Shadow Of The Colossus Fans Shouldn't Miss This January Game Release
After a slight delay, Grimorio of Games' roguelike RPG Sword of the Necromancer is set to launch on Jan. 28. Ahead of the release, the development team offered a final preview focused on how the story, which was inspired by Shadow of the Colossus, would impact the flow of typical hack and slash roguelike gameplay.
In a new developer diary, game designer Victor Pedreño outlines how Shadow of the Colossus served as a reference point for Sword of the Necromancer. Grimorio of Games sought to heighten the stakes of the typical roguelike, dungeon crawler journey for players by including a full narrative arc to explore. To do that, Grimorio of Games borrowed Shadow of the Colossus' main goal of reviving a fallen female companion, in this case, Koko, a priestess. Like in Shadow of Colossus, Pedreño explains, it is important thematically that the main character, Tama, complete her impossible task alone.
However, Pedreño also highlights the game's most crucial contrast with Shadow of the Colossus: backstory. In the 2006 classic, as explained by Pedreño, players have no idea what relationship exists between the characters of Wander and Mono. Mono could either be Wander's wife or a family member. While the ambiguous nature of the story is essential for Shadow of the Colossus, Sword of the Necromancer will spend more time defining Tama and Koko's past, so the player knows why it is so important to save Koko.
Roguelike fans have had their eye on Sword of the Necromancer ever since April 2020, when the game's crowdfunding campaign launched on Kickstarter and backers fully funded it within 24 hours. In addition to a detailed story — a feature that helped propel fellow roguelike Hades to unexpected acclaim at The Game Awards 2020 — Sword of the Necromancer features stylish pixel art graphics, which were highlighted in the previous developer diary. Concept artist Javier Gilo explains that while those assets harken back to retro games, the specific design is in Grimorio of Games' own style.
Sword of the Necromancer doesn't seek to only set itself apart with its story and presentation. The roguelike features unique gameplay elements provided by the titular sword, which can revive any fallen enemies to fight by your side. Pedreño explains that a key strategic component of Sword of the Necromancer is learning which enemies to revive and which items to carry into battle.
Grimorio of Games' Sword of the Necromancer is slated for release on Jan. 28 for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.