Die. Gather. Craft. Survive. Die again. Unlock new stuff. And try it all over again. That’s the basic premise of An Ankou, where players will explore haunted lands and become a servant of death. The whole ushering people to the end thing was done really well with Spiritfarer (seriously, play it if you haven’t – it’s no exaggeration to say that it’s life-changing) but instead of being cozy An Ankou is a fast-paced action roguelike. And it will be released in early access this month, with consistent updates planned in the near future.
Death is not the end, and you’ve been chosen as the Ankou, a servant of Death who aids lost souls using the tools of your previous trade. There will be three playable classes by September: the Soldier, the Apothecary, and the Nun; at launch, it appears as though the Soldier and the Apothecary will be available (I say this because the Soldier isn’t on the game’s roadmap). With each run, a newly dead person takes not the role of the Ankou; each new version gives you access to new weapons and abilities as you dispatch unruly remains.
Explore a haunted open environment, scavenge resources, and craft equipment. There are random events scattered across the map and optional challenges to tackle. Use a scythe to harvest wood, plants, and metals, or hunt dangerous beasts for precious components. Challenges will begin with a handful of creatures to defeat, but soon there will be waves of hundreds as well as powerful bosses.
There are multiple game modes, with game durations between 15 minutes and an hour. There are four different control schemes: two sticks, one stick, one stick with auto-aim, and mouse and keyboard.
The developer has also released its 2023 update roadmap. All three currently planned updates include new enemies and challenges. On the early access release date, a new playable class called the Apothecary will be available, including two weapons, two sets of armour, and new items. There will also be a new random map and difficulty modifiers (yay!). The first patch comes in early September and promises new currently and merchant NPC. In Mid-September comes the second patch with a new playable class (the nun), against with two weapons, two sets of armour, an new items; there will also be new events. There is more planned for before the year’s end, including new maps and biomes, new boss fights, two new playable classes with the Hunter and the Cook, and a new game mode called Demon Hunter. Basically, while in early access it appears that the game will receive really consistent updates, promised to happen every two weeks.
Developed by Alkemi and published by PID Games, An Ankou will be released in early access for PC via Steam on August 17.
