Prague, Czech Republic – The town of Arkham. Unspeakable horrors from beyond the veil. A… release date on Steam? Open your mind to Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones, a cosmic horror CRPG set to wrap its tentacles around PC gamers on September 26, available for $29.99 USD (24.99 EUR) on Steam. Drawing directly from the works of H.P. Lovecraft and employing a gorgeously grotesque hand-drawn visual style, Stygian offers a turn-based RPG in a broken and mysterious world.
Step into the 1920s as you create your own character based on one of eight different archetypes pulled from the pages of cosmic horror history – from the academic to the occultist – each with their own unique attributes, skills and belief systems. These belief systems in particular determine how your characters cope with the warped reality of the world around them. This, like the classic CRPG titles that came before it, provides players with an open-ended narrative to unearth as they attempt to find sense in the mysterious otherworldly happenings that have befallen the town of Arkham.
Faithful to its mind-rending subject matter, combat in Stygian is understandably tense. Featuring strategic, turn-based combat from a 2D perspective, players will come face to face with everything from fanatic cultists, to monstrosities that are so horrifying that we’ve been instructed not to describe them for your safety and well-being. Balancing physical combat that’s inconsistent at best against creatures from beyond and powerful eldritch spellcasting that has dire consequences on one’s mind, combat in Stygian deftly matches the cosmic horror experience that surrounds it.
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones Key Features:
- A hand drawn 2D world reflecting Lovecraft’s themes of cosmic horror and dread.
- Enemies, environments, and storylines inspired by Lovecraft’s iconic original works. Take part in quests inspired by your favorite stories and see them play out according to your own decisions and role-playing style.
- Choose from 8 main character Archetypes, each with its own origin backstory and specialties.
- A host of weird companions to accompany you on your ill-starred journey: the lonely, antediluvian ‘Outsider’, a fallen soldier of the Great War reanimated by Herbert West. Recruit these and other outlandish beings to your crew.
- Your character’s Sanity and mental state influences their available dialogue options, offering both advantages and hindrances. Sometimes it pays to be mad in a world gone mad!
- Stygian’s Belief System determines how your characters cope with the warped reality of the new Arkham, as well as the rate at which they regenerate lost Sanity. Belief Systems also offer unique dialogue options, expanding the breadth of role-playing possibilities.
- A new kind of spell system which sometimes takes more than it gives. Being a master of the occult is not as simple as flinging colored missiles from your fingertips. The black magic of Stygianis potent but may cost you your mind, your health, and possibly even more.
- Strategic, turn-based combat from a 2D perspective, similar to the classic Heroes of Might and Magic games.
- The struggle in Stygian is not to save the world, for that battle is lost already. Pursue your own goals in these end times: salvation, vendetta, or perhaps something darker.
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones arrives on Steam on September 26, following its successful Kickstarter funding. For those attending gamescom, be sure to stop by 1C’s booth for a chance to get your hands on the game early and experience the terror for yourself! For more information, make sure to Wishlist the game on Steam and follow Cultic Games and 1C Entertainment on Twitter.
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