New game Darkborn is going to make a monster out of you

Posted on April 4, 2019

Remember the last time that you played an RPG; Skyrim, Dragon Age, WoW and so on, and you were in desperate need of a resource. That resource could only be found with one particular creature, a monster if you will. You obviously need that for your quest to continue so you hunt down a pack of that monster and you farm that resource through wanton bloodshed without a second thought. Well Darkborn, a debut release from The Outsiders, wants to subvert your power fantasy by putting you in the skin of the hunted, and then gives you the tools to rise up against your tormentors.

The monster pup of Darkborn

Previously titled Project Wight the now revealed Darkborn comes from some of the ex developers on Battlefield and PayDay titles. Set in a fantasy Viking era you will take control of a monster that invokes imagery of Grendel, a monstrous beast from the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf. Starting as a pup you will watch as the local human hunters track down your kin for torture, sacrifice and blood ritual, prompting you to embark on a classic revenge story.

In a 16 minute gameplay reveal, brought to us by IGN, we watch as the creature takes its first kill to grow into a much more imposing figure. As you navigate the hostile environment you’ll come across your pack, either dying or already deceased. Taking a tender moment with each offers you their ancestral knowledge to unlock deadly skills called “Death Gifts” as they empower you to seek justice. These range from a vicious bite, a projectile thorn from your arm, a violent whip tendril and many we are yet to see. All of these coming together for bloody combat as you gauge out eyes, dismember and rip out the still beating hearts or the Vikings who have made sport of your destruction.

Inspired by the likes of Bambi and King Kong, Darkborn looks to point a mirror at the brutality of man against a creature that has been pulled into a power struggle that it cannot comprehend. While there is certainly an aspect of dominance to the creature it is certainly framed as one of necessity as opposed to the monstrosity of joy found within carnage.

With no release window specified yet the 25 person team based in Stockholm are coming along nicely for a PC release with a console release not confirmed but most likely shortly after. Until then we can at least let this family of monsters sleep peacefully a little longer. For more details be sure to check out the teams Twitter.