Trailer for Circus Electrique shows a more lighthearted take on Darkest Dungeon’s combat

If you enjoy the Darkest Dungeon series, then developer Zen Studios’ new game Circus Electrique may do something for you. Essentially, Circus Electrique takes the Darkest Dungeon games’ turn-based 4v4 RPG combat and gives it a circus-themed twist, as the name would suggest. Although the Steam page labels the game as “part story-driven RPG,” the premise seems pretty straightforward at a glance. It sees a troupe of circus performers fighting against everyday citizens who have turned into killers. As for the gameplay, Zen Studios just posted an extensive trailer for Circus Electrique that delves quite a bit into the game’s various systems.

Although Circus Electrique only allows players to take four characters into any given battle, the game provides up to 15 distinct classes to choose from. The list ranges from clowns to fire blowers to escape artists. Each class comes with its own set of skills that suit the profession. For instance, clowns cheer up their teammates and give them various perks using their comedic talents, while the escape artist immobilizes enemies using handcuffs.

A good performance requires preparation

Players need to carefully consider the placement and order of their party members during any given fight. Certain techniques only become available or useful in the right positions. Additionally, each party member comes with its own devotion meter that players have to keep track of to maintain the effectiveness of their attacks. Let a party member’s devotion meter dwindle, and they might end up leaving the party, so players cannot afford to ignore this aspect of the game.

The trailer also briefly went over the circus management aspect of Circus Electrique, which you can take advantage of to earn resources. Judging from this as well as everything else discussed so far, it looks like the game will have plenty of depth to it. Fans of RPGs and tactics games might want to check it out when it arrives this year.