Explore a vast open world and crawl through dungeons in first person, then fight tactical turn-based battles from a top-down perspective. Guide your adventuring party through Archaelund, mankind's last frontier, and uncover its many secrets.
All Reviews:
Very Positive (242) - 85% of the 242 user reviews for this game are positive.
Release Date:
Jan 8, 2024
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Early Access Game

Get instant access and start playing; get involved with this game as it develops.

Note: This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“Because the feedback will make the game much better. We have a very dedicated and active community and group of testers, and the EA content has been thoroughly tested and adjusted, but before embarking in the completion and release of such a vast game we want to know what the players think, and how fun the game is to them.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Our priority is making the game as good as it can get, and make it huge, so we have no dates set in stone. But we do have a detailed roadmap, which you can check to know more details about what is coming and when.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

  • The Early Access version will include a small portion of the whole planned geographical areas.
  • Some of the already available areas might be improved during development.
  • The Early Access version covers the character progression up to a limited level, based on the available content at the time.
  • Many more Advanced Careers and playable races are planned, as moving into new Careers is an important part of the character development once mid and high levels are reached.
  • The first Early Access release only includes the first chapter of the Main Quest.

You can find more up-to-date details in the Discussions section.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“It includes all the core mechanics of Archaelund. Plenty of races and careers, dozens of spells and talents, and character progression up to level 4. It features the initial chapter of Archaelund's main quest, plus a large region to explore freely with plenty of side-quests, dialogues, challenges and secrets. While the main quest first chapter can be concluded in about four hours, exploring the whole content should take around 15-20 hours.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We will gradually raise the price during the Early Access stage, as we add content and features.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“By listening to the players. Player feedback is the most valuable resource in game development, and is also the main reason we release an Early Access game instead of calmly proceeding to complete the game by ourselves. We are aware no matter how much thought and work we put into a game, the interaction with players and listening to their opinion is essential to reach the full potential of Archaelund.”
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About This Game

Archaelund is a roleplaying game with deep classic roots but also exciting innovations to bring you the ultimate adventure.

  • Exploration as you remember it: you can play Archaelund your own way. Take your party of adventurers through a vast open world and explore as you wish, find awesome secrets and run into unexpected trouble, get involved in conflicts or just pursue your own goals and discover what lies beyond the horizon.
  • Unique dual perspective: just as the best classics did, you'll be able to explore the world of Archaelund in immersive first-person, wondering what lies behind each corner of the dungeon. When combat starts, the view seamlessly changes to top-down perspective, and you'll issue orders to your party, placing them over a battle grid to face your enemies in a deeply strategic turn-based combat.
  • Deep and engaging character progression: a career-based system will have your characters start out as street ruffians, squires, hunters or even beggars; later on you can move into new career, including advanced ones like Knight, Loreseeker, Assassin or Battlemage. A character might leave behind its humble origins, but those days might bring in unique talents to your advantage!
  • Deadly battles with a focus on strategy: a non-inflationist, bounded system will ensure that every battle matters, and every opponent is scary. When your characters advance in levels, you'll gain new tactical options to defeat your enemies, not just increased numbers.
  • An expansive world, handcrafted in detail: Archaelund is big enough to lose yourself in; yet everywhere you go you'll meet people to talk to, unique quests to complete, mysteries to solve and, of course, battles to fight and treasures to loot.

Background: the Fall and the Exile


The Andorian Empire united the whole human race under the same proud banner for millenia, until a magical cataclysm brought the Horrors from another world. The Empire and most of the human race was annihilated in just a few days; only a few hundred ships could escape to the savage island of Varannar, a distant imperial colony beyond the western ocean. The refugees endured the hardships and tried to rebuild their old civilization, but never again stood united under the Imperial banner.

The newly founded Exiled Kingdoms bore the scars of the Fall, each of them in a different way. Varsilia, the mightiest and noblest of the Kingdoms, became grotesquely obsessed over Imperial history and preserving its traditions. Ilmarans turned into fanatical zealots of a new faith, while in Thuram, the remnants of the Imperial Wizards established a magocracy that disregards all matters except the arcane, and quickly declined into endogamy. On the west, the Kingdom of Mercia had emerged from the surviving Imperial Legions, establishing a nightmarish rule based on slavery and arbitrary discipline.

The four Kingdoms held irreconcilable views and ambitions, and locked together in a small and hostile land as they were, they often plotted against each other or even clashed openly in the battlefield. It seemed as if a perpetual cycle of war, famine and misery would become mankind's unavoidable fate.

Archaelund, mankind's new frontier


The future of the Kingdoms, however, brightened up generations later when a sea route to the old continent of Andoria was discovered, and it was proved that the Horrors were no more. Most of the old continent appeared to be an uninhabitable wasteland, but finally a vast and fertile coastal region was found: Archaelund.

For the first time in a long time humanity left aside the old grudges and obsessions and looked up to the future. Expeditions were arranged, and thousands of colonists, soldiers, adventurers and rogues embarked to Archaelund. The promises of land, riches and Imperial relics excited the imagination and ambition of thousands, from mere farmers to noble second-sons.

The re-colonization of Archaelund went on but the Exiles had to face many obstacles they had not foreseen. The Horrors may be no more, but they left behind a scarred world where eldritch energies and warped monsters roam the lands, and imperial ruins are often an unpredictable arcane hazard. Conflict between the Kingdoms is still very alive, and to make things worse, a subterranean race called the Geldryn (once slaves to the Andorian Empire) now aspires to inherit the surface world, and raise against the Exiles with increasing might.

Despite all the dangers, Archaelund is still a land of adventure and opportunity. Just like many others before, your party of adventurers has finally saved up enough money to embark and sail East. The Silver Star has crossed the Andor Sea for two weeks, when you catch the first glimpse of the ancient land of your ancestors, unimpressed by its mundane visage. Little you suspect that, very soon, you're going to get involved in a plot that traces back to the terror of the final days of the Empire, and now threatens to destroy the remnants of civilization...

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

Violence: violence is non-explicit; during combat, small splashes of blood may be seen from a distance, but no wounds or gore are present.

Sexual Acts: there are no depiction or sexual acts in the game. A minority of characters may wear very light clothing, revealing or even topless. During dialogues, there can be mentions to prostitution or drug use, although they are not depicted explicitly nor take place during gameplay.

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 or later (64 bit)
    • Processor: Intel Core i5 or equivalent
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: GeForce GTX 1060 / Radeon RX570
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Storage: 30 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: SSD required
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 or later (64 bit)
    • Processor: Intel Core i5 or equivalent
    • Memory: 16 GB RAM
    • Graphics: GeForce RTX 2060 / Radeon RX5700
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Storage: 30 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: SSD required

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