Hand of Merlin has just released into Early Access on Steam. Developed by Room-C Games and Croteam and published by Versus Evil.
It follows a story inspired by Arthurian legend, the Matter of France, and the history of Al-Andalus but with an unexpected twist.
You make choices in interactive encounters that change every time you play. Written by Jonas Kyratzes (The Talos Principle, Serious Sam 4) and Verena Kyratzes (The Lands of Dream, Serious Sam 4).
The Hand of Merlin is a turn-based rogue-lite RPG in which players choose three heroes to embark on a journey from Albion to Jerusalem to save the world.
The Hand of Merlin utilizes squad and turn-based combat, players can employ tactical cunning to use cover, set up ambushes and coordinate attacks with ranged, melee and spellcasting combat to conquer both human and demonic foes looking to do them harm. Think X-com but without the guns
Additionally, players can utilize relics they purchase or are rewarded with, some of which are imbued with magical power. These abilities will be important as players weigh the risk and reward for the paths they choose. In this game choices definitely matter.
In fact in The Hand of Merlin, choices are permanent depending on the decisions players make as they carve a path across the lands of Albion, Marca Hispanica and Al-Andalus the story can play out in any number of ways.
Combat is inevitable and mastering the tactics of squad-based and turn-based combat is essential to survive in a world where evil never rests. Players can seek out towns to improve their arms and armor, or trade with hermit artisans in the wild. Renown is the backbone of progression and can be used to level up party Heroes, and players can choose between a randomized set of new skills or improved attributes to balance out the combat prowess of their party to improve their chances.
With a large focus on exploration and encounter, mortality is the consequence of existence in human form, but even in defeat, players retain collected arcane knowledge as they jump from one parallel dimension to the next. No two worlds are ever quite the same, and each journey will be unique. Defeat is not the end in this realm, only a new beginning.
Overall this is a very well presented turn based game with some nice genre twists and additions. The addition of the exploration and rouguelite aspects marry well with the core gameplay and subject matter.
It's surprisingly well polished for an Early Access which is very refreshing to see. (Especially when compared to Versus Evil's other release this month).
There is much more to be added, which is something to look forward to, as my only major gripe is that the additional heroes you unlock aren't really different enough,
"There are as many worlds as there are stars in the sky. In each stands Camelot; in each there is a Grail. But there is only one Merlin, and his eternal burden is to stand against the horror from beyond. Each world that is saved is saved forever; each world that is lost is lost for good."
At the time of writing this, Hand of Merlin is available with a 20% launch discount over on Steam.
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