Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms (Early Access) - Gameplay & First Impressions
4Shadows Heretic Kingdoms Early Access Gameplay & First Impressions
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Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms is an action RPG to be released on PC in 2014. The isometric game is developed by the Slovakian studio Games Farm, formerly known as 3D People, and published by bitComposer Games. The predecessor of Shadows is Kult: Heretic Kingdoms published in 2004.
Plot
The world of the Heretic Kingdoms is in a state of uneasy peace. A string of rebellions have freed the people from one tyrant after another, but still the land is not free. The shackles of the cruel Theocracy have been thrown off, but this has only lead to greater tensions between the men and women of Corwenth, the wolf-folk of Taymuria, and the great ogres of the Sura Wastes.
A power vacuum threatens the already fragile peace. No one rules the Heretic Kingdoms, and old hostilities re-emerge in the absence of a common enemy to keep the peace. Even the Oracle, once a vital part of the politics of this world whose words could influence the powerful, cannot avert the oncoming darkness -- it is said she has fled, fearing for her own life.
Lurking in the shadows of the Heretic Kingdoms is a secret society that once fought to free the land from the oppressive Theocrat. But after his death, the Penta Nera began to crave power for themselves -- and fought among themselves. The five members of this once great council have fallen, and their souls have been enslaved by dark forces whose terrible agenda even they are only just beginning to discover...
The player must assume the role of the Devourer, a mighty demon who can travel back and forth between the human and shadow world, devouring the souls of his enemies.
Gameplay
The core element of Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms is its internally conflicted main character and the associated unique party system. Seamlessly switching between the Devourer and up to three party members, each with their own special abilities, provides strategic depth in battle, while switching between worlds also allows players to outwit their opponents in battle, avoiding traps and solving puzzles along the way.