Death's Gambit is a Dark Souls inspired 2D RPG

Death Gambit

Dark Souls and Shadow of the Colossus are certainly great things to take inspiration from—unless, I suppose, you're trying to make a game that won't drive people into a stress-induced puddle on the floor. There are no such conciderations here, as Death's Gambit a side-scrolling action RPG with a combat style that does look very Soulsian. How well that works on a 2D plane remains to be seen, but the trailer does well to convey a satisfying sense of weight and impact to the fights.

In Death's Gambit you play as an agent of Death, on a quest to rid the world of 'Immortals'. These, it seems, are towering Shadow of the Colossus style monstrosities that must be scaled with the aide of a grappling hook. The developers say that the environments are non-linear, and will be unlocked by defeating these big bosses. "There will always be multiple routes to take," they note. "If you are having trouble with a specific area, try seeking an alternate path."

Death's Gambit looks interesting, if just because I'm intrigued by how Souls's slow and considered combat will work in an environment where you can't side-strafe around an enemy's attack for a backstab. Also, it looks pretty great in motion.

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Phil Savage
Editor-in-Chief

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.