Summary
For fans ofThe Elder Scrollsand immersive open-world RPGs, the wait forElder Scrolls VIfeels endless. While some game studios have attempted to fill the void, none have quite captured the magic of Bethesda’s iconic fantasy series. However, in recent years, indie studios have taken the challenge upon themselves.
Ardenfall,a highly ambitious RPG from Spellcast Studio, is set to launch in early access sometime in 2025. With its focus on player freedom, immersive world-building, and a richly detailed fantasy setting, it promises to be a spiritual successor toMorrowind. Based on the 2022 demo and the tantalizing previews that the developers have shown off so far, there is plenty for fans ofThe Elder Scrollsto get excited about.
7Player Freedom, Choice, And Consequence
World-Changing Decisions And Faction Reputation
Besides having a plethora of character creation options (race, hair, horns, beards, interests, traits, tattoos, and more) and build options (fighter, mage, thief, or a mix), Spellcast has underlined the importance ofnarrative choice and consequencein their sandbox RPG. As well asThe Elder Scrolls(specificallyMorrowind), Spellcast Studio has stated thatArdenfallis heavily inspired byFallout: New Vegas, an RPG famous for its long-term reactivity, build-agnostic quest design, and multiple endings.
This means there will be more than one way to complete a quest, but players should expect to deal with the consequences of their actions in big and small ways. For example, the Imperial occupants of the starting town, Akaga, will ask the player to help fix the magical beacon in their lighthouse, which helps bring in trade and strengthens the empire’s grip on the town. Repairing the beacon boosts the town’s economy, but destroying it helps the indigenous crafters and fishermen but at the cost of the town’s prosperity.
6A Clear Focus On Immersion And Atmosphere
The Sights, Sounds, And Songs Of Ardenfell
The Elder Scrollsseries owes much of its success to its meticulous attention to detail: desk clutter, faction banners, armor variations, home decor, and countless other elements that breathe life into its world, and Spellcast has understood this implicitly with their self-described “condensed” open world, which features a world alive beyond the player and their business.Ardenfallis set to feature 530 voice lines from a large cast for barks and greetings, although the trade-off is that dialogue will be text only.
This compromise has the advantage of allowing for extensive and reactive dialogue trees while instilling the world with immersive soundbites. Speaking of sounds,The Elder Scrollsis famous for its soundtracks, which add as much to their success as the worlds and lore.Ardenfall’s music was thoughtfully built to capture the mystery and heroism of scouting a dangerous and beautiful world in mind: peaceful melodies in times of travel, and brash and bombastic tracks in times of tension.
5A Lurid, Exotic Landscape (Akin To Vvardenfell) To Explore
Moving Beyond Tolkienesque Fantasy
When it comes to fantasy settings, it is difficult to find that sweet spot between intimidatingly alien, which can put off those who crave a sense of relatability, and exhaustingly generic, which can easily switch off those tired of the Tolkienesque world of meadows, forests, and medieval European castles. LikeMorrowind’s Vvardenfell, which managed to blend surreal sights with a few familiar medieval fantasy tropes,Ardenfall’s aesthetics blend the familiar with the strangely wondrous.
The island’sAsian-inspired architecture and cultureare mixed with some psychedelic-looking geography and novel customs to produce a world that seems simultaneously inviting and intriguingly surreal. To help bring players up to speed with lore, dialogue windows helpfully provide tooltips for any weird lore tidbits, ensuring that newcomers can quickly get up to speed with the world’s intricacies.
4Hand-Crafted Cultures Brimming With Character
Dynamic NPC Schedules And Reactive Dialogue That Respects Player Choice
Like inOblivionandSkyrim,Ardenfall’sNPCs follow dynamic schedulesto follow. Villagers will work, sleep, socialize at the local inn, and go on short pilgrimages out of town.Ardenfallalso uses dialogue as a way to follow up on the choices that the player has made previously. For example, players can influence a villager or trader by impressing them with high skill levels in a dialogue check, dressing well, or completing personal favors. Every NPC will be swayed differently.
For example, nobles may be swayed by the finest silk and good hygiene. However, farmers will care far more about the player’s work ethic and will look well upon their dirty visage. The player’s race, stats, traits, reputation, equipped items, and even the weather may change the flow of a conversation, encouraging roleplay. Players will have the ability to lie, manipulate, or take the high road during dialogue. Of course, NPCs will remember the player’s personal favors (completing their quests) or recognize their status if they are well-favored by a local faction.
3The Spellcasting Freedom And Potential Of Morrowind
Free Access To Wild, Game-Breaking Magic
Giving players godlike powers (such as flight) is a quick way to throw a game’s balance, especially those with an open world. However, a big part of thefun in sandbox games is breaking them. Anyone who made it a little way out ofMorrowind’s delightful starter town will recall collecting the “Scrolls of Icarian Flight” from the unfortunate mage who let his ambitions get ahead of him. These scrolls could be used to launch the player into the stratosphere, usually with a hilariously fatal outcome.
Ardenfall’s early access trailer showcases the player chugging a potion with a similar effect, launching them into the sky to the caption, “Every Rule Breakable.” That’s a clear signal that Spellcast Studios has no problem letting mages mess themselves up with irresponsible magic use.Ardenfallwill feature an alchemy system powered by ingredients found scattered across the world that can produce more than a minor statistical buff for advanced users.
2A Power Over Life And Death
Charm, Kill, And Necromance NPCs
Being able to kill in a video game is hardly impressive, but being able to kill NPCs that were meticulously crafted with extensive dialogue and intricate quest links is something special.Morrowindfamously dropped the player the “With this character’s death, the thread of prophecy has been severed” message. FromOblivionon,Elder Scrollsfans were restricted from killing just anyone.
However,Ardenfallis expected to join the exclusive club of games that allow players tokill every NPC in the gamewith its promise that “Any living being can be slain.” Once killed, with the right spell, mages will be able to take the bodies of their victims and turn them into undead minions to fight by their side. Of course, murder will not be looked upon kindly, and the law will likely come down hard against would-be assassins or slayers.
1Putting Players In Charge Of Their Adventure
A Focus On Environmental Storytelling And Hidden Depth
Eschewing quest markers and excessive hand-holding,Ardenfallemphasizes exploration and discovery and puts the player in charge of their destiny. For example, the game features a “ring of interest” on the map to guide players who are truly lost to their destination, but beyond that, there are no floating quest markers. As every NPC home is enterable, it is possible to steal anything, butArdenfall’s bounty system means thieves will have to pay the price with blood or jail time if they slip up, and “hot” items may not be so easy to fence.
Rather than everyone treating the player like their new best friend, NPCs will only divulge information to trusted acquaintances, meaning the player will first need to get on their good side by impressing them (or hitting them with a charm spell). In step withElder Scrollstradition, there will be a ton of readable books for players to dig into (or completely ignore), as well as many hidden dungeons and treasures to stumble upon across the landscape, providing endless distraction while crossing from one corner of the map to the other.
Ardenfall is currently in development and is set to be released into early access later in 2025.
