Followers of grounded, gritty fantasy RPGs may wish to control Fatekeeper, an upcoming first-person role-playing sport fueled primarily by melee fight and spells. Its reveal clearly caught the attention of loads of you, as a result of the announcement trailer did a million views on IGN’s YouTube channel (and you may watch it under when you missed it). However at the moment’s new video – which you’ll watch above – is the star of the day, as it isn’t solely Fatekeeper’s first official gameplay trailer, nevertheless it does not skimp on substance, serving up eight minutes of motion.
We talked to the staff at developer Paraglacial about their promising new title to study a bit extra within the wake of this gameplay reveal, together with their inspirations, plans for a console launch, whether or not or not they think about it a soulslike, and extra!
Q: What are your inspirations for Fatekeeper? Are there any Hexen followers on the staff? I undoubtedly get some vibes from that basic, each tonally and when it comes to the first-person melee fight.
Paraglacial: We’ve a lot of respect for Hexen and the best way it blended spellcasting with first-person motion. That mentioned, Fatekeeper is a totally different expertise, it’s a full-fledged first-person RPG. Whereas we additionally put gamers in a first-person perspective with magic and fight, our focus is on character development, tactical decisions, and exploration reasonably than a pure action-first shooter method.
Q: Would you think about Fatekeeper to be a soulslike? The enemy encounters undoubtedly appear that manner. I am undecided I’ve seen a first-person soulslike, so it might be fairly cool if that is what you are going for!
Paraglacial: Some gamers may see hints of a Soulslike in Fatekeeper’s fight — for instance, the significance of timing and studying your enemies. Whereas this serves as a base for our engagements, the fight as a complete may be very totally different. It’s designed to really feel impactful, responsive, and versatile, letting gamers experiment with builds and approaches. The fight is usually designed to be difficult and significant whereas not overly punishing in regard to timing and patterns.
Q: Are you prepared to speak extra about your story but? You point out in your Steam web page that Fatekeeper “follows a centered narrative path,” so I would love to listen to extra in regards to the story.
Paraglacial: In fact! Right here is a temporary abstract of the sport’s setting, with out going an excessive amount of into element relating to the general, deeper lore: Eons in the past, a faction of a tradition rebelled towards their tyrannical overlord and vanished into the planet’s deep crust, constructing a thriving technocratic society in isolation. Millennia later, pure tunnels reopened to the floor, and the conflict between pragmatic progress and newly embraced faiths erupted into open battle. When their historical kin returned with vengeance, struggle consumed the lands, claiming the lifetime of the Druid who as soon as watched over the area.
You’re their successor, despatched to supervise the boreal archipelago of Solace. As a Druid — a part of an historical order solid to implement steadiness throughout civilizations by decisive, typically ruthless intervention — your mission is to navigate the war-torn lands, uncover the reality behind the battle, and restore order to a world left fractured by revolt and struggle.
Q: Fatekeeper is trying beautiful, visually talking. Is it Unreal Engine 5? Or what tech are you utilizing?
Paraglacial: We’re utilizing the newest iteration of Unreal Engine 5. We began the challenge again in 2021, when Unreal 5 was nonetheless in a Preview/Early Entry section, and our aim was to completely make the most of its capabilities.
Q: The gameplay reveal video reveals that there is a talent tree. Can gamers lean extra closely into spells if they like to have a bit extra vary than what melee fight permits?
Paraglacial: Participant development in Fatekeeper is outlined by a deep, versatile talent tree that helps wildly totally different playstyles. Whereas each character begins with entry to each magic and melee fight, the paths you select can remodel you into something from a hulking, hammer-wielding brute to a crafty alchemist, a raging pyromancer, or one thing solely your personal.
The system is constructed to reward creativity and discovery — letting gamers combine disciplines, bend guidelines, broaden their accessible fight strikes, and craft distinctive identities that really feel highly effective and private.
Q: Who’s the rat in the beginning of the gameplay video?
Paraglacial: It will stay a secret for now! 😀 Some reveals must be saved for later.
Q: The endcard solely mentions Steam. Any plans for a console launch?
Paraglacial: Yep! Consoles are undoubtedly a part of the plan. As we’ve talked about earlier than, we’re aiming to launch Fatekeeper in Steam Early Entry in 2026 — and as soon as the EA run is wrapped up and the total sport is prepared, we’ll be bringing it to consoles too.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s govt editor of previews and host of each IGN’s weekly Xbox present, Podcast Unlocked, in addition to our month-to-month(-ish) interview present, IGN Unfiltered. He is a North Jersey man, so it is “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.