Fantasy Flight Games pulled the plug on Descent: Legends of the Dark last week, but the Terrinoth universe is far from finished. A tactical RPG called Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent is headed to PC, Mac, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S this spring, and there is already a playable demo on Steam.
Developed by Lyon-based Artefacts Studio and published by New Tales, the game is a standalone prequel set one year before Legends of the Dark. Artefacts co-developed Games Workshop's Space Hulk: Tactics, and their tactical RPG The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk earned a cult following, so they know their way around a dungeon. You pick from eight heroes, each fully voiced, and fight through 20 dungeons across a four-chapter campaign. Combat is turn-based and built around positioning, elevation, and line of sight, with multi-character combo attacks that should feel familiar to anyone who has played the board game's app-driven encounters.
The whole thing can be played solo or in online co-op for up to four players. Friends can drop in mid-mission, which is a nice touch for groups who struggle to coordinate schedules.
For Descent fans still processing the board game's cancellation, this softens the blow. FFG was candid in its farewell, saying rising manufacturing costs and expensive app development made Legends of the Dark unsustainable. Act III of the board game campaign is officially dead. But as FFG put it, the Terrinoth universe "is near and dear to our hearts," and this video game is the clearest sign that the setting has a future, even if the cardboard version does not.
The demo is free on Steam right now. If you have ever rolled dice in Terrinoth, it is worth a look.
Sources: Fantasy Flight Games | Steam | RPG Site | Gematsu
