Board-game-turned-tactical-RPG Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace debuts gameplay
Coming "Q1" on PC and consoles.
Asmodee Digital's video game adaptation of the hugely popular Lovecraft-inspired Arkham Horror board game series isn't too far away now - an Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC release is currently pencilled in for "Q1 2021" - and we've finally been given a first proper look at the narrative-driven tactical RPG in a newly release gameplay trailer.
Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace, as it's known, was originally announced as an adaptation of Fantasy Flight Games' other Lovecraft-inspired board game series Mansions of Madness back in 2018, but it received its new name - and a new developer, Artefacts Studio - last year.
Despite the development switcheroo, Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace is still very much along the lines of Asmodee's original announcement, setting players loose in a spooky old mansion circa 1926, where the heinous murder of an astronomy professor has occurred.
To crack the case, players will need to assemble a team of investigators, picking from 12 uniquely skilled characters from across the Arkham Horror universe, before embarking on what Asmodee calls a "squad-based narrative adventure" through a pulp-inspired America of the 1920s, blending "exploration, investigation and tactical RPG combat phases".
"As investigators face off against Lovecraftian horrors," it explains, "they will descend deeper into the depths of madness, affecting their level of sanity and causing traumas that will impact the course of their investigation. Along with facing curious science, living nightmares and a sinister cult, players will combat an array of enemies in turn-based combat, all while attempting to retain their sanity."
There are clues to be found and characters to be interrogated as the game's nine chapters gradually spill out of the mansion and onto the streets of Arkham - stopping off at the likes of the Miskatonic University and Arkham Asylum - before heading to the bayous of Louisiana.
You can get an idea of how that'll play out in Asmodee's new Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace gameplay trailer above, and should you remain sufficiently intrigued when it's over, the full game releases Q1 2021 on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Steam.