I can’t wait to play more Emberville, coming to early access in October
I’ve only dipped my toe into Emberville, an adventure RPG launching into early access in October, but I’m already excited to play more. Packing in a combination of fighting, crafting, loot and story-driven adventure, all bolstered with a wonderful pixelated art style, it feels like a more action-focused Stardew Valley, and that might just be the game I need.
Having been hands-on with a preview build of Emberville, it immediately got its claws in me by wasting no time in getting going. Equipped with a basic weapon, you can destroy practically everything in your environment; beds, chairs, tables, barrels – all can be smashed with a swish of your sword, with the hope of finding some sort of material. A steak hidden in a bedside cabinet or a carrot in a wardrobe? It seems anything is possible.
But crafting materials aren’t the only things you’ll find here, either. Within minutes I’d encountered my first treasure chest, where I found a new equippable weapon. Like Diablo and its ilk, weapons and equipment are commonly encountered, and every item is coloured based on its rarity. Hop into your inventory and you’ll quickly be able to see the stats of every item so you can always equip the most powerful weapons and armour.
Along with kicking butt and taking names, Emberville ultimately has you rebuilding the titular town and helping its residents. When I play Diablo I often find myself thinking, “I wish there was some sort of townbuilding element here,” and it seems Emberville might be the answer. It’s unlikely that its combat will be quite as deep as ARPGs like Diablo, but from what I’ve seen already, there’s a good choice of weaponry to allow you to tailor your combat style to suit, and fans of loot are going to be well catered for.
By exploring the world you’ll find a wealth of materials that can be used for crafting. In rebuilding the town you’ll unlock new classes to play as, learn new skills and gain access to various crafting professions. Developer Cygnus Cross says your town will “become a living hub shaped by your deeds,” and I can’t wait to see how that evolves over time.
It’s hard to say what I’m more excited for, really. I love the idea of rebuilding and shaping a town, but I’m also keen to dig deeper into Emberville’s combat, level up, learn new skills and discover better loot. The fact that I can do both of those things in one game, though? That’s perhaps the most exciting thing of all.
Emberville lands on Steam in early access on 27th October.
