New RPG Archaelund is Elder Scrolls with its foot stuck in Final Fantasy Tactics
Out now in early access
I have a sneaking affection for slightly jarring genre hybrids - games like the relatively recent Disintegration and the much older Battlezone 2, which smush action mechanics together with real-time strategy, or the rather more elegant Puzzle Quest, in which you roll around a parchment landscape fighting wizards using the power of match-3. New open world RPG Archaelund, which launched in early access this week, and was brought to my attention by RPS supporter cpt_freakout, has something of that curious enchantment to it.
You'll explore its landscape in first-person, roving sandy plateaus and frontier towns that remind me of Morrowind, at times. Bump into a foe, however, and your first-person perspective undergoes a fission reaction, splitting into a full group of warriors who are controlled in top down.
The early access footage seems janky but endearing, and the game also has an appealingly grotty backstory (though going by screenshots, the in-game English localisation could use some polish). Gather close, my children, for it is time to speak of Lore: once upon a time, the continent of Andoria was ruled by a proud Empire. But then came the Horrors, an overwhelming otherworldly threat unleashed by a magical cataclysm.
The Empire's survivors fled across the seas to a distant colony, the island of Varannar, where they resettled and divided into four Exiled Kingdoms, each warped by their experiences of the fall. Varsailia, the strongest, are obsessed with preserving imperial history and traditions. The Ilmarans are a faction of religious zealots, while Thuram is a wacky magocracy formed by the surviving Imperial Wizards. Mercia, a kingdom founded by the old Imperial army, are all about discipline and slavery.
Being confined to a small island, the kingdoms became locked in factional warfare and conspiracy. But then, after generations of strife, sailors discovered that the Horrors had finally abandoned Andoria, leaving it ripe for recolonisation. Well, if you discount the monsters and eldritch pollution, to say nothing of the Geldryn, a race of former Andorian slaves who retreated underground during the Horror occupation, and now aspire to inherit the surface.
Rancid post-imperial setting aside, Archaelund features a kind of rag-to-riches class system whereby characters may start as street thugs, beggars and humble squires before advancing to Proper Fantasy Professions such as Knight or Battlemage. The combat, meanwhile, emphasises cunning over grinding: according to the Steam page, "when your characters advance in levels, you'll gain new tactical options to defeat your enemies, not just increased numbers."
The early access build encompasses the first chapter of the game's main quest, with character progression limited to level 4. It includes one open-ended region with sidequests, challenges and secrets that is said to span 12-15 hours of playtime. It also gives you five playable races (including minotaurs, humans and goblins), fifteen careers, fourteen skills, over 60 talents or unique abilities, and over 50 spells. There's no 1.0 release date estimate right now, but they do have a development roadmap.
Archaelund is the work of 4 Dimension Games. The developer's previous Exiled Kingdoms is set in the same universe, and as the name suggests, deals with events on Varannar before the rediscovery of the sea route to Andoria. It's the recipient of a Very Positive Steam reviewer consensus, and Archaelund's early access build is also going down well so far. One to keep an eye on, I reckon.