Conan: The Black Pyramid preview – a bloody new addition to the roguelike genre

Conan: The Black Pyramid – the barbarian goes rogue (Grindstone) The most famous barbarian in pop culture is getting a new video game and this one is an ambitious Diablo style action role-player. Pyramids cast a dark shadow in Conan lore. Various versions of them pop up in the comics, Conan Exiles, and Age Of Conan, but one thing is usually the same: they’re associated with evil, magic, and often a lot of bloodshed. Conan: The Black Pyramid delivers plenty of all the above. Developed by Games Farm – the Slovakian studio behind games like Shadows Awakening and Jotunnslayer: Hordes Of Hell – and published by Grindstone, this latest game in the Conan franchise (which stretches all the way back to 1932) reimagines the famous barbarian as an old and indolent king, who’s spent the last few decades ruling Aquilonia. But, because that would be really boring, action soon beckons. Conan starts hearing a voice calling out to him in his dreams; keen on going out in a blaze of glory, the elderly king follows that voice all the way to the mysterious Black Pyramid. As soon as he sets foot inside, he’s transformed back to the muscle-ripped, loincloth-wearing man of his youth – but every gift comes with a price, and Conan is now trapped within the pyramid. To get out, he has to battle his way through a series of levels and reach the top, all the while trying to figure out who’s actually trapped him there. That’s right, we have ourselves a dungeon crawler roguelike: whenever he dies, Conan is resurrected at a nexus point, where he can chat to his friends, unlock new abilities and figure out what exactly is happening to him. Want GTA 6 news? Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for the latest GTA 6 news, reviews of new games you should play and exclusive analysis of the biggest stories of the week. First things first: the graphics here look great. Whereas many other titles in the genre opt for much simpler production visuals, Conan: The Black Pyramid has gone all-in on creating as detailed a world for the barbarian to inhabit as possible. The attack animations are pleasingly gory, the light reflects off various surfaces in a way that evokes flickering torchlight, and even the water looks almost photorealistic. It makes the game look rather beautiful, even when what you’re doing is butchering your way through a horde of enemies. Despite all the aforementioned butchering, the team stress that this game is built to suit a more tactical playstyle. Conan starts the game with a primary weapon, which operates in three-step combos – he hits three times and ends with a finisher – as well as a secondary weapon, which is usually ranged. Both of them can be charged for an area of effect attack, and Conan also has the ability to parry and deflect oncoming attacks. As if that wasn’t enough, he also comes equipped with a relic, which can be activated to do things like shoot lightning across the entire field of battle – and an execution bar, which is charged with attacks and used to deliver a devastating blow at an opportune moment. Stan is very much not the man (Grindstone) As might be evident from the above, it’s a very visceral game. Enemies go flying in sprays of blood, when they’re not being dismembered, which we’re told is to underline the ‘brutality and gore’ of Conan’s combat style. As Conan slogs his way through the various levels (which are themed according to different Conan eras), mini-bosses present themselves, as well as power-ups, and – at the end of each level – a proper, giant-sized, boss. Some of these power-ups are earned by completing a room, and some of them can be bought from Stan, the worm/alien merchant figure who pops up every so often. You’ll need them: the joy of The Black Pyramid lies in its almost infinite customisation options. Conan is not the only playable character (Grindstone) In addition to Conan, we’re told you can play as any one of the heroes he meets over the course of his travels through the pyramid – all of whom are cribbed from the franchise’s lore and include people like Solomon Kane, Agnes de Chastillon, Kull of Atlantis, and Eevin of Craglea. They all have their own attack styles, strengths and weaknesses, and these can be augmented by unlocking features on their skill trees that permanently boost certain traits, as well as things like health. As if that’s not enough, each character comes with a set of veils, or loadouts, that change their weapon and combat masteries and can be unlocked as the game progresses. Combine that with an artifact – such as the Cape of the Picts, which grants invulnerability during dashes, but with a tripled cooldown time – or a combat mastery upgrade, which boosts things like Conan’s parry or weapons charging abilities, and the barbarian gets beefy pretty quickly. Although we haven’t yet been given a release date, the results look promising. Conan’s brute strength has always been one of the series’ hallmarks and The Black Pyramid leans into that in ways that can be multiplied a hundredfold if you stack his abilities just right. As he ploughs through enemies and lays waste to multitudes, it’s undeniable fun to watch. There’s life in the old dog yet – even if it’s been resurrected using dark magic. Conan’s creator was pals with H. P. Lovecraft (Grindstone) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. 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