One of the many topics that gamers tend to debate ad nauseam is the use of handholding in modern games. The complaints can range from small-yet-common nitpicks about God of War Ragnarok’s supporting cast giving too many hints during puzzles to the relentless bashing of entire games because of smoke trails, which happened very recently with Marvel’s Wolverine. Regardless of what side of the fence gamers are on when it comes to mechanics that clearly guide players to where they’re supposed to go next, practically everyone has an opinion. And when it comes to Mythic Wave, the developer of Steam’s Rewolt, it’s clear that the studio has no love for modern hand-holding.
While the early, pre-alpha glimpses at Rewolt offer plenty to be excited about, such as the combo system and the two distinct factions present within the open world, it’s the multiple shots taken at 2020s game design that stand out the most on Rewolt’s Steam page. Specifically, Rewolt will “encourage exploration but with no modern hand-holding features,” and both yellow paint and obvious quest markers are specifically mentioned as mechanics that will be avoided entirely. Instead, NPC dialogue, player intuition, and creative world design will be used to make questing feel natural and immersive at every turn.
For players missing the RPGs of the early 2000s, this game is undoubtedly one to keep an eye on. Rewolt is still early in development. Not only is it being made by a small team of 10, but its release window is still “to be announced.”
- CREATE a nameless protagonist, piecing together the hero’s story while making massive choices regarding two warring factions.
- FIGHT wildlife and opposing enemies from the other faction using melee, magic, and ranged weapons, all of which leverage a combo system.
- EXPLORE a dense and hand-crafted open world with no handholding or level scaling; wander too far, and risk dying to a high-level beast.
- INTERACT with NPCs that have distinct schedules and stories.
- EXPERIENCE a highly replayable game with two faction storylines and endings to uncover.
Rewolt is a dark fantasy RPG, heavily inspired by hardcore old-school classics from the 2000s. Back from the dead, a nameless protagonist enters the war for No Man’s Land—a remote canyon area. Side with Vallador’s zealots or the natives of Delen to change the world forever.
Rewolt’s Lack of Handholding Isn’t Its Only Classic Feature
While the studio behind Rewolt has spent plenty of time highlighting a lack of handholding in the world design of its game, it’s as much a return to the days of old as it is a push against the accessibility of newer releases. For instance, players can expect not just a combo system that rewards skillful timing and good positioning, but no stamina or mana systems that can be min-maxed to the point of making overpowered builds. Instead, regardless of whether players are going for ranged, melee, or magic-based builds, they can expect to manage cooldowns for every ability.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.
Players can also expect to deal with tougher enemies based on the location they’re exploring, as there is no level scaling in Rewolt. Instead, if players venture too far off the beaten path moments after loading into the world, they could find a truly terrifying high-level monster that drops them in a single shot. Gamers are free to explore the canyon setting of No Man’s Land however they see fit, but they should expect to find some truly challenging encounters that they will be better off facing later on if they check every nook and cranny.
This approach allows for players to be caught off guard by a genuine threat, gives skilled gamers a chance to test themselves against overleveled foes, and adds to the feeling of progression for those that return for a rematch hours later.
Rewolt’s Faction Count May Be Small, But Their Depth is Literally Game-Changing
In Tellus, a continent corrupted by a “mysterious element” known as Woltium, players will encounter two powerful RPG factions after making their character. These groups are Vallador and Delen, with their goals being as different as their appearances. The former is a group of warmongering zealots in some flashy Roman armor, while the latter is a faction of natives determined to cleanse the land and drive away the invading Vallador. The player character, after rising from the dead, will have to decide which of these two groups to aid in their war, with two different endings and major changes to the open world coming about due to their decisions.
Each faction featured within Rewolt offers its own hub area. In addition to these camps, there are faction-specific quest lines to uncover as well. As players progress through the five branching chapters of the game and further integrate themselves into their chosen faction, the world will begin to change around them. Presumably, assisting Vallador will increase the purple corruption that’s poisoning No Man’s Land, while helping the natives will help cleanse the playable area over time. While many “dense, hand-crafted” open worlds like the one in Rewolt can result in one-and-done playthroughs for many gamers, as exploring them fully can take dozens of hours, Rewolt has two full stories thanks to its factions, practically demanding a second playthrough.
In addition to these fully fleshed-out good and evil paths, Rewolt does embrace one awesome aspect of newer open-world games like The Witcher 3: NPC schedules. To make Rewolt’s world feel realistic, named NPCs don’t just have backstories to uncover, but proper lives outside of giving players tasks to complete. As day turns to night, gamers will see Rewolt’s NPCs go to work, eat, sleep, and “perform other daily routines,” making simulated people-watching another feature of this promising game. If all these pieces are successfully brought together, Steam players might just have another open-world gem on their hands.