London Is Now a Soulslike?
54sThe unique mashup of London landmarks with Elden Ring-style world design is a fresh and visually striking concept that immediately grabs attention.
▶ Play ClipAI Summary
This video is a hands-on preview of the upcoming action-adventure game Tides of Annihilation, developed by Eclipse Glow Games. The preview highlights the game's combat mechanics, boss encounters, exploration, and overall presentation, offering a detailed look at what players can expect.
Chapters
[00:08]
Setting and Inspiration
The game is set in a ruined London, inspired by Arthurian legend, where the player is the last human survivor fighting an otherworldly invasion.
[00:51]
Museum Level Design
The demo is set in a warped version of the British Museum, called the Great Russell Museum, which has been torn apart by otherworldly forces, creating a unique exploration experience.
[01:49]
Companion and NPCs
The protagonist Gwendalyn is assisted by Ninian, a shape-shifting bird that guides her to objectives, and encounters bizarre snake-like creatures with hands for heads.
[02:37]
Combat Mechanics
Combat includes sword slashes, dodges, parries, and a special ability to summon spectral knights for powerful combo attacks. The combat is described as responsive and fluid.
[03:59]
Knight Loadout System
Players can equip two pairs of spectral knights at a time, switch between them on the fly, and mix and match pairs to suit their playstyle, each with unique abilities.
[05:22]
Boss Fights
The demo includes two main boss fights: Anubis in a desert realm and a dragon in the museum's library, both requiring strategic use of knight abilities and evasive maneuvers.
[06:32]
Exploration and Puzzles
Knight abilities are also used for exploration, such as firing rope arrows for zip lines and punching through walls, encouraging revisiting areas to unlock secrets.
[08:31]
Progression and Customization
Completing challenges earns new swords, armor, and badges that provide buffs, such as reviving with half health, which proved useful in a platforming section.
[09:08]
Movement Criticisms
The preview criticizes the sprinting speed and aerial agility, noting that the lack of a double jump makes platforming feel stiff.
[09:47]
Overall Impression
The preview ends with a positive note, expressing excitement for the full game, though noting that some teased content like giant knights was absent from the demo.
Tides of Annihilation shows promise with its responsive combat and creative world design, but needs to address movement issues to fully deliver on its potential.
Mentioned in this Video
Study Flashcards (5)
What is the name of the game's protagonist?
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What is the name of the game's protagonist?
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Gwendalyn
01:49
What is the name of the museum in the game?
medium
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What is the name of the museum in the game?
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The Great British Museum (fictional version of the British Museum)
01:06
What is the role of Ninian in the game?
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What is the role of Ninian in the game?
easy
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Ninian is a shape-shifting companion that guides the player to objectives.
01:49
How many knights can the player have equipped at once?
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How many knights can the player have equipped at once?
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Two pairs of knights, switchable on the fly.
03:59
What is the main criticism of the game's movement?
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What is the main criticism of the game's movement?
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The sprinting speed is too slow and the jump is more like a one-and-a-half jump, making platforming feel stiff.
09:08
💡 Key Takeaways
💡
Responsive Combat
The combat is described as supremely responsive and fluid, which is a key selling point for action games.
02:37
🔧
Knight Loadout System
The ability to mix and match knight pairs adds strategic depth to combat, a unique mechanic.
03:59
📊
Boss Variety
The demo features two distinct boss fights, showcasing the game's variety in enemy design.
05:22
💡
Movement Issues
The criticism of sprinting and jumping highlights a potential flaw that could affect the game's overall feel.
09:08Full Transcript
[00:08] London Bridge that's falling down. It's the entire city that's been raised to ruins by an unknown presence invading from a mysterious otherworld. And you're the only human survivor left to stop it. This action adventure heavily inspired
[00:21] by Arthuran legend made a serious splash when it was announced early last year. fast-paced slash them up from firsttime developer Eclipse Glow Games may have been all style over substance. However, after spending roughly 2 hours of
[00:34] recent event, I'm happy to say that Tides of Annihilation feels just as exhilarating to play as it is utterly dazzling to watch.
[00:51] destined for glory. While previous Tides of Annihilation trailers have depicted a broken down Big Ben and lopsided London Eye, during my its blight riddled version of Old Blighty, were restricted to a ruptured
[01:06] reworking of the British Museum, referred to here as the Great Russell Museum, presumably for boring legal reasons. This iconic piece of architecture has been torn aunder, buckled and blown apart by twisting
[01:18] through it. It's a unique and captivating experience to wander around significantly warped by other worldly forces. It feels a bit like you hopped on the tube at Waterloo Station, but accidentally got off somewhere in Elder
[01:32] accidentally got off somewhere in Elder Ring Lands Between. into the adventure. So, the only context I had for why protagonist Gwendalyn had lined walls was that she was in search of a shard of the Holy Grail. The Grail
[01:49] Shard is in there. >> Assisting in her hunt was Ninian, a transform into a bird. She basically served as a shape-shifting signpost pointing to the next main objective, gliding away to perch on a piece of
[02:03] way forward. >> I wish high had wings. that she's an extremely important character to Tides of Annihilation story. >> You were right. Thank goodness. I also
[02:17] met this bizarre pair of snake- like creatures with hands for heads that out of Jim Henson's labyrinth. >> We're helping hands, but almost everyone else I encountered was desperately trying to kill me.
