A new up-and-coming studio has revealed a promising new game, and we think you’ll like this pitch too.
As reported by Gematsu, Covenant is a first-person dark fantasy combat game. It isn’t quite an FPS, but it does seem to have projectile weapons, like bows, that significantly differentiate it from the other Soulslikes out there.
The developer, Legion Studios, touts in their trailer that they are comprised of people who worked on Doom, Call of Duty, Halo, Battlefield, Apex Legends, and Destiny. That’s an impressive roll call. Unfortunately, it also evokes an unhappy realization that these were games whose studios were part of the wave of layoffs from the past three years. It’s possible that some of these developers left these studios from far earlier and for different reasons.
Legion Studios provided this description of the title on their Steam page:
“Covenant is a first-person dark fantasy action adventure game where you’ll wilder a large interconnected world, passing through kingdoms and peril—discovering fighting stances, spells, weapons, and gear forged by the men of renown, heroes of old.
Key Features
- Seek the Old Notes – Experience Creation through the eyes of the last living messenger—a warrior angel sent to carry out the will of the Composers. The oldest of your kind, Malach, has fallen to the abyss—leaving in his wake a trail of destruction. You must follow in the footsteps of his final days in order to uncover the nature of his fall—and in doing so, reveal the slumbering forces hidden within Creation.
- Interconnected Soulslike world – Creation is a sprawling and interconnected land of myth. Discover shortcuts, use keys, and search down hidden paths to unearth every last secret. Puzzles, riddles, platforming, and exploration are all part of the journey.
- Bosses – Creatures of fallen empires and heroes long lost stand in your way. Some require strategy. Some require weaponry. Some desire a duel. Others still, must be challenged with friends.
- Campaign Cooperative Play and Player-Versus-Player
Play alone.
Play with.
Play against.
The choice is yours.
- Master Close Quarter Combat Like Never Before (in First-Person!) – Kick, grab, roll, and execute anyone who stands in your way.
- Expressive and Powerful Movement Abilities – Skillfully pivot your slide around corners, down slopes, kick or jump off walls, and alternate between rolling or side-stepping in intimate duels. These are easy to use but will take time to master.
- Player-Versus-Player – Duel other players for glory in one-versus-one, two-versus-two, and three-versus-three arenas.
Each weapon can be improved several times to unlock hidden abilities, traits, and catalysts.
- The Souslike One-Hand / Two-Hand System is Present – Changing the attributes of every gun, sword, and tool at your disposal. Change hand forms to adapt your fighting style to the situation + hone your own creative playstyle. 2-Handing unlocks powerful abilities on the weapon but leaves you less mobile.
- Spells and Auras Can Be Cast to Change the Course of the Fight – Stances don’t just change your elemental affinity—they change your entire fighting style down to the way you run, jump, kick, and slide. Each stance playstyle varies drastically. And every may take a lifetime to master.
Powerful build-crafting opportunities between four ring slots, Stances, Weapons, Spells, Garbs, Catalysts, and more.
- Progression – Become a messenger of death as weapons are upgraded, spells grow stronger, and fighting stances reveal themselves.”
It all sounds a little too good to be true, but since we don’t know anything about this studio, we wouldn’t know if they had enough venture capital to set it all up independently. Or perhaps PvPvE won’t be as ambitious as it sounds at first, if for example Legion sets this up to be peer-to-peer.
At the very least, Covenant is definitely worth keeping an eye out on if it turns out to be a sleeper hit later. The game is undated and only confirmed for PC via Steam for now. You can check out its announcement trailer below.
