Tides of Annihilation
A third-person, single-player action-adventure from Eclipse Glow Games, built around fast combo combat, level-based exploration and large boss encounters. Its setting joins a modern London overrun by an invasion from the Otherworld with Avalon, the island of Arthurian myth.
Top 3 Reasons to Play
- A roster that rewrites every combo. Gwendolyn fights with two knights at a time, and the active pair can be swapped partway through a string. One knight bends time to open a gap in the enemy's guard, another exists to close a chain with a single heavy finisher, and the roster runs past a dozen names.
- Colossal Knights as terrain. Mountain-sized knights walk through Greater London. Each one can be fought, but it can also be climbed, and a palace is hidden inside its body.
- Boss fights that change shape. Mordred's duel opens as a sword fight in a vast library and spills outdoors onto a dragon, while the multi-stage Anubis fight is staged on the Scales of Egyptian myth, with barriers to dash through between damage phases. Multiple difficulty settings are available, and phase checkpoints soften repeat attempts.
Story and Lore
London falls without warning. An invasion from the Otherworld, a realm of unknown origin, twists streets and landmarks until the city begins to merge into the Otherworld itself. Gwendolyn lives through the collapse and discovers that a gray Fog answers to her, a power that only King Arthur once commanded. The Fog is what lets her call up the Knights of the Round Table, and it is also consuming London while tearing Avalon apart.
In the first story trailer, Guinevere urges a grieving Gwendolyn to use that power to keep both London and Avalon from annihilation. Gwendolyn's own goal is more personal: she searches for shards of the Holy Grail in order to save her sister and restore the world.
The legend is reworked rather than retold. Famous names such as Lancelot and Guinevere share the stage with lesser-known Round Table knights like Lamorak, Bors and Palamedes, and one boss, Tyronoe, is described as one of Morgan le Fay's eight sisters. The visuals borrow from East Asian ink wash painting to give the ruined city a withered, drained atmosphere. For the British side of the material, the team worked with Tsinghua University's Academy of Arts & Design and visited London sites including the British Museum and Westminster Abbey.
Gameplay and Mechanics
The basic toolkit consists of light and heavy attacks, jumps, dodges and deflects. Many boss attacks flash red or yellow, and the colour signals whether to parry or jump. Wearing down an enemy's stagger bar sets up an execution, and a Burst meter charges toward an ultimate attack. CGMagazine's gamescom preview sets the pace next to Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, and VGC's preview headline calls the game a Bayonetta-like take on British myth.
The knights split into two roles. A main knight changes Gwendolyn's fighting style, while a sub knight contributes utility and support attacks. Two such sets can be configured in advance and swapped on the fly. Knights confirmed in hands-on builds so far:
- Bedivere wields a scythe and charges a gauge for burst attacks.
- Gaheris is quick and wind-based, leaving feathers that strike nearby enemies.
- Palamedes is a charge-based bruiser who also smashes walls and shifts heavy objects out of Gwendolyn's way.
- Gawain teleports to a target, which makes him useful for stretching combos.
- Kay freezes time.
- Bors shoots rope arrows that become ziplines and bolts that cut hanging objects loose.
- Lamorak fights with a spear.
Between fights, the campaign follows a chain of levels. The story stays relatively linear, but each level leaves space to wander off the main route for chests, vines to climb and gaps to zipline across. Folded realms add otherworldly pockets to the mix: in one trailer, Gwendolyn and Lamorak attack Tyronoe from opposite sides of a mirror barrier that has to be shattered before Gwendolyn can step through.
Builds are shaped by swords, armour, Regalia outfits and badges. One hands-on player combined a badge that traded health for life steal with another that boosted the life steal by 25% while blocking potions, and ended up as a reckless brawler.
Characters and Factions
- Gwendolyn: the playable heroine and last human survivor. Her English voice actress describes her as someone who carries heavy self-doubt but keeps pushing forward, motivated by love for her sister and her homeland.
- Guinevere: appears in the aftermath of London's fall and pushes Gwendolyn to accept the Fog.
- Mordred: the white-haired antagonist who mirrors Gwendolyn's appearance.
- Lancelot: introduced in the story trailer as a knight Gwendolyn can summon.
- Niniane: a companion who tends to blurt out puzzle solutions during the demo.
Two camps divide the conflict. On Gwendolyn's side are the spectral Knights of the Round Table, each fitted to a combat role that ranges from vanguard charges to steady defence and explosive burst damage. Against them stand the invaders from the Otherworld and the demi-gods of Avalon, the targets of her vengeance and, according to the studio, the obstacle between her family and safety.
Editions
No editions have been announced: no standard and deluxe split, no bonus tiers and no DLC.
PC System Requirements
No system requirements have been published.