Developer Silent Games and publisher Secret Mode have announced that its upcoming single-player action-RPG Empyreal will be released on May 8 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. On a distant world where humanity has discovered a strange monolith built by a lost civilization, players will explore this location while mastering various weapons and RPG systems.
In a developer diary, creative director Joseph Rogers went into more detail on the game, describing it as a third-person game about “transcendental revelations” that players will discover as they venture deeper into the monolith. Thematically, Empyreal asks questions about the human condition, its place in the cosmos, and whether societal systems like duty and honor are still driving forces in humanity’s story.
When it comes to gameplay, Empyreal combines action-RPG systems with elements inspired by isometric-ARPG games like Diablo. Similarly to games in this genre, you’ll be free to invest in various skills, but you can only have a handful of them available to use at any given time, so you will need to mix and match the abilities to suit your playstyle.
This works with three distinct weapon types that drastically change combat, as there’ll be a big emphasis on constantly fine-tuning your character throughout your journey. Silent Games added that Empyreal will also offer an endgame experience with a substantial amount of content, as well as a New Game Plus mode with features exclusive to a fresh run.
Other interesting parts of the game include cartograms that can shake up a level and help you chase after specific loot, and there’s also the option to be charitable toward fellow players. Defeating certain bosses will result in a rip in the fabric of reality, and if you feel like donating some gear, you can send something through this tear to another player.
Any item sent through will significantly increase its stats, but this is purely a gesture of goodwill as you’ll get nothing from it. “It’s really up to the community as a whole to make it work,” Rogers explained. “I’m quite curious to see how or even if players engage with this feature.”
Empyreal will be the first title launched by Secret Mode as an independent publisher, following its sale from Sumo Group to Emona Capital earlier this month.