THQ’s new sword-and-sorcery game sets early access release date—and I can’t wait to try it

The Sword-and-sorcery genre has been largely forgotten by the mainstream. Fantasy, in the Tolkienesque form, completely dominates the realm of fantastical storytelling, and it’s always refreshing to see games, movies, books, and other media bring this old genre back.

With THQ’s new game, Fatekeeper, I think us sword-and-sorcery fans are about to eat good, especially considering that it’s set to enter early access on June 2. This fantastical first-person game seems to combine elements from traditionally isometric hack-and-slash titles and incorporates their RPG elements of stats, damage, gearing, and so on while at the same time presenting itself through a first-person lens for additional immersion.

From what we’ve seen of it so far, Fatekeeper seems to be much more grounded than your typical high fantasy game. Big dudes with massive swords are front and center here, and every slash feels like a genuine hit, rather than a floaty flash of numbers.

And, of course, the first thing we’ve all noticed is just how good it looks. Naturally the game runs on Unreal Engine 5, which gives it incredibly detailed textures and lighting, but its art direction and style evoke the feeling of Karl Edward Wagner’s Bloodstone universe or perhaps even Robert E. Howard’s Conan, what with all the dilapidated castles, desolated landscapes, and horrifying creatures emerging from irradiated wastes.

Monsters, enemies, locations, the armor, and the weapons all strike closer to traditional sword-and-sorcery of the early 20th century than what has come to be associated with “modern” fantasy (itself built largely on recreating Tolkien to the extent that doesn’t break copyright laws).

All in all, Fatekeeper could prove to be the Conan game we never got (Exiles is good, but it’s a different sort of experience). We’ll see if that dream holds up on June 2.

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