Action RPG Empyreal Explores Existential Questions in New Trailer
Developer Silent Games and publisher Secret Mode have released a trailer for upcoming RPG Empyreal, revealing more details on the gameplay and world. It’s set to appear on PC and major consoles on May 8, 2025.
Empyreal follows the player character, who’s sent to a newly-discovered planet after an initial expedition found a gigantic black monolith. The game will task players with travelling across the world as they uncover the secrets of the unusual structure.
“You are immediately presented with these grand questions,” said Joseph Rogers, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Silent Games, in the trailer on YouTube. “Why is it here? Who built it? What was its original purpose? And perhaps, what power might it still contain?”
Empyreal Evidence
It’s very clear that Empyreal is a game with a lot on its mind, as its story touches on lofty themes such as sacrifice, duty, a tragic view of life, and how humanity is on a journey to discover the meaning behind existence.
Characters the player meets, from the expedition, offer quests that touch on these heady subjects. Each quest relates to what the discovery of the monolith means to that character, and features branching narratives to accommodate player decisions. It’s even possible to completely fail these quests, which will impact the game in ways that may not be apparent until later.
Some Questions Need to be Asked With Weapons
Despite all the existential topics, Empyreal is still an action RPG, so players can expect to hack and slash their way through enemies. A robust character creation screen allows the player to pick one of seven background traits, from Inebriated Rambler to Morose Rogue, that influence how the character then progresses through the game.
There are a few weapon archetypes to choose from, and they can be swapped at any time as Empyreal isn’t a class-based RPG. Each player can also equip up to five abilities, such as Riposte and Force Punch, that can also be swapped out throughout the game.
Handmade And Asynchronous
There are echoes of Dark Souls in the combat, as there’s a strong emphasis on parries and blocks, but that’s not all that Empyreal shares. It also has a focus on curated world design.
“I want to highlight that we don’t do procedural level design,” said Rogers. “We do the level design by hand because we wanted to create all sorts of interesting details, shortcuts, hidden nooks and crannies, and things like that.”
Empyreal is a single-player game, but features asynchronous multiplayer features. One example is the ability to gift loot to another, random, player, which also increases the stats for that item.
“There’s no immediate, direct reward for you doing this, which means it’s really up to the players, in fact the community as a whole, to make it work,” he said. “And I’m quite curious to see how, or even if, players engage with this feature.”