While the Darksiders franchise is finally bringing the four horsemen together for a finale a few decades in the making, a release window for Darksiders 4 is up in the air. Naturally, fans of the franchise will be looking for some alternatives to kill time, and one new action game on Steam could do the trick. But instead of controlling War, Death, Fury, or Strife, players will be controlling a character that resembles the powerful angels these figures often fight against. And aside from giving players access to violent, angelic powers, not to mention a similar art style, some of the soulslike elements offered in Darksiders 3 will be seen in Crimson Moon.
Steam’s Crimson Moon has another important trick up its sleeve, and it’s one that Darksiders finally seems poised to embrace with its next release: co-op gameplay. Players will be able to bring a friend along for their journey to “reclaim the fallen city of Gildenarch,” with plenty of action and chaos ensuring that both players always have something to do. As Nephilims tasked with keeping demons from slaughtering the human race, players won’t just have angelic powers to rely on, but a good deal of melee attacks and weapons to wield in the battles. With the game designed around highly replayable runs, players should be able to get hours out of this title, and they won’t have to wait very long to dive in.
Crimson Moon Features at a Glance
- PLAY SOLO or WITH A FRIEND, battling hordes of enemies however you prefer.
- ENCOUNTER vampires, demons, and large abominations that test your skills.
- WIELD different weapons and angelic abilities on each run, ensuring variety.
- CHALLENGE yourself in souls-inspired combat encounters that require careful movements and planning.
- EXPLORE a haunting, beautiful world with distinct environments and levels.
A gothic action-adventure RPG of violent angels and dead gods.
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Crimson Moon Offers Soulslike Depth, From Builds to a Character-Filled Hub
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Fans of both soulslike and action games should be pleased with the approach Crimson Moon is taking. All the combat encounters, from basic enemies to boss battles, will feel challenging and carefully crafted. However, the pathway to those battles can feel different on each run depending on how players handle their loadouts. Players will be able to craft a loadout prior to each run, either building around their teammate’s strengths and weaknesses or trying to make the best possible solo build. Here, they’ll choose modifiers, their angelic transformation, armor, throwables, and melee weaponry, building their ideal setup from scratch.
Drag weapons to fill the grid
Drag weapons to fill the grid
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Before using a war table to deploy into their mission of choice, players will be able to explore Crimson Moon’s take on Firelink Shrine. Here, they’ll interact with four very different NPCs, all of which serve a purpose and have some interesting backstories to piece together. These characters are:
- Gallant — A legend and the founder of The Knights of the Crimson Moon, Gallant servers as the player’s mentor and offers bounties for killing a certain amont of a selected enemy type.
- Mereda — Described as the historian of The Order, Mereda trades character upgrades for collectible lore scrolls found in each location.
- Lotte — A large, eccentric treasure hunter resembling a colorful version of The Duke from Resident Evil Village, this NPC serves as the game’s consumables vendor.
- Gajov — A vampire and a blacksmith, Garjov both upgrades existing gear and sells new items in exchange for souls, which assumedly function like they do in FromSoftware games.
Once players have geared up, they’ll enter into a world that can best be compared to something from the Diablo franchise, with beautiful gothic architecture damaged by demonic invaders. As they work their way through each mission, the Nephilim will dodge roll away from attacks, parry their foes’ strongest moves, flank enemies for finishing moves that deal massive damage, and open chests full of loot. Mechanically, Crimson Moon plays exactly how one would expect any soulslike to play… well, with one exception.
Crimson Moon’s Angelic Transformations Allow Players to Control Darksiders’ Strongest Foes
Because players are half-angel and half-human as opposed to the typical combo of a demon/human hybrid, the special attacks in Crimson Moon stand out visually. For instance, players may grow a pair of golden wings that not only temporarily speed up their attacks, but allow them to dash between foes and clear tough enemies in seconds. Glowing spin attacks, powerful beams of light, and so on are shown in the footage shared thus far, with multiple angelic options available. However, players will need to choose which power they want when selecting their loadout, and they’ll have to be careful about when they choose to use it, as these huge buffs will undoubtedly have cooldowns. Still, with an equivalent to Elden Ring’s Ashes of War in place and some character designs heavily reminiscent of the Darksiders series, Crimson Moon could appeal to a wide range of gamers.
