Urtuk: The Desolation is a turn-based strategy RPG with a low-fantasy themed open world. In this game, you would step into the shoes of a test subject that has just escaped from an evil underground lab. You would have to find out about what was done to your body and deal with it before its too late. To survive and accomplish your quest, you would have to gather other similar people, create an adventuring party and explore the ruins of this desolate world. The story of the main character would get unlocked gradually as you explore – with a lot of cool twists.
While Urtuk is still in early access, it definitely has the potential to become a great game. Firstly, the art style of the game is absolutely wonderful, with various elements inspired by Darkest Dungeon and Battle Brothers. The style is oddly rather fitting for a nihilistic dark fantasy – every asset of the game is hand-drawn, from characters, objects to the world map, monsters, and battlefield.
While the equipment system of the game is rather lacking, the mutation system partially made up for it, as you can customize your characters with various different ability combinations. An armored tank could be given the ability to do critical hits on counter-attacks, which would be very deadly, as the guy would be the one who draws all the aggro every time. You can also give a berserker the ability to gain HP after kills, which in turn fuels their suicidal playstyle. These previously mentioned combinations are just a tiny part in Urtuk's gameplay – the game is getting updated constantly.
Forced movement mechanics and terrains are also a big part of the battle system, as you would often have to make use of the elements around you to defeat superior enemies. The act of swatting enemies down to their spike filled death feels absolutely amazing.
Urtuk: The Desolation will launch on Steam Early Access on Feb 14. Interested in more of our video games related articles? Please check out this post for the most anticipated RPGs of 2020.