Gamescom ’25: Microprose and the legendary Ron Gilbert reveal Death by Scrolling

A “chaotic rogue‑like vertically scrolling RPG” from Microprose and Ron Gilbert? Death by Scrolling already has our interest.

He’s a Maniac

The name “Ron Gilbert” means a heck of a lot for any PC game fan who’s been playing since the late 80s. An iconic game designer of the day, Gilbert was behind such all-time greats as Maniac Mansion, it’s sequel Day of the Tentacle, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure, The Secret of Monkey Island, and more.

Most recently Gilbert was involved with Thimbleweed Park and Return to Monkey Island, but he’s back again with something completely different. That would be Death by Scrolling, from Microprose and developer Terrible Toybox, and it’s decidedly not a graphic adventure.

Described as a “chaotic rogue‑like vertically scrolling RPG” by the publisher, Death by Scrolling was revealed at Gamescom today, and casts players as a soul who’s found him or herself in purgatory. There they’ll have to continually race upwards, as they try to collect $10k for the ferryman and escape the shores of the realm.

There’s a catch though, of course. While the game will feature all manner of role-playing staples, like shops and side-quests, it does so while having the Grim Reaper constantly on players tails. And if he catches them, well, it’s game over.

“Working with Ron Gilbert on Death By Scrolling is an honor,” said Davide Pessach, CMO at MicroProse. “He’s brought his trademark humor, sharp design, and quirky world‑building to a completely new genre for him. We can’t wait for players to experience it.”

Microprose press release

Death by Scrolling is coming up for the PC, though there’s no release date just yet. You can however wish-list the game right now via Steam.