handles your buddy or when you’re swapping control in tight puzzles. That’s where these ideas usually wobble.

What actually sets it apart

Plenty of indies borrow the Zelda blueprint; fewer commit to a themed identity. Arkanya’s Amazonia framing is doing work: dense jungle biomes, artifact hunting that feeds into lore, and environmental puzzles that feel grounded in place rather than generic “push the block on the switch” rooms. The studio says there are seven distinct zones and six dungeons, which is a healthy scope if the level design stays hand-crafted rather than tiling you into déjà vu.

The toolset and magic system also read like more than reskinned bombs and boomerangs. The pitch emphasizes interplay—using Kapi’s abilities to access unreachable switches, combining Marisa’s tools with spell effects to re-route hazards, and boss encounters that expect both characters to contribute. That’s promising, and it’s exactly where a lot of Zelda-likes fall short: they give you cool toys but rarely force you to use them together under pressure.

And yes, local co-op is a legit feature, not a bolt-on. Drop-in/drop-out means a partner can hop on the couch for a dungeon, then bounce without wrecking your run. Compare that with Rogue Heroes’ fun-but-flaky online sessions or Tunic’s brilliant single-player only design—Arkanya is staking out a middle lane for duo adventuring that’s been oddly underserved.

Industry context: the Zelda-like arms race

Since Blossom Tales reignited the “SNES-era but modern” flame and Death’s Door proved there’s an audience for crisp, isometric action-adventure, we’ve seen a steady drumbeat of spiritual cousins. The ones that stick usually have a clear twist (Tunic’s meta-manual, Eastward’s narrative heft) or immaculate dungeon craft. Arkanya’s edge is co-op plus setting—if the puzzles genuinely need two minds or a coordinated handoff, that’ll set it apart. If not, it risks being another pleasant, forgettable throwback.

It’s also worth noting this is a long-gestating indie. The game was Kickstarter-backed years ago and went through a publisher split, which explains why consoles aren’t day one. The upside: the PC version arrives first, typically the easiest platform to patch fast. The downside: Switch is the natural habitat for this kind of game, and a delay means momentum will depend on word of mouth from Steam players.

What gamers need to know before buying

• Content scope: Expect a 15-20 hour main quest and roughly 25 if you chase artifacts and secrets. That’s solid value if the dungeon loop lands.
• Co-op reality check: It’s local only. Great for couch sessions, less ideal if your co-op life is online. Solo players should watch how the companion AI behaves in reviews.
• PC-first polish: Controller and keyboard support are in; I’ll be paying attention to remappable inputs and puzzle readability at different resolutions—both common pain points for pixel-art indies.
• Launch discount: Nice to see on day one; if you’re backlog-swamped, it may be worth grabbing now and playing later.

I’m cautiously optimistic about the dungeon design. Zelda-likes live or die on room-to-room logic: does the game teach through play, ramp complexity, and reward experimentation without resorting to gotcha traps? Arkanya’s “tool and magic combos” pitch suggests they get it. If Kapi’s kit genuinely opens new routes rather than functioning as a glorified key, that’s a win.

Looking ahead

Console ports are planned for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, but the studio isn’t giving dates—and after a publisher split, that’s fair. I’d expect Switch to be the priority given the audience overlap. Post-launch PC updates feel likely, from bugfix passes to quality-of-life tweaks that smooth co-op flow and late-game routing. If the community latches onto speedrunning or co-op challenges, Arkanya could have room for optional modes without touching the core campaign.

TL;DR

The Girl from Arkanya is a confident Steam debut for fans of classic top-down adventures, with a genuine co-op hook thanks to Kapi the capybara and a lush Amazonia backdrop. If the duo-driven puzzles hold up in solo and couch co-op, this could be one of 2025’s standout Zelda-likes; if not, it’ll still scratch that dungeon-crawling itch until the console ports arrive.