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Paraglacial, a tiny 12-person Austrian studio, has unveiled a proper look at Fatekeeper with an uncut eight-minute gameplay showcase that finally answers the question: what does this thing actually play like? Turns out it's a first-person action RPG with weighty melee combat, elemental magic, and environmental exploration that feels somewhere between Dark Souls and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.
The eight-minute footage drops players into crumbling fortress ruins perched high in the mountains, which is appropriately atmospheric, with overgrown stonework, dangling banners, and that "everything here wants to murder you" vibe that fantasy RPGs do so well. The preview showcases encounters with Shortlings, goblin-like creatures lurking throughout the ruins, alongside hints at a more formidable warrior enemy who's apparently set up camp somewhere in the depths.
One thing that I immediately spotted is that the combat looks deliberately paced rather than some frantic button-mashing action. Sword swings have genuine heft, enemies don't politely wait their turn to attack, and positioning matters when you're outnumbered in tight corridors. It's clearly drawing inspiration from Souls-like design philosophy with punishing combat where carelessness gets you killed quickly.
Jack of all trades Druid
Players will get to control a Druid who can handle blades, axes, and various melee weapons competently, whilst also commanding elemental magic like fire and presumably other elements we haven't seen yet, for ranged attacks and area control.
The interesting bit is build flexibility. Paraglacial emphasises players can spec the Druid toward close-quarters brawling, focusing on weapon mastery and melee dominance, or lean heavily into spellcasting for elemental bombardment from safer distances. I'm already keen on this.
Tiny Team, Big Ambitions
Fatekeeper represents Paraglacial's debut project, which makes the visual fidelity and mechanical complexity on display rather impressive for a dozen people. The game was initially revealed during THQ Nordic's August 2025 showcase but remained somewhat mysterious until this extended gameplay look.
This cohesive, polished gameplay suggests Paraglacial know what they're doing, and I can't wait to see more in the future.
Fatekeeper doesn't have a release date yet, but it's available to wishlist on Steam for players interested in following development. Given the gameplay shown feels reasonably polished, a 2026 launch wouldn't be unreasonable speculation - though as always with indie projects, "it's done when it's done" applies.
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