On May 22, 2025, IGN showed off a teaser trailer for a new upcoming Xbox title with a similarly upcoming PC port named Alkahest. This game, developed by Push On and published by HypeTrain Digital, is a first-person RPG set in a medieval, dark fantasy world where the player must wield an arsenal of weapons and dangerous alchemical potions to defeat hordes of vicious monsters.
The teaser trailer released by IGN gives us a glimpse of what Aklahest's combat will look like, and so far, it looks insane.
The teaser trailer (as well as its reveal trailer shown in June 2024) showcases the player character utilizing the environment, performing acrobatic swordplay, and conducting deadly potions in the middle of combat to slay their foes.
As for what the story is about, Alkahest takes place in Kadanor, a kingdom embroiled in civil war between three powerful noble houses. You play as the youngest son of a petty lord destined to rot in obscurity.
To defy your fate, you embark on a quest across the kingdom to make a name for yourself by exploring the land for long-lost treasure, taking on jobs for locals, and quelling an unusual rise of goblin raids on the county border.
The developers state on the game's Steam page that Alkahest's combat system will feature advanced melee combos and a large focus on interacting with the environment, like cutting down trees or using nearby siege equipment to slay enemies.
Additionally, another huge component of Alkahest's gameplay will be Alchemy. By locating various recipes on their travels, players will be able to create all kinds of alchemical items like flammable grenades, healing potions, and weapon oils. You can even sneak in some poison in an NPC's pocket to take out stealthily.
Will Alkahest's gameplay at launch live up to the hype of these trailers?
What's interesting is that, according to the developers, Alkahest is inspired by games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Dishonored. While I haven't played the former, I have played the latter, and I definitely see some of Dishonored's melee combat in Alkahest.
Aside from that, the combat looks unbelievable, maybe too unbelievable. After all, for all we know, these trailers could be pre-rendered cutscenes, and the final game could look totally different.
But then again, people have said the same thing about the combat trailers for Black Myth: Wukong when that game first revealed itself, and the final product lived up to the hype (despite some jarring level design choices we found in our review of Black Myth: Wukong).
Will Alkahest's combat system be just as fun to play as it is to watch from the trailers? We'll have to wait to find out when Alkahest eventually launches on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Windows and Steam.
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