It turns out the delay is there for a reason! Back in August, the developer and publisher Idea Factory International has announced that their gorgeous 3D action-adventure game Arc of Alchemist will be delayed a little bit. The game was previously aimed at a release in Fall 2019, but pushed back to Early 2020 instead.

And this small delay has turned into a whole new sky, as Arc of Alchemist will come out for Switch in addition to PS4. Both consoles will receive the game on the same date, and both versions will include the new system features allowing to choose from all 7+ characters and play with them.

Below is the reveal trailer that came out in August, which you can dive in to see the early footage of this game:

The story of Arc of Alchemist

The story of Arc of Alchemist takes place in a fantasy world, where the world is under some sorts of threats. The only thing can save this world - according to an ancient prophecy - is the Great Power. And one day, the King has decided to send his mightiest troops to the Desert of Beginnings to find the Great Power.

You'll step in the shoes of Quinn Bravesford - the captain leading her armies to fulfill this mission. She takes with her the Lunagear - an ancient alchemic device must be used to gather the Orbs needed to recover the Great Power. Legends said that if Lunargear is filled with four Orbs, it will give the user the Great Power to save the human race.

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Quinn Bravesford - holding the Lunagear to collect all four Orbs

She only has one Orb now, and will have to search for the last 3 ones, but being able to collect all four of them only exists in theory.

Even worse, Quinn Bravesford is not the only one searching for the Orbs in this desert. In fact, the opposing kingdom - the Principality of Neuhaven also sent their military her to search for the Great Power. Along with them are the threats of hostile creatures lurking in the sands and the Machine Dolls patrolling around the desert as well.

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The crew will have to face the Machine Dolls and army from the neighboring kingdom

Now, Quinn and her friends will have to fight against everyone standing between them and the Orbs. It's going to be a tough battle, and the closer Quinn gets to her objective, the more she doubt about the true identity of the Great Power?

Will it be the thing humans are needing?

Gameplay features

Arc of Alchemist is a beautiful 3D platformer, in which you will take control of Quinn Bravesford to take on the quest of searching for four Orbs to save humankind. Previously, you can only control Quinn to embarks on this adventure, but the version coming in 2020 will allow you to control everyone from 7+ playable characters.

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You can play as everyone among 7+ playable characters now

Each of them has their own weapons, skillsets, and playstyles. For example, Sharon is a heavy damage dealer, who can deal AoE damage to groups of enemies, or Sandra - the best when its comes to the art of defense.

As the captain of the whole army, Quinn Braves wields her sword and chops down enemies she comes across on her way. Throughout the journey, Quinn can loot some new weapons and equipment to strengthen herself. Switching between various kinds of equipment to match your playstyle is very important.

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Every character has their unique skills and playstyles

Even better, the items that you're not going to use can be sold to get some money, making its easier to power up your troops. You're not going to explore all game long, and instead, you'll have to build a base for resting and reconfigure your stats and your troops as well. In order to build new facilities and upgrade your troops, you must use that money. So don't just throw things away.

Every time you visit your base, you can rearrange your skill points, change new active and passive abilities if you want, and make your army stronger. The fighting and exploring in Arc of Alchemist is not too hard, but you'll still need to do those things to fight against your enemies and collect the Orbs.

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Visiting your base to change your formation and upgrade your stats

Speaking about the Orbs, they're not just merely the objective items that you carry. In fact, you can place them into your Lunagear, which grants you certain elemental powers, including Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. Those orbs are not only useful when fighting but also to explore hidden paths as well.

Arc of Alchemist is coming out for Switch and PS4 in early 2020. The switch version will be delivered only in digital forms, and the PS4 version will be available in both forms in Europe.