In case you have plans for Valentine’s Day, they higher be with a fire-breathing boar. That’s who you’ll be tangoing with in two weeks, as a result of Castlevania-inspired motion recreation Lords of Exile lastly has a launch date set for February 14, 2024.

It’s been some time since we took a take a look at Lords of Exile, which initially smashed its comparatively modest Kickstarter aim to the tune of 258% funding again in June 2020. Naturally, it grew right into a extra formidable undertaking within the months that adopted, shifting it effectively previous the launch window they initially had in thoughts. Consequently, all of it seems fairly totally different from the sooner crowdfunding trailer, notably when it exhibits the powers you may summon to help you.

Look, I’m simply saying, if any online game had the elevator pitch of “Castlevania with JoJo’s Weird Journey Stands,” I’d be in earlier than the exclamation level dropped. 

Additionally, is that this the identical boar from earlier than? Discuss a glow-up!

Past any Stand-like shenanigans—known as Shadows within the recreation’s menu—Lords of Exile seems to delight itself on its simplicity. It even goes as far as to incorporate “linear degree design” as a promoting level, actually driving dwelling what makes basic side-scrollers really easy to return to time and time once more. The pacing can be according to the basic ‘Vanias, as our stalwart hero plods alongside at a snail’s tempo in between leaps and slashes. 

When completed proper, these throwback adventures could be simply as memorable because the inspirations behind them. Have a look at the Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon video games, for example, or (hopefully) the upcoming The Transylvania Journey of Simon Quest. The place Lords of Exile slides into the lineup stays to be seen, so we’ll keep watch over it because it heads to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Change, and PC. Within the meantime, you may check out a demo on Steam proper now.