Hello, fellow fans of Cairn.
Some of you may remember a post I made a few months ago about recreating Grim Dawn in Unreal Engine 5. That project was a spark. A spark that has now grown into a fire.
My name is Jean-Philippe, but you can call me JP or Balryon, and I am a solo developer on a multi-year quest. Like you, I have spent thousands of hours in the ARPGs that define our genre. I am a fan who loves being in these worlds, hunting for loot, and perfecting a build. But I’ve always felt that something was missing—a desire for more.
My first idea was to remake Grim Dawn. Why? Because its systems, its atmosphere, and its replayability are a masterclass in design. The only thing I ever wanted more of was a modern engine to push the graphics and combat feel even further. But I soon realized that to truly build my dream, and to make a living doing what I love, I couldn’t just remake a masterpiece. I had to forge my own.
So a new, more powerful idea was born: a game that would be entirely my own, but with the soul of Grim Dawn as its blueprint. A game that combines the deep, satisfying character progression we all love with a new level of creative freedom, all built around one simple idea: The game must be fun, not a chore.
That is the game I am building. It is called Portal Line .
I’m not here today to show you a list of features. I’m here to share the soul of the project—the doctrines that guide every line of code I write.
First, this is a game born from a player’s heart. To be totally transparent, I am building Portal Line because it is the game I have always wanted to play. My passion is my compass, and my goal is to create an experience that I, and players like me, can enjoy for years to come.
Second, this is a game built for creators. Because I am building this game for myself, I know that not everyone will agree with every one of my design choices. And that is more than okay. That is the point. This is why my second core philosophy is a promise: Portal Line is being built from its C++ bedrock to be a “Platform for Legends.” It will be infinitely moddable. If you don’t like something, you will have the tools to tweak it. Period.
This leads to my final, and most important, philosophy. I am pouring my soul into crafting the Masteries that I am passionate about. But I would be arrogant to assume I know what makes every archetype special. For example, I have never been a Necromancer player. To build one based on my own assumptions would be a betrayal to the fans who live and die for that fantasy.
So, I will not.
I will be inviting you—the community, the true experts—to the forge. I will build the engine. You will help me build the soul of the Masteries that you love most.
This is the beginning of a long journey. I am not a AAA studio; I am a single artisan, focused on the next few feet of the path, not the distant mountain. But I am no longer content to build in the shadows. I needed to start sharing my passion and my progress with you all.
I am setting up a Discord server where this collaboration will take place and where I will share my progress. The link: Portal Line
For now, I wanted to share the “why” behind this project. Thank you for reading. The forge is open. 