Sundered, developer Thunder Lotus' wonderful (and gorgeously animated) Lovecraft-inspired Metroidvania, is currently free to download on the Epic Store.

Sundered - the follow-up to Thunder Lotus' Viking-themed boss-rush adventure Jotun - first emerged from the depths back in 2017, and sees players, cast in the role of Eshe, exploring the labyrinthine underground passageways of a long-forgotten desert ruin, at the behest of a mysterious entity known as the Shining Trapezohedron.

Although Sundered follows a familiar Metroidvania template, gradually opening out as players uncover handy new items and upgrades on their antediluvian adventures, its sprawling subterranean corridors are far from immutable, and the world is subtly rearranged upon death.

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Developer Thunder Lotus has announced that its wonderful Lovecraft-inspired Metroidvania, Sundered, is coming to Xbox One and Switch on December 21st, with a host of new features including co-op.

Thunder Lotus is calling this enhanced version Sundered: Eldritch Edition, as is befitting of the game's Lovecraftian themes. Sundered unfolds far beneath the earth, as protagonist Eshe, at the behest of a entity known as the Shining Trapezohedron, ventures ever-deeper through the labyrinthine, interconnected passageways of a desert ruin. Needless to say, long-lost civilisations, ancient forces, and unspeakable creatures from beyond the veil await.

As with Thunder Lotus' Nordic boss-rush adventure Jotun, Sundered is a beautiful experience - its strange corners and stranger creatures brought to life through hand-drawn, strikingly animated art. Its procedurally generated map, which subtly alters the peripheral parts of the world after each death isn't, admittedly, quite as memorable as those you might find in a more traditionally designed Metroidvania, but areas are distinctive and visually impactful.

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