Skip to main content

Gods Will Fall preview: Indie Soulslike game could be 2021’s first hidden gem

Gods Will Fall is a hack-and-slash dungeon crawler that gives you control over a band of warriors dead set on killing the gods. Digital Trends was given a behind-the-scenes demonstration of the game in action, and we think it has a good chance of being a surprise hit when it releases in early 2021 .

An indie, top-down Souls-like game

Comparing new titles to the Souls series and games of that ilk might inspire a few eyeballs to roll, but for Gods Will Fall, its a key part of the game’s hook. This game will test players’ patience and force them to think up new strategies to overcome their adversaries.

Published by Deep Silver and developed by Clever Beans, a studio that recently worked on the Wipeout Omega Collection, Gods Will Fall gives the player control of eight Celtic warriors who are angry with their deities. They no longer wish to pray at the gods’ alter when they ask for blind worship and do nothing to stop the suffering of the world.

Gods Will Fall Beach Vista
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A compelling and thought-provoking premise pushes the band of soldiers throughout the land to raid dungeons, with a new god awaiting at the end. Each warrior has different perks and stats. Some will have devastating attacks, but might be too slow to avoid incoming damage. Others might be quick on their feet, hitting lightly but fast.

Players choose one of the eight to enter the tombs, with the seven remaining warriors awaiting their glorious return. Inside the dungeon, the chosen character will hack and slash their way toward the god at the end, and if they should perish, the player will choose their next combatant until the god is vanquished or the party is depleted.

Defeating the vain immortal will rescue all the previous warriors that entered the dungeon, with improved stats earned duting to their arduous journey. Should the player lose all of their characters, they must start from the beginning of the game.

Gods Will Fall Dungeon
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s an intriguing set-p that will entice anyone looking for a demanding action game, but maybe something not quite as involved as the Demon’s Souls remake that launched with the PlayStation 5.

Combat during the presentation appears to be varied, and facing off against the various gods, of which we saw two — a giant bird and a skeleton spider — looks to be challenging. One of the most interesting aspects of the gameplay is that defeating henchmen in a dungeon will whittle away at the god’s health before you confront them. So, while actively hunting down as many enemies as possible puts the player at risk of taking more damage or perhaps even dying, it will give them better odds in the final fight.

Different choices enhance replay value

Much like indie darling Hades, the dungeons in Gods Will Fall are procedurally generated. Each gods’ den is also randomly assigned a difficulty, so a raid on a specific deity may feel easy on one run and more daunting the next.

Gods Will Fall Minions
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Actions will also change the stories of each of the warriors. One might have a particular affection for another, becoming enraged should they perish in a dungeon. That results in them receiving an attack boost. Another could have a vendetta against a specific god that fuels them, marking them as the best choice to slay the divine being.

These elements will evolve the story and the characters within them as the player progresses, so Gods Will Fall should have a decent amount of replay value. Combined with the fun combat and impressive visuals, Gods Will Fall could be the surprise indie hit of next year.

The title releases on January 21 2021, across consoles, including the Switch, and PC, so gamers won’t have too long to find out.

Tom Caswell
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Professional video producer and writer, gaming enthusiast, and streamer! twitch.tv/greatbritom
Loved Expedition 33’s combat? You should try this indie rock RPG
An evil corporate throne room in Fretless.

It's been over a month since I finished everything there was to do in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and yet I still found myself craving more. I had my qualms with what direction the story took in the final act, but the combat had me hooked and never let go. The satisfaction of mastering parry timing and crafting the perfect build with the Pictos and Luminas was more than enough motivation to finish the story and take down every optional challenge the world had to throw at me.

While I could go back and mess with the difficulty modifiers for a new challenge, I instead found a hidden gem of an RPG that scratches that same itch for tactical but reactive combat, but with a few unique twists that have more than filled that void.

Read more
How long is Donkey Kong Bananza?
Donkey Kong and Pauline blast the enviornment in Donkey Kong Bananza.,

We only had to wait one month after the Nintendo Switch 2 launch to get our first shiny new 3D platformer. However, it isn't a new Mario game like you might've assumed, but DK taking center stage. Donkey Kong Bananza is all about smashing and digging your way with Pauline to the planet's core while facing off against a cast of villains. Being able to terraform the levels completely changes the pace of a normal platformer, but does it mean you can bypass everything and finish the game in a few hours? What if you are the type of person who wants to get every collectible there is? In either case, you might be surprised at how Donkey Kong Bananza actually is. After playing the game from start to finish, here's how long you can expect to spend playing Donkey Kong Bananza.

How long to beat Donkey Kong Bananza?

Read more
Apple has launched a new puzzle game that might give Wordle a run for its money
A word puzzle with emojis.

Wordle has been the puzzle game to beat for years, but Apple just released a new competitor game that could be a smash hit. Emoji Game was released today for Apple News+ subscribers and gives players a set of daily puzzles that revolve around using emojis to uncover different phrases.

Starting today, July 17, anyone with an Apple News+ subscription will find Emoji Game added to the suite of other word and puzzle games on the service. Games will feature three phrases that players will need to decode based on a selection of emojis that represent each part of the phrase by dragging them to the correct spots to fill in the blanks. For example, you might be given the beginning of a word as PINE and the emoji of an apple. By dragging the apple into the space, you create PINEAPPLE. You only have six turns to solve the puzzle, but you can also use a built-in hint feature if you're feeling stuck.

Read more