I recently got my hands on an early build of Emberville, an upcoming pixel-art dungeon-crawling action-RPG from freshman indie studio Cygnus Cross. After seeing everything the preview build had to offer, I have to say I’m quite excited to watch this game grow and mature. They have the makings of something really fun on their hands.
You are an acolyte. After creating your character, you awaken with no memory of where you are or what’s happened to you, but your mentor (we assume) has left notes behind apologizing and guiding you on your way. As you begin to get your bearings, you’ll grab gear, fight creatures, and make your way out of this environment you’ve found yourself in. Over the course of the hour-long-ish demo, Cygnus Cross gave me just enough of a taste to leave me jonesin’ for more.
Emberville is an isometric action RPG that feels a bit like Stardew Valley meets Heroes of Hammerwatch or Hero Siege. You’ll run around punching, slashing, shooting, and casting your way through hordes of enemies, stopping to pick up loot of various rarities à la Diablo and crafting materials.
Combat is fast and fluid. You have dodge, primary, and secondary attacks, and you’ll attack in the direction of your mouse pointer. You can jump in, take a few swipes, and duck out, or risk getting surrounded and beaten to a pulp. Playing a melee class actually has its own challenges, too, because some enemies will just sit back and pick you off if you’re not careful. Likewise, you can pick up your bow or staff and become a ranged nuisance. I think everyone will be able to find a playstyle that suits them. The game already has enough enemy variety to give you a taste of things to come: shield-wielding warriors, ranged spellcasters, archers, and one pretty cool boss fight. The team appears to be on the right track, showing off their understanding of what could make this something that resonates with players to come.
Your playstyle is dictated by your gear. Wielding a bow essentially makes you an archer, while wielding a sword effectively turns you into a knight, and they grant you skills and combos to reinforce that idea. As you play, you’ll earn levels in whatever gear you have equipped which grants you new skills, combos, and passive stat boosts. On my first playthrough, I focused on brass knuckles because I enjoy martial arts. Emberville let me indulge in my fantasy, granting me a roundhouse kick and palm strike as I played, with the promise of more as I worked toward my black belt. It wasn’t just weaponry that got those level boosts, either. You can gain passives with the armor the more you use it as well.
On top of exploration and combat, Emberville has what promises to be a robust crafting suite. In the demo, I was able to harvest mushrooms and meat to grill when I reached a bonfire. It’s meaningful crafting, too; those grilled meals kept me alive in some intense confrontations. While I didn’t get to experience it in my time with this build, the gathering mastery trees also show progress in everything from fishing and farming to mining and woodcutting, while the crafting trees show that we’ll get to create everything from clothing and food to weapons and structures. The depth promised just in these menus is titillating.
Even at this early stage of development, the game already has a gorgeous, inviting pixel-art style and some voice acting implemented for early story setup. The VO cast they have lined up boasts an impressive ensemble, including names like Ben Starr, Jennifer English, and Matt Mercer, as well as studio founder Ben Cassell (or, as we all likely know him, CohhCarnage). There’s a lot they have planned to get excited for.
While it’s still clear the team has plenty of work to do to reach version 1.0, everything about my time with Emberville has made me hungry for more. The combat is smooth and fun, and they’ve got plenty of gear variety and progression, with promises of more to come. Even early on, things look gorgeous, and, most importantly, it’s just freaking fun. I haven’t been eager to go back through a demo again like this since my PS1 demo disc with the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Get excited. You’ll be able to get your hands on Emberville when it hits Steam Early Access next month.
