Plus, four voices from critically acclaimed Lil’ Guardsman return for developer Hilltop Studios’ ambitious second project
DENVER, CO, USA – September 2, 2026 – Rising indie publisher Digital Bandidos and Toronto-based developer Hilltop Studios have revealed the full voice cast for upcoming gothic narrative roguelite Curse of Resthaven, featuring veteran talent from major franchises such as Star Trek, Assassin’s Creed, Death Stranding, Mass Effect and more.
Curse of Resthaven is a single–player gothic narrative roguelite in which players govern a struggling island colony and investigate the disappearance of their niece, a mysterious plague and the death of their predecessor – all while trapped in a six-day time loop that ends in a cosmic cataclysm.
The game combines trading, town management, card-based expeditions with interrogation – the latter being where the game’s fully-voiced characters really shine. Each townsperson you meet has their own agenda, their own secrets to hide, and players must decide who – or what – they trust as their investigation proceeds.
A group of 11 talented actors have now wrapped recording on close to 7,000 lines of dialogue for 25 distinct and memorable characters. Four members of the cast return from Hilltop Studios’ multi-award-winning debut game Lil’ Guardsman.
Among the cast are Raoul Bhaneja (known to Star Trek fans as Starfleet Academy’s Chancellor Kelrec), who plays the disgraced war hero General Bolingbroke, and Wade Bogert-O’Brien (Beacon 23, Good Witch, and Frontier), who voices the game’s protagonist Ambrose, newly appointed governor of Resthaven.
The cast also includes voice talent from smash hit games such as Assassin’s Creed Origins, the Mass Effect trilogy, and Cuphead.
Curse of Resthaven is the pilot project for a brand new actors’ union agreement. Hilltop consulted for ACTRA Toronto (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) on its new Indie Videogame Agreement, and is the first studio to adopt it.
Under terms of the agreement, rates are based on budget tiers with an option for the developer to issue additional payouts to the performers if the game is very profitable.
The full cast is as follows:
- Raoul Bhaneja: General Oliver Bolingbroke (Starfleet Academy, Death Stranding 2, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla)
- Wade Bogert-O’Brien: Governor Ambrose (Beacon 23, Good Witch, Frontier)
- Tracy Michailidis: Iryna (Assassin’s Creed Odyssey)
- Jan Alexandra Smith: Evelyn Sprigg (Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, Jade Empire)
- Alana Bridgewater: Lydia Braithwaite (Cuphead)
- Jeremy Lapalme: Micah Islip (Lil’ Guardsman)
- David Leyshon: Garet (Lil’ Guardsman)
- Rylan O’Reilly: Adam Bolingbroke (Lil’ Guardsman)
- Briana Templeton: Agata (Lil’ Guardsman)
- Bruce Dow: Pryster Islip (Broadway)
- Hailey Gillis: Amalia (Canadian theatre icon)
Players can enjoy these actors’ work right now in the first playable demo for Curse of Resthaven, available on Steam.
“Voice acting was a huge part of what made Lil’ Guardsman special – it’s definitely part of our secret sauce – and we were fortunate enough to receive recognition for it when the game launched,” says game director Scott Christian. “Curse of Resthaven lifts the bar even higher. One of the things that makes this cast particularly special to me is that many of these actors come from the Canadian theatre community, where I spent much of my career before making games.
“We’re also so proud to be the first studio to pilot ACTRA Toronto’s Indie Video Game Agreement. This new agreement makes engaging union voice talent more accessible to smaller game studios, and makes it easier for union actors to participate in cool indie projects like ours.
“Voice recording may be wrapped, but unfortunately for the denizens of Resthaven, the curse is just beginning. We can’t wait to show you more as we build up to launch later this year.”
Curse of Resthaven is currently in development for PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Players can wishlist the game on Steam, PlayStation Store and Xbox Store.
For more information about Curse of Resthaven and Digital Bandidos’ upcoming releases, visit www.digitalbandidos.com.
About Digital Bandidos
Digital Bandidos, established in 2024 by Versus Evil veterans Steve Escalante and Lance James, is an up-and-coming publisher with a secret behind its mask: decades of combined experience in indie and AAA game publishing, hundreds of titles published, and a lifelong passion to empower independent game developers and their creations—no matter who is publishing their games. The company has published well-received games such as Soulstone Survivors, Let Them Come: Onslaught and Froggy Hates Snow, and created Indie Fan Fest to better highlight upcoming games ahead of Steam Next Fest.
About Hilltop Studios
Hilltop Studios is a Toronto-based independent game studio that blends narrative depth with gameplay innovation, crafting experiences that feel both emotionally rich and mechanically rewarding.
The studio’s debut title, Lil’ Guardsman, is a critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning adventure that has delighted players around the world. Hilltop is currently developing its second title, Curse of Resthaven, a gothic horror, narrative roguelite that continues the studio’s commitment to memorable storytelling and inventive game design.
