The Unliving Preview

• Platforms: Steam
• Price: 16.99
• Release Date: November 7, 2022 (Early Access)
• Genre: Action RPG, Roguelike
• Developer: RocketBrush Studio
• Publisher: Team17

Intro

Heya folks, Shaun here, and I’m back with my latest preview! In this one, I’m covering an in development indie game called The Unliving, by RocketBrush Studio, and Team17. A big thank you goes out to the developer and publisher for the chance to preview the game, it’s much appreciated, thank you!

About the Game:

The Unliving is a hybrid action RPG with roguelike elements. The game follows a being known only as The Necromancer, as he pieces together what happened to him during a summoning ritual that went awry.

The game honestly reminds me of a mix between Lovecraft’s Untold Stories, and a game called Sea Salt. The major difference between this one and those games is the fact that in The Unliving, you play as a Necromancer instead of fighting, or being, an elder god.

The game largely revolves around fighting against a large group of peasants who have banded together to destroy you and your legions of undead. You start each run with only a few units, but as you defeat enemies, you’ll be able to raise them from the dead to bolster your army.

Right now, the game only has one major area to play through, due to it being in active development still. There are also only 2 major bosses for you to defeat right now as well.

The game itself is quite challenging, and it’ll definitely take you more than a few tries to map out the area, and choose the best skills for your playstyle. As you explore the world, there’ll be items left in certain locations, these grant The Necromancer new powers.

Skills use the remains of your enemies such as skulls, bones, and blood, and if there’s none in the immediate area, you’ll be unable to cast them. Nothing goes to waste in this game.

Overall, The Unliving has been a really fun game, and don’t let its mixed reviews on Steam fool you, it’s not that bad. I personally enjoyed it, but I also have a penchant for playing Necromancers in RPGs, so that likely helped in my enjoyment of the game. I imagine many might find the game a bit repetitive, but it’s a rogue-like with perma-death, so, par for the course there. If you’ve enjoyed Lovecraft’s Untold Stories, or Sea Salt, then you’ll enjoy this game as well.