SKALD: Against The Black Priory to Launch May 30th

High North Studios and publisher Raw Fury have announced that their upcoming retro-styled RPG SKALD: Against the Black Priory will launch on May 30th for PC via Steam and GOG. A new live-action trailer celebrating the announcement has also debuted via Raw Fury’s YouTube channel, fusing 80s cinematic flair alongside new gameplay footage. Check it out below!

SKALD: Against The Black Priory I Date Reveal Trailer

SKALD: Against the Black Priory sets its aesthetic and gameplay in the role-playing games of yesteryear, acting as both a homage and an evolution of games such as Ultima and the Magic Candle series. It positions players in a hostile, grimdark fantasy world, where they will assume the role of an adventurer contending against situations that seek to madden, destabilise, and ruin them. Its gameplay focuses on turn-based party combat, where party members can work together across grid-based battlefields utilising positioning to surround their enemies. For a deeper overview, check out a section of its synopsis below, provided via its Steam page:

Gather your party

Lead a band of broken heroes through challenging turn-based combat scenarios as you cleave, blast or stealth your way through deadly enemies of all definitions. Equip your heroes using a modern inventory system, fulfil objectives through quest logs, read journals to discover hidden secrets. And if the action is still a bit too hot to handle, auto-resolve to bypass conflict entirely.

Prepare thyself

Set yourself up for the journey ahead by crafting and cooking from a slew of distinct recipes. Choose your character, select their stats and build out a party from a series of diverse allies, each with their own skill-set, agenda and personality. Decide between a dozen classes and varied backgrounds, levelling up to 20 while customising your spells and equipment to suit your style.

Venture Forth

Set in an unforgiving world with lovecraftian horrors and choice-based dialogue, your story will take many unexpected twists and turns. Living life as a mercenary, you’ll need to roll the dice to determine whether you fall prey to certain peril or escape grave danger.

Celebrate Yesteryear 

Uncover the grand schemes of the Gallian Empire and explore the vast expanse of Freymark and the Outer Isles. In SKALD: Against the Black Priory, you’ll experience this richly illustrated world of authentic pixel art, built from thousands of hand-drawn tiles and images using a palette inspired by the legendary Commodore 64 computer. Optional CRT filter for true retro aficionados also included.

SKALD: Against the Black Priory Screenshots

Players who want to try SKALD: Against the Black Priory can do so through an updated limited-time demo on Steam until April 8th.

I’m interested in what SKALD: Against the Black Priory will bring to the CRPG genre on its release later next month. As someone fond of CRPGs and retro-infused design and aesthetics, I welcome a grimdark infusion into that landscape.

Stay tuned to RPGFan for all news SKALD: Against the Black Priory and RPG!