Archvale launches on December 2, so shoot slimes and pick plums with the demo today

by Quinton O'Connor on 15 November, 2021

At E3 2021, publisher Humble Games and developer Idoz blew the lid off of Archvale, a bullet-hell RPG slated to release on December 2. It was a pretty good time, with a gameplay trailer offering a tantalizing tease of the unique experience awaiting us.

As we draw closer to Archvale's launch, Humble Games is working hard to ensure the game is not forgotten amid the industry's busiest time of year. In addition to a brand new demo, which just so happens to be free for a limited time on Humble Store, a whopping ten minutes of gameplay footage has arrived featuring two bosses, a pair of towns, and the acquisition of the first archstone.

As the name implies, archstones are key to Archvale's adventure — that mysterious voice at the start of the demo makes it a point to contact a child, beckoning them to find all seven. Despite the fact that, you know, there are myriad bloodthirsty monsters along the way.

A child. Honestly, mysterious voices these days.

Weapons are welcome finds in any RPG, but in Archvale, you'll be on the lookout not just for higher attack stats but shot patterns. When the world around you becomes a bullet hell, the only thing for it is to bullet hell the world right on back.

Personally, I'm more interested in the magic-working chef who requests Mega Plums. He tosses them into what can only be described as "red soup" and out pops a character upgrade. Good dude.

An overview:

KEY FEATURES:

PLAY YOUR WAY - Augment the character via badges, allowing players to create a build that suits their playstyle.

MASTERY IS KEY - Skill-based bullet hell combat will put players' weapons of choice to the test and require precision and speed to succeed

BUILD ARSENAL - Players can craft over 200 weapons and armor using items gathered from the environment and from slaying enemies.

EXPLORE THE WORLD - Encounter a host of enemies across diverse environments and classic-inspired dungeons in an ever changing map where players will find unique resources needed to complete their journey.

DISCOVER THE TRUTH - Uncover the dark lore of the world on the quest to unearth the arch to the fabled world of Archvale

Archvale arrives on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and the Humble Store on December 2. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can look forward to the game being added to their ever-expanding library on Day 1.