If there’s one thing I find so interesting in videogames, it’s when faith and religious ideology melds with ultra-futuristic science fiction. As someone who adores the Warhammer 40k universe in all its grimdark glory, the premise of Trialforge’s upcoming soulslike game, Deathbound, is absolutely perfect – and that’s before you throw in a party system that’s reminiscent of Baldur’s Gate 3 and my all time favorite fantasy series, Dragon Age.
Akratya is a dangerous place. Bodies litter the streets and sacred sites run red with blood. Everything about Deathbound‘s world is equal parts stunning yet brutal, shrouded in shadows as an ancient evil slowly but surely begins to take route.
While that may sound like a lot of different soulslike games, what sets Trialforge’s woeful world apart is the unique party system. Your character will be able to control three fallen warriors, whose essence you’ll collect as you venture through Akratya. Each has their own unique set of skills and talents that you’ll have at your disposal for every fight.
Where the Baldur’s Gate 3 reference comes in, though, is that Deathbound lets you seamlessly switch between each character, letting you create deadly combos and test out new abilities. If you gather enough synergy, you’ll be able to unleash powerful Morphstrikes that can easily finish off your foes in one fell swoop.
Synergy, however, relies upon the correct combination of characters. Depending on their alignments in life, some fallen warriors will work well with others, while more abrasive characters may not be as easy to get along with. There are a lot of things going on in Deathbound, and it’ll be no easy feat to master them all.
To kick off PAX East and the Future Games Show, a new Deathbound demo has just gone live on Steam.
Following its success during Steam Next Fest, the team has been hard at work implementing various different fixes, and has introduced four new fallen warriors to your roster: swordsman Therone Guillaumen, brawler Agharos of Meriva, spell-slinging sorceress Olivia Heinz, and shadowy assassin Anna Lepus. If all of this sounds up your dark, bloodstained alley, then I’d suggest taking the demo for a spin – I know I will be.
Once you’ve completed the latest installment in Deathbound’s saga, though, we have a list of other free Steam games for you to while away the hours with. Alternatively, if it’s the dark fantasy aesthetic of Elden Ring and Dark Souls that you’re looking for, we have a rundown of all the best fantasy games, too.
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