Graphical fidelity and realistic art styles have become hallmarks of the modern gaming experience. Developers today often prioritize systems like DLSS and FSR – technologies that, while revolutionary, introduce challenges for the industry. These systems allow games to be stripped of unique identity and charm, all in the pursuit of more visually stunning experiences. This trend has led many AAA games to feel similar and lacking in originality. Indie games, on the other hand, tend to avoid this issue by focusing on the presentation and unique feel of their games, as demonstrated in Eduard Permyakov’s recent RTS title, EVERGLORY. With its newly released demo currently still available following Steam Fest, the game fully showcases a unique and whimsical art style, that is unlike any other.
The first thing players will notice as soon as they launch the game is the artwork and the music. Both of which perfectly set the tone of the game. The art evokes a mystical feeling with its late medieval style, and the music all but enhances that feeling. While these aspects are mostly not that important in the grander scheme of things for an RTS. In this case, both are vital to understanding the core appeal of the game. And as far as comparisons to RTS classics go the game has none, resulting in a truly fresh experience.
The demo features three different scenarios that showcase the game’s strengths and the technical prowess of the fully open-source Permafrost Engine. The first scenario showcases the massive fights players can partake in. With the game allowing players to control a vast army of a thousand individual units. It also introduces the players to the limited roster of the units for the demo. With units ranging from normal warriors to massive hulking iron beasts called Yardra Walkers. Also, did I mention you play as mythological medieval Slavs fighting against nomadic Orcs and technologically superior Teutonic Knights? No? Well, you can.
As for the other two scenarios of the game, in my opinion, they need more work done on them before release, but they are the perfect example of the game’s potential, as one focuses on wave-style town defence. The other is what I can simply describe as an RPG fable following the epic journey of Blagostrazh in an RTS format. The developer Eduard Permyakov also encourages players to mod the game as it uses the popular Python language as its base, opening the gates for modders to take the base game and create their own rendition of fantasy upon it.
Now while I have given the game a lot of praise, some things need to be improved before a full release. Key amongst them is optimization, as the game with all units loaded on the map lags a lot. Not enough to be unplayable, but still, it is quite noticeable. Also, some of the enemy units need a bit of rebalancing to be fairer. But things like these are sure to be ironed out before release, as the developer Eduard Permyakov keeps players updated on the game’s development on his YouTube channel and Discord server. So, if you want to experience a Slavic medieval RTS game this Steam Fest then do be sure to give EVERGLORY a shot.
