ARCHETYPE BLUE, a party-based deck-building RPG currently in development by Korean indie studio Codename Bom, has claimed the Jury Award at the SHIBA GAME AWARD 2026 SUMMER in Japan after competing against 331 entries.
The SHIBA GAME AWARD is an awards ceremony hosted by SQOOL, operator of the Japanese media outlet SQOOL.NET, designed to spotlight creative titles from around the world and support indie developers. A total of 331 games were submitted for this edition, with only 31 advancing to the final stage after three rounds of screening. Codename Bom, a small studio consisting of four developers, made it onto the final shortlist and ultimately took home the Jury Award amid fierce competition from indie games spanning various countries and genres.
ARCHETYPE BLUE combines the strategic gameplay of a deck-building roguelite—where players craft synergies between party members and cards—with the narrative depth and character relationships of a traditional RPG. Players recruit companions with unique traits and fine-tune party compositions and deck builds to define their own tactical style. Once combat begins, party members move automatically according to their preset action patterns and positioning, while players intervene directly by playing leader cards. Tactical decisions, such as adjusting action order or empowering a companion's abilities through cards, shift the momentum of battle, with the core loop centered on adapting strategies to unpredictable encounters and new card acquisitions.
The narratives of party members unfold alongside combat, serving as another core pillar of the game. Throughout their adventure, players uncover each character's backstory, secrets, and interconnected relationships. The system is designed to naturally bridge combat and storytelling, encouraging players to learn more about companions who stand out in battle and reassign characters they have grown attached to back into their active lineup. Additionally, Codename Bom is crafting original high-resolution pixel art, character illustrations, and soundtrack to establish the game's distinct world and atmosphere.
Meanwhile, ARCHETYPE BLUE is participating in Steam Next Fest: October 2026, running from October 20 at 2:00 AM to October 27 at 2:00 AM KST, with a free playable demo. Players can download the demo via the Steam store page to experience combat driven by party tactics and deck management, add the game to their wishlist, and check out detailed game information. The demo supports Korean, English, Japanese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, and Russian.
