We can never have too many action RPGs, and now it looks like we’ll be getting a new one, as it’s announced that Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King is set for an Early Access release on Steam this June 4.
The title actually started off as a Kickstarter project for Redlock Studio back in 2016. After reaching its goal, with a bit more to spare, the game went into full development. With all the stigma surrounding early access titles and Kickstarter campaigns, it’s easy to brush off some of them as projects that will never see the light of day. I do have high hopes for this one, though, after seeing the trailer in action below.
The gameplay is a mixture of action RPG titles like the Souls series, but also comes with some side-scrolling platforming elements. It’s actually pretty neat, and I love the overall minimalist aesthetic it has going for it. During battles, the camera shifts to a third-person perspective like a regular action game, and gives you access to some evasive moves. The platformer parts take place on a 2.5D perspective, with the shifts looking seamless and very well done. It looks really mobile and fast-paced as well, seeing as your character can jump, dash and just be a general nuisance around enemies.
Combat plays out like Souls games, with an emphasis on hitting hard then dodging back, then rinse and repeat. The environments are also very neat. The art style does remind me of Absolver a bit, but it still has enough of its own identity to separate itself from other titles like it.
Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King also features minimalist storytelling, in which your environment holds the stories and lore of the game. You play as a Wanderer in the world of Hypnos, as you seek to find out what happened to the world through the testimonies of survivors. Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King features a semi-open world to discover, and you can choose which path to take first a-la Dark Souls.
Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King enters Early Access on Steam for PC on June 4. Versions for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are also in the works.
