If you want to survive Doinksoft’s chaotic new 2D shmup-platformer, knowing all playable heroes Dark Scrolls has to offer is your only lifeline. Released in May 2026 under the Devolver Digital banner, Dark Scrolls is a scatterbrained, frenetic arcade experience that punishes hesitation. From a spell-slinging mage reminiscent of classic JRPGs to a saxophone-playing rat that serves as the ultimate troll pick, the roster is a bizarre mix of traditional fantasy tropes and pure indie absurdity. Here is the definitive breakdown of every character, their unique mechanics, and who you should actually pick to conquer the procedurally generated gauntlet.
Why Understanding All Playable Heroes Dark Scrolls Matters
At its core, Dark Scrolls is an auto-scrolling roguelite that forces you forward at a blistering pace. The threadbare premise—you and your party are recruited by an unnamed knight to slay a three-headed dragon, only to be betrayed and forced into a time loop—is just an excuse to throw you into arena mob fights and unrelenting boss encounters.
Because the game’s economy can be wobbly and its objectives occasionally opaque, your choice of hero dictates whether a run feels like a satisfying arcade triumph or a sluggish stumble into entropy. You need to gather coins to spend at Bruce & Goose’s Shoppe (run by literal geese in a trenchcoat) to stack perks and summoned allies. But your base kit is what keeps you alive between shopping sprees. Knowing all playable heroes Dark Scrolls features allows you to synergize in local or online co-op, balancing crowd control, raw DPS, and essential healing.
The Starting Trio: Grizz, Pigeon, and Emerys
When you first boot up the game, you are handed three baseline characters. They represent the standard RPG archetypes, but tuned for screen-filling arcade destruction.
Grizz (The Barbarian) If you like to smash first and think never, Grizz is your anchor. His primary mechanic revolves around chaotic axe-slinging mayhem. He has a larger hitbox, which is a liability in a bullet-hell environment, but his raw damage output can clear early-game mobs faster than anyone else.
Pigeon (The Rogue) Pigeon is built for players who prioritize razor-sharp, blink-and-you-miss-it precision. Her knife-hurling attacks have lower base damage than Grizz's axes, but her attack speed and dodge frames make her the superior choice for solo players trying to weave through the game's brutal late-stage traps.
Emerys (The Mage) Visually reminiscent of Vivi from Final Fantasy IX, Emerys is the dedicated spell-slinger. He requires careful positioning because his cast times leave him momentarily vulnerable to the auto-scrolling death wall. However, his area-of-effect (AoE) magic is indispensable for clearing the claustrophobic arena sections.
The Bizarre Mid-Game Unlocks: Saturn, Confit, and Biscuit
As you progress through the procedurally generated runs and rescue new heroes, Dark Scrolls abandons traditional fantasy entirely. The unlockable characters are where Doinksoft's signature weirdness shines.
Saturn (The Alien) Ever met an alien with a machine gun? Saturn is a flying extraterrestrial menace that completely breaks the game's standard economy. Instead of relying purely on coin drops, Saturn can abduct just about anything on the screen and turn it directly into EXP. If you are struggling to scale your power in the late game, Saturn's abduction mechanic is a literal game-changer.
Confit (The Chef) Confit brings a culinary twist to the shmup chaos. Armed with a bizarre "bounce your meat" mechanic, Confit lobs projectiles that ricochet off walls and enemies. He is highly situational, excelling in tight, enclosed rooms but struggling in wide-open boss arenas where his projectiles fly off-screen.
Biscuit (The Dog) Biscuit is exactly what it sounds like: a cute dog. Featuring the smallest hitbox in the game, Biscuit is incredibly hard to hit. While the damage output is relatively low, the sheer survivability makes this character a fantastic choice for players who want to focus entirely on dodging.
Top-Tier Support vs. The Ultimate Meme: Quinn and Nezumi
When discussing all playable heroes Dark Scrolls has hidden away, the conversation inevitably turns to the game's two most polarizing figures: the angel and the rat.
Quinn (The Fairy/Angel) Quinn is arguably the most important character in the game for co-op runs. She functions as the ultimate support class. Her primary utility is a deployable healing ring—stand inside her healing ring to keep yourself alive during overwhelming mob waves. Furthermore, Quinn isn't just a passive healer; she automatically fires arrows after the shop section of level one, providing reliable, hands-free DPS while you focus on evasion. She is an absolute must-pick for duo runs.
Nezumi (The Rat) Prior to launch, Devolver Digital's official marketing explicitly stated: "Do NOT pick Nezumi when Dark Scrolls launches." They weren't joking. Nezumi is a rat that plays a saxophone. He deals practically zero damage, his movement is erratic, and his saxophone solos obscure audio cues for incoming attacks. Playing Nezumi is the ultimate flex—a self-imposed hard mode for players who have already mastered the time loop and want to humiliate the three-headed dragon.
All Playable Heroes Dark Scrolls: Playstyle Comparison
To summarize the meta, here is how the characters stack up based on current community strategies:
- S-Tier (Game Breakers): Saturn (EXP farming breaks the scaling), Quinn (The healing ring is mandatory for high-loop co-op).
- A-Tier (Reliable Carries): Pigeon (Unmatched dodge frames), Emerys (Screen-clearing AoE).
- B-Tier (Situational): Grizz (Too slow for bullet-hell sections), Biscuit (Great evasion, terrible damage), Confit (Ricochet mechanics require too much setup).
- Meme-Tier: Nezumi (Literally just a rat with a sax).
FAQ: Mastering All Playable Heroes Dark Scrolls
How do I unlock Saturn in Dark Scrolls? Saturn is unlocked by surviving the first encounter with the unnamed knight and discovering the hidden UFO crash site in the second biome. You must sacrifice 500 coins to power the ship.
Does Quinn's healing ring work in solo mode? Yes. While Quinn shines in local and online co-op, solo players can still stand inside her healing ring to regenerate health during boss transitions.
Is Nezumi actually playable, or just an NPC? Nezumi is fully playable, though entirely unviable for serious progression. Unlocking him requires finding a piece of cheese hidden behind Bruce & Goose's Shoppe and surviving a run without taking damage.
Can I switch heroes mid-run? No. Once you set forth on your quest, your hero choice is locked in for that specific procedurally generated run. You can only swap characters back at the hub world.
Sources
- ScreenRant: Dark Scrolls Review: A Sluggish Arcade Stumble into Entropy (June 2026)
- Devolver Digital / Doinksoft Official Character Trailers (April-May 2026)