Hand-drawn, Lovecraftian RPG, Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones, is coming to PC this September following a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2016. Publisher 1C Entertainment has released a trailer in honor of the newly announced release date.

Developed by Cultic Games, Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones steps back into the 1920s, into the town of Arkham. There brews a disturbing host of cosmic horrors, from the occult to the academic, as the game tells a story of loss and madness.

Step into Lovecraft Country

Stygian Reign of the Old Ones

Players can create and customize their own protagonist as they journey into the depths of the Abyss. You have eight character archetypes, each with their own backstory and special abilities. The trailer shows off the extensive character creation and investigative interactions, including suspect interviews. It also highlights the game’s turn-based strategic combat, as you battle your way through mad cultists and mind-rending monstrosities alike.

True to any Lovecraftian game worth its salt, Stygian equips your character with a sanity meter. This meter depletes depending on what you experience, consequently influencing your dialogue options.

In addition to the tried-and-true sanity meter, is the game’s belief system. Your belief system is an important factor in how your character copes with the insanity around them. Belief systems provide special dialogue options and widen your range of role-playing possibilities.

Hold on to Your Mind

Stygian

The strategic, turn-based combat takes place in a 2D perspective, similar to that of Heroes of Might or classic Magic games. Part of this combat is a unique spell system called Ruinous Spells. However, these use black magic and can often take more than they give, costing you your health, your sanity, or something much worse.

As well as sticking close to Lovecraftian lore, Stygian boasts a completely hand-drawn art style. These visuals lend the game a sketched, old-timey feel in keeping with its roots. In other words, every frame feels like it was ripped straight out of an early 20th century journal.

Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones has its tentacles wrapped around a Steam release on September 26, where it’ll be available for $29.99/24.99. If you’re interested in the game you can play the free demo available on the Steam page. In the meantime, check out the new trailer down below.

About the Author

Naomi Harrington

Naomi Harrington lives in London and has been a fan of games ever since she was old enough to hold a Game Boy. While she loves all genres she's currently going though a pretty hardcore soulslike phase. When she's not playing games or writing about them she spends most of her time writing fiction and watching horror movies.

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