By 2024, my Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hype will probably have died down a little, and that bodes well for Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients, because it's got hack-and-slash Zelda vibes written all over it.
Monolith is an indie action RPG currently in the works by Columbian developer C2 Game Studio and was announced at the ID@Xbox showcase earlier this week. Sadly though, it hasn't been a part of Xbox's Summer Game Demo Fest (that ends tomorrow), which is a shame as combat looks super slick and I'd have loved to try it out.
According to the game's trailer, Monolith takes place in a world called Gliese 1,000 years after a mass extinction "ravaged" civilisation. An ancient and powerful monolith stands tall in Gliese, and no one knows where it came from. As dark forces from the past try to take that power, it's up to us and our hero Astor to fight back against them.
- This open-world game imagines a cartoony Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom where the Master Sword is the Master Shield – it's coming to all platforms and I dig its Steam Next Fest demo
- Inayah – Life After Gods is an anime-inspired, hand-drawn take on Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight, and it's coming to Steam this month
Astor's got a range of weapons including a sword, spear, and hammer. We can also see him use some kind of magic powers and abilities which let him slam enemies in between slabs of rock and create a whirlwind around him. It looks like there'll be some puzzle solving too, so this will definitely be ticking boxes for you if you're a Zelda fan.
Combat focuses on combos and you can choose whether you'd like to fight defensively or offensively using the different weapons and abilities, Xbox shares on its official blog post summarising all the games shown at the ID@Xbox showcase. You'll even be able to switch weapons mid-combo, C2 Game Studio teases on the game's Steam page.
2024 can't come quick enough for me, as someone who loves Zelda and combat that makes me feel powerful. Paired with the diverse and colourful environments to explore, and a funky little guy with a sword? Heck yeah, count me in.
Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients is currently set to release in 2024 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Looking for more indies to play? Here's our list of upcoming indie games for 2023 and beyond.
