Death plays a strange role in videogames. You’re always trying to avoid it, but at the same time, it’s basically inconsequential. You might lose a bit of progress, but mostly, it just means hitting quickload (and maybe deploying a few cuss words). Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and the rest of the FromSoftware oeuvre frame death differently. Every time you’re killed, it’s canon. You come back to life, but as per the games’ conceits and lore, you did die. Roguelikes have a similar approach, except its mechanical rather than narrative – in Dead Cells, The Binding of Isaac, et al, every failed run teaches you something new, and maybe grants you some fresh abilities and gear next time around. Combining all these sensibilities, and an original take on turn-based combat, Blightstone is an upcoming indie RPG with a twist.
Something evil has come up from the earth and is spreading across the land. Whatever it touches is transformed into a twisted, bloodthirsty grotesque of its former self. The citizens have fled. It’s up to you and your small party of plucky heroes to try and quell the destruction. Played from an isometric perspective, if you narrow your eyes Blightstone looks like a cross between Darkest Dungeon and the classic RPGs of PC gaming’s past.
But it’s doing something very different, especially in terms of its combat. Like a true roguelike, it’s inevitable that you will die, fail, and have to go again with a fresh group of fighters, but for every defeat, you earn ‘Earthglass.’ Like tindering the bonfire at Firelink Shrine, over time, the Earthglass strengthens and fortifies your Guiding Crystal – for every dead group of heroes, the next fellowship gets stronger.
And while combat is turn-based, there are no grids, and you can place your warriors wherever you want. Using that limitless movement, Blightstone encourages you to take advantage of the environment and flank your adversaries. It’s a more player-led, freer version of turn-based RPG battles. Combined with the equipment and ability management, it gives Blightstone’s combat a lot of potential depth.
We’re still waiting on a release date, but you can already wishlist Blightstone on Steam right here.
Otherwise, take a look at some of the other best upcoming PC games, or maybe the best soulslikes available now.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.