Taiwanese indie game studio FromDawn Games has won the best visual art award for Aeruta at the 2026 Indie Game Awards, organised by Taipei Game Show.
The game began as a student graduation project and, after nearly five years of development, has been fully released. The studio currently consists of five members.
Team members said that throughout the development process they gradually built a dedicated community of players. They noted that it was particularly encouraging to see more overseas participants joining discussions in their Discord community.
Although Mandarin is not their native language, many still make the effort to take part and share their thoughts on the game. The support from players has been important to the team. Winning this award has also provided renewed motivation, and they confirmed that further plans for Aeruta are in preparation.
One of the team members, Angela said, “Everything turned out like a brownie, an unexpected but beautiful mistake. Choosing a direction that everyone is genuinely interested in gives the team the inner motivation to finish development.”
Angela joined the team before FromDawn Games was formally established. Although her official role is in planning, she said that in practice she is involved in a variety of tasks.
Aeruta was originally designed as a Metroidvania-style game with a darker tone. During development, the team’s diverse backgrounds gradually introduced new elements. Lead artist Tala explained that the world of Aeruta reflects the interests of team members at different stages of their lives. These personal preferences were gradually incorporated into the game. Because the ideas arose from the team’s everyday experiences, the game naturally includes subtle elements of Taiwanese culture.
The team spent time balancing combat and shop management, refining pacing and scheduling so neither dominated. A calendar-based system lets players plan weekly activities, a feature that has appealed to a wider audience.
Reflecting on the five-year journey from a university graduation project to founding an indie studio, Angela joked, “It felt like a group of kids with no exercise habits trying to climb Taipei 101.”
Team member Tala expressed hope that the version gamers remember will be the final, complete version of Aeruta, and that fans will continue to follow the team’s growth in the future.
The team said they had followed the Indie Game Award for years but often felt their game was not ready to compete. This time, they submitted it on a whim and were surprised to win best visual art.
