After reaching over 120,000 players on Steam with an action RPG, the studio behind Wolcen is now working on a new game. This combines hack-and-slash gameplay like in Diablo with… the extraction mechanics of Escape from Tarkov?
Which game is being referred to? The game with the project name Pantheon is an ARPG with extraction elements. So you can picture it as a mix of Diablo and one of the many extraction games that Escape from Tarkov has produced.
The Project Pantheon is developed by the makers of Wolcen. Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem is an action-RPG from 2020 that had over 120,000 simultaneous players on Steam at launch – which it quickly lost within a few months.
You can see a teaser for the game here:
What is known about the game? Aside from the setting and the novel genre mix that the developers call “ExtrAction RPG”, not much is known about Project Pantheon yet.
- In the post-apocalyptic world of Pantheon, the mythologies of various cultures once coexisted – including those of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Vikings.
- With the death of the gods, the world was plunged into chaos, and death takes on the task of saving the world – with your help.
First gameplay from the “ExtrAction RPG” in summer
The secrecy in marketing leads to frustration for many.
- RickBomhof writes under the latest teaser (via YouTube): “Forget these lyric video-style ‘teasers’ – show us gameplay or explain your plan!”
The developers respond directly to this comment, clarifying that players won’t have to wait too long for gameplay:
Our goal is to reveal the gameplay of Project Pantheon this summer – as soon as it’s ready to be shown.
Wolcen Studio
The journey begins in your base, a hidden fortress. There, you prepare for your excursions into the different maps of the game. Each of these maps is supposed to offer unique objectives and valuable loot – typical for an ARPG, which often places a high value on loot.
However, as is common in an extraction game, you lose your loot if you die in a level. Every trip into the world outside your fortress carries a high risk.
The developers emphasize that they want to involve their community strongly in the development of the game. The upcoming alpha test is one way the developers want to collect feedback from the community. You can register for this alpha test at pantheon.firstlook.gg.
Extraction games are currently back in trend – much to the annoyance of many players. Even a developer says that Escape from Tarkov (the game that started it all) has caused the industry “irreparable damage”. You can read more about it here: “Has caused irreparable damage to the gaming industry” – developer says a shooter is to blame for us not getting Bloodborne 2