[02:37] equipped to conquer any contenders that stand in her way. In addition to a fairly standard suite of sword slashes, dodges, and parries, Gwendalyn has a triggered with a well-timed button press to beam in out of the ether with a
[02:50] series of strikes that powerfully punctuate each of her attack combos. was less camalot and more spam aot, as I gleefully button mashed my way through
[03:02] greeted me after my arrival at the museum. But by the time I found myself I'd really started to grasp the subtleties of Tides of Annihilation subtleties of Tides of Annihilation setup.
[03:18] enemies and juggle them in the air. Perform charged attacks to deal heavier Perform charged attacks to deal heavier damage. Get lost. >> Trigger devastating execution moves once you've lowered an enemy's stagger meter.
[03:33] enough blows, you can unleash a spectacular ultimate skill attack that rains down electrical bolts that pulverize everyone in their path. Everything feels supremely responsive to pull off, and the silky smooth
[03:47] animations keep it all flowing fluidly from one combo to the next. You can also get strategic in terms of which knights you want to employ. can have two pairs of steel covered soldiers to choose from at any one time.
[03:59] D-pad, so you can switch between them on the fly. defeating certain sub bosses, you have the freedom to mix and match these pairs
[04:14] suits your personal play style. You specialties of the scythe wielding better with gane's ability to teleport better with gane's ability to teleport straight to targets, for example.
[04:29] Or perhaps you'd prefer to partner the guardbreaking attacks of Palamedes opponents and buy you some breathing space during a battle.
[04:43] was just a small sample of the roster that will be available in the finished game. And I'm excited to see how creative the combat can become as Gwendalyn's gaggle of Guardians grows. Although it might sound like quite a lot
[04:55] greatest magic trick is that it puts you in charge of this spectral horde of King down a fight with any form of fiddly micromanagement. Its combat is consistently uptempo, never sacrificing any speed in favor of strategic
[05:10] any speed in favor of strategic flexibility. right and efficiently employing their support skills is crucial in order to overcome Tides of Annihilation's beefier boss encounters. And there were two main
[05:22] story villains to overcome in my demo. After battling my way to the museum's Egyptian wing, I was suddenly teleported into a sandswept desert realm and pitted headto-head with the polearm toading Anubis, who unleashed devastating
[05:34] tornado attacks upon a perilous pair of platforms that made up a giant set of platforms that made up a giant set of scales. surprisingly nimble Morid inside the museum's library in an extremely
[05:48] cinematic multi-phase fight. How boring. top a dragon big enough to intimidate a Targaryen, forcing me to take evasive
[06:03] measures as she swooped down and engulfed the combat arena in purple engulfed the combat arena in purple flames. continually mix up my approach as each boss intensified their assaults.
[06:18] boss intensified their assaults. Gwendalyn's their unique abilities can also be employed while exploring the world
[06:32] around her. >> Speaking of which, here comes practice. The archer bors can be used to fire rope arrows in order to create new paths with zip lines [music]
[06:44] through ropes that may be suspending treasure chests from a ceiling. Exactly what I need. Meanwhile, the burly Palamedes has more useful functions than a smartwatch since it can punch through cracked walls or lift
[06:58] punch through cracked walls or lift heavy doors to open up hidden rooms, towards objects that are otherwise out of reach. The implication is that each
[07:10] spectral knight that Gwendalyn recruits to her cause will open up new methods environments, potentially leading to a you're consistently given reasons to revisit earlier areas in order to unlock
[07:23] secrets that were previously inaccessible. optional combat challenges and even additional boss fights.
[07:37] Chinese gallery, I got a cryptic clue from an NPC about a cursed fiend prowling the building's halls. Must be a nasty sort for you to single him out. eventually drawn into a fierce battle against a samurai surging with
[07:51] against a samurai surging with electricity. surrounding the museum, only to be set upon by a particularly tough tormentor,
[08:06] time and space in order to perform devastating darting attacks that ambushed me from opposing sides of the arena.
[08:18] environmental puzzle to pause and ponder over, including a pretty novel brain pieces on a giant double-sided chest set.
[08:31] combat oriented challenges earns Gwendalyn everything from more damaging Gwendalyn everything from more damaging swords to sturdier sets of armor, as well as special badges that can be equipped to grant her additional buffs.
[08:43] When I was felled during a gravitydeying platforming section right at the climax glad that I'd equipped the badge that brought Gwendeland back to life with half her health so that I was able to keep calm and carry on with the rest of
[08:55] keep calm and carry on with the rest of the fight. You thought it over. >> While Gwindelyn's suite of controls felt supremely responsive and flexible for minor restrictions with her movement that I hope are remedied ahead of Tides
[09:08] of Annihilation's eventual release. Namely, her sprinting speed feels in need of a substantial boost since shifting from a walk to a run only feels like a fairly modest change in pace. Similarly, her agility in the air
[09:20] appears in need of some tweaks because at present she's a bit too beholden to the bounds of gravity. I wouldn't say that even has a double jump. It's more like a one and a half jump at best, and that made some platforming sections feel
[09:32] ever so slightly stiff as a result. However, my biggest complaint after my that I honestly wish it had lasted for longer. And that can only be a good awesome encounters that have been teased in previous trailers, including the
[09:47] looming Shadow of the Colossus inspired giant knights that double as both breathtaking boss fights, were completely absent from this hands-on still much to learn about this alluring action adventure that's currently in
[10:01] development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, including its announced, and if I had to guess, I wouldn't expect it before mid 2027 at the earliest. But if this fantastic
[10:14] first taste is anything to go by, then Tides of Annihilation seems likely to grip me harder than a knight trying to pull a sword from a stone.
[10:26] Wolverine and Star Wars Zero Company. And for everything else, stick with IGN.
