Lichdom: Battlemage hits Steam Early Access

Maybe I’m ignorant and these plans have been announced before, but I can’t say I was expecting Xaviant’s first person cast’-em-up Lichdom: Battlemage to hit Steam Early Access. Nonetheless, that’s what’s happening!

Lichdom: Battlemage is a first-person RPG that’s all about emergent spellcasting, which I’m guessing means you generate your own spells and then use them to slay your foes. Oh, and it’s powered by CryEngine 3, so it looks utterly stonking.

The Early Access version that Steam claims is “Now Available” (but, according to the store page, won’t actually be available until tomorrow night) will be Pre-Alpha 1, so don’t expect a huge amount of content. The Early Access notes indicate that this build – priced at $19.99 – will contain two levels, eight types of enemy, four of the eight schools of magic, a boss battle, and some unfinalised story content. From there, expect regular updates and price changes: Pre-Alpha 2 is due in April, the $24.99 Alpha in June, the $29.99 Beta in July, and the full version will hit on 26 August for $39.99. Obviously, though, you’ll get all future versions for free. You won’t be charged another $20 come August.

It looks quite unusual, so I’m eager to get my wizened claws on it. If you want to have a look at the sort of spellcasting Lichdom: Battlemage contains, you can wander over here to see a combat video.