Choose your hero and defeat the guardians of the Sanctora Mountain, as you attempt to reach the mountaintop and dethrone Abidan, a ruthless demigod cult leader. In a familiar rogue-lite manner, dying is part of progression, granting you new game mechanics, playable characters, skills, and weapons.
Recent Reviews:
Very Positive (97) - 100% of the 97 user reviews in the last 30 days are positive.
All Reviews:
Very Positive (198) - 96% of the 198 user reviews for this game are positive.
Release Date:
Oct 30, 2024
Developer:
Publisher:

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Early Access Game

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

Note: Games in Early Access are 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?

“As we develop Heretical, we also actively play it, having each of us invest hundreds of hours to actually play the game. And we love it! That being said, we're not making Heretical only for ourselves, but for the players worldwide as well. That's why we decided to involve the community early on during the development and see what they think of the game. It turned out that player feedback is invaluable and the main driving force for future updates.

With Early Access, we would like to expand that community and ensure their involvement in Heretical's progress, giving us a chance to make it the best game it can possibly be.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We expect Early Access development of Heretical to continue during 2025. We don't have a specific end date for our Early Access at this time, but we estimate the v1.0 release to be somewhere during the summer of 2025.”

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

“Comparing to the Early Access version of Heretical, in the full version of the game we'd like to have more playable regions, unlockable characters, bosses, enemies, prophecies, skills, unique items, and quests.

Throughout the development process, we have created numerous custom tools that allow us to generate new content fairly quickly. That's why we hope we'll be able to double the amount of current content until we reach the v1.0 version.

As far as the core gameplay is concerned, we'd like to keep it mostly the same, with some potential polishing and refinement. Ultimately, until we reach the full release, we hope we'll be able to offer more character build variety, extended gameplay time, and additional creative ways to experience the game.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“At this point, the Early Access version offers over 20 hours of gameplay, where players have 5 regions to explore, 70 prophecies to complete, 8 characters to unlock, 30 unique skills to learn, and 7 bosses to defeat.

While the game is relatively stable, there are also various bugs and exploits we're actively resolving. Our goal is to keep the Early Access version of Heretical constantly updated with relevant bug fixes, balancing improvements, and new content. This way, our community will be able to provide feedback as we move on from phase to phase,”

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

“During Early Access, the game will be available at a lower price as a thank-you to all the players who decided to support Heretical early on. Once we reach the full release, the price will increase for the new players from that point forward.”

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

“We actively monitor our Steam Community threads and Discord server and engage with players in discussions about new features, game balance, and upcoming changes. The community is a vital part of Heretical's development, and we’re committed to keeping it that way.

We encourage players to report any issues they encounter, and we really love to hear all the suggestions and feedback. Ultimately, all that input truly helps shape the game in the end.”
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LET'S TALK ABOUT HERETICAL

NOTE TO STREAMERS: We're always open to join the chat and provide some more insight on Heretical

(the Discord invite link is in the menu to the right) =>

About This Game

Heretical is a Rogue-lite Action RPG with Soulslike elements, set in a medieval dark fantasy world of Aelyndor where dying is part of the progression. With deep RPG mechanics, engaging narrative, and countless custom character builds, each run offers a unique experience.

DEMO vs. EARLY ACCESS CONTENT

NOTE: The Playtime category relates to the time needed to fulfill all the available Prophecies.

EARLY ACCESS ROADMAP

Major content updates bring new regions of Sanctora, playable characters, bosses, item tiers, prophecies, and skills.

MAIN FEATURES

  • Unlockable Characters: Heretical entices the players to unlock new characters, each with a unique set of skills and proficiencies.

  • Level-Up Mechanics: The streamlined level-up system lets players quickly choose which skill to acquire or upgrade, providing for a seamless gameplay.

  • Custom Character Builds: The variety of the character’s main stats, additional perks, collected items, and acquired skills, brings endless customization options.

  • Randomized Items: Countless different weapons and gear pieces allow for a unique build in every run.

  • Prophecy Cards: An achievement system, allowing the player to unlock new game mechanics, skills, and items.

  • Well of Stars: Enables the player to further improve their character’s skills and perks, adding variety to the unique builds.

  • Boss Fights: To progress through the game, the player needs to defeat multiple bosses, each with its own skill set.

NEVER THE SAME EXPERIENCE TWICE

Although the world of Heretical is based on linear progression, no two play runs are ever the same. Through random item drops, multitude of skill combinations, and different play styles of each of the heroes, Heretical offers countless variations to the way you venture up to the top of Sanctora Mountain.

WELCOME TO SANCTORA MOUNTAIN

Sanctora Mountain, the crown jewel of Aelyndor, now exsists in isolation, locked away from the rest of the world. Its ruler, the mighty Abidan, presides over the remaining populace with an iron fist, making sure he retains control over the Sanctorite mines - the source of all magic.

At the same time, a mysterious entity stands cursed and bound to a crumbling church, a reminder of the lost faith. There, he offers guidance to heroes who enter this world looking for absolution.

HEROES OF SANCTORA

To enter Abidan's realm, first you have to choose one of the heroes and guide them from the Sanctuary of the Forlorn to the gates of Sanctora Manor. On this path, you'll encounter powerful bosses who will test your acquired skills to their very limits.

Should you fail, use that as a lesson for the next encounter, as well as an opportunity to help your hero permanently unlock powerful skills and unique weapons.

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

AI-generated artwork used for depicting each of the Prophecy Cards that serve as an in-game achievement system.

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 or newer, 64-bit
    • Processor: Intel Core i3-6100 / AMD FX-8350
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: GTX 580 / AMD HD 7870
    • Storage: 1 GB available space
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 or newer, 64-bit
    • Processor: Intel Core i5-4670K / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: GTX 1050 / AMD HD 7970
    • Storage: 2 GB available space

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