Independent developer Moonless Formless has revealed that their upcoming horror-tinged action RPG, Withering Realms, is heading to Steam Early Access on September 2. While the initial rollout will be exclusive to PC, the studio confirmed that a full 1.0 release is planned for both consoles and PC in the future. To mark the announcement, the team debuted new trailer highlighting the game’s grim atmosphere and highly customizable combat mechanics.
The game transports players to an alternate 1926, exactly a decade after a catastrophic supernatural phenomenon abruptly ended the First World War. This massive “occult event” permanently altered reality, flooding the world with wandering spirits, the walking dead, and newly awakened magical abilities. Clover, a nine-year-old girl, wakes up inside a rotting manor near the disaster’s ground zero and realizes she has died and become a ghost. To navigate this hostile environment and find a way to resurrect herself, she teams up with a hulking, Frankenstein-esque guardian doll cobbled together from scrap metal, wood, and harvested body parts. Together, the duo scours the eerie, decaying village of Penwyll and its massive surrounding cemeteries for answers. Players will dive into dark caverns, tombs, and dilapidated estates to scavenge for loot, upgrade materials, and mystical artifacts. Players can craft a variety of machinery, ranging from flamethrowers to greatswords.
Progression revolves around taking down giant bosses to unlock new regions on the map. The world also has a dynamic time system, where revisiting locations after dark yields hidden secrets and tougher, more terrifying enemies. Along the way, Clover can recruit a handful of NPCs to aid her quest, such as Althea, a rogue investigator whose skills in forgery, lockpicking, and interrogation prove crucial to unraveling the town’s overarching mysteries. Serving as a thematic follow-up to the studio’s previous title, Withering Rooms, the game aims to build upon Moonless Formless’s established blend of exploration and dread.
Withering Realms is currently available to wishlist on Steam.