Emberville, which will soon enter Early Access on Steam, is considered a mix of Stardew Valley and Diablo 4. It was the farming sim aspect that impressed MeineMMO editor Jasmin so much that she looked forward to the interview with the developers. However, they tempered her anticipation for now, as the game has almost nothing to do with Stardew Valley.
When I first saw images of Emberville, it seemed to me like there was a Stardew Valley with lots of combat behind it. There are scenes where the main character cultivates a field and fishes, but also slays tons of monster hordes. Overall, it looks totally cute, aside from the combat scenes.
I hadn’t formed a clear picture yet. It seemed to me that the game could be a somewhat more action-oriented farming simulation. The pixel graphics contributed to its cuteness.
However, during the conversation with Brynjar Gigja (CEO / Game Director), Alex Jordan (Voice Acting Director), and CohhCarnage (YouTuber / Creative Director), I realized that I had completely misjudged the game and that it is actually more for fans of Diablo 4.
Dark Fantasy meets Stardew Valley, but not quite
In Emberville, the main character awakens without memories in the Vitromotus. This is an endless magical underground prison where death is no longer final. The goal is to escape this darkness and uncover the secret of a mysterious energy called Kymia, which is driven by emotions.
In the depths of the prison, we meet other survivors. If we rescue them, they teach us new crafting skills in return and help rebuild the destroyed hometown of Emberville. Over time, the town grows into a vibrant place.
What sets the game apart from the dark atmosphere of Stardew Valley is the combat and class system. The game offers action-oriented fights with various weapons and combos. There is a flexible class system where we can switch between different combat classes at any time with the push of a button and combine abilities.
In our conversation, the developers revealed that there will be five classes at the beginning of Early Access. Three of them are really classic, and every RPG veteran should know them: namely Mage, Shooter, and Knight. There are also two special ones they didn’t want to reveal yet. By the full release, there should be over 15 different classes that can be switched at the push of a button.
Apart from the quick class switch, it is also possible to wildly combine skills. You can choose your base class but add the skills of other classes to generate subclasses. Particularly in the late game, these can become very specific.
As if that weren’t enough, each class can be combined with all weapons. For example, a mage can walk around with a two-handed sword. You just have to accept that certain skills or passive abilities may be lost in the process. Additionally, the many options through equipment reminded me strongly of Diablo 4 and other veterans from the genre.
The Hunt for Loot
When I asked the developers in which areas players can satisfy their grind lust, they replied that a motivating goal of the game is to collect certain armor sets with special effects. There are several rare drops that can be looted from bosses or enemies in the world. These bosses can also respawn.
In Emberville, there is supposed to be RNG-Crafting. This stands for Random Number Generator, meaning the outcome of crafting relies heavily on chance. You never know 100% beforehand which equipment piece you will get when crafting.
The items can have random stats, a random rarity, or random bonus effects. This keeps players motivated to create the ultimate gear they desire for the game. It should feel rewarding for players when hunting for the perfect armor set. The developers cited Terraria as inspiration.
Another strong feature that sets the game apart from others is that players must earn the quality-of-life features. At the beginning, items can only be picked up one at a time; later, you can pick up multiple at once, and eventually, there is an autopick that automatically collects all dropped items.
Even with inventory organization, there are improvements over time that players must earn.
It is also particularly great that there is complete voice acting, which the developers placed a lot of importance on. This makes the experience even more immersive.
When the developers said that the original idea was to create a dark Stardew Valley focused on combat, I immediately understood the analogy. The main part of the game is spent slaying hordes of enemies, and the atmosphere feels very oppressive in trailers. The farming is only a side aspect, and so far, there are no romances for which farming simulations are known.
As much as my first impression misled me, I was still impressed. For my part, I will definitely check out Emberville, even if it has little in common with farming simulations. Because one can still interact with the inhabitants and unlock fresh features by rescuing new characters.
If you are fans of Diablo 4 and have always wanted to play such a title in a dark pixel art design, Emberville might be just the right game for you. Otherwise, you might like another game on Steam if you prefer survival games: A survival game on Steam has been captivating me for 150 hours, allowing me to collect villagers like Pokémon
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