14 DAY TRIAL // The team of developers at Games Farm together with publisher bitComposer have announced the next chapter in the Heretic Kingdoms series, Shadows, scheduled for release during Q4 2014.
Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms is a new action role-playing game that acts as a sequel to Kult: Heretic Kingdoms, which was released in 2004 and was published as Heretic Kingdoms: The Inquisition in North America.
Kult: Heretic Kingdoms presented a world recovering from under a harsh theocratic rule, under a descendant of the slayer of the game world's God. After the regime's downfall, The Inquisition is established in an attempt to destroy all manner of religion in the land, and players jump into the action just as the mythical Godslayer sword is stolen by a group of religious fanatics bent on reviving their God.
The upcoming game is set a few years after the events of its successor, with players finding themselves in the midst of a terrible conspiracy and propelled on an incredible journey through a world of dark fantasy and untold perils.
The realm is faced with destruction, and players will now take control of a soul-devouring demon who, oddly, embarks on a quest to stop the conspiracy and who represents humanity's last hope.
The Devourer can travel back and forth between the human and the shadow world, and players will be able to seamlessly transition between the devourer and up to three party members with unique special abilities.
The demon swallows the souls of the dead and brings them back into the mortal realm as puppets, and players will be left to explore the question whether the Devourer is their master or actually their servant, in the thrilling journey to cast out the dark shadow that has fallen over the world.
The new world-switching mechanic will allow players to outmaneuver their opponents in battle, and it introduces a new layer of strategic decision making, having to avoid traps and solve puzzles along the way.
The trailer sets the mood for the upcoming game, showing some of the environments players will venture through and some of the dangers they'll be faced with, as well as offering a sneak preview of the adventure to come.
The Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms website has also been launched today, where the developers will post regular updates as well as host a development blog outlining their design process and sharing their thoughts and ideas to the community, allowing interested gamers to see the development of the game through the eyes of its makers.