When Tides of Annihilation was initially revealed, truth be told, I felt nothing towards it. I was starting to get exhausted by the dark fantasy genre, and the gameplay seemed slightly boring at a glance. So, when given the opportunity to play the game for myself during Gamescom 2026, I wasn’t sure what to think. I was certainly curious, especially considering the recent announcement that Angela Sant’Albano would be taking over as the voice of the protagonist instead of Jennifer English, but I didn’t really know what kind of game I would be playing. After playing it for myself, though, I now realize that if the demo is any indication, Tides of Annihilation has the potential to be a smash hit.
Immediately, I found myself adoring the gameplay mechanics. I was initially expecting something in the same vein as a soulslike, but instead, I found a borderline love letter to Platinum Games. As Gwendolyn, you can do aerial combos, parries, dash-dodges, and numerous special attacks. Better yet, each knight of the Round Table has a role in your arsenal. You can summon one of two primary knights, or one of two secondary knights. You can switch between your knights with the push of a button, and also use all of them to solve puzzles.
In terms of combat, you can use your primary knights to deal damage as you maneuver around the battlefield. For instance, one of the knights deals heavy damage with his fists, and can charge up for a massive AoE attack. Another specializes in fast movement and quick attacks, potentially giving you more room to quickly strike multiple opponents in quick succession. There will likely be plenty more ways for players to refine their build in the full game.
I loved how combat encounters felt. It gave me flashbacks to games like Astral Chain, where you are using your summons in tandem with your own attacks, in order to deliver maximum devastation to any opponent standing in your way. Even if I died a few times to some bosses here and there, I constantly wanted to jump back in and play more. Part of what makes that intrigue so prevalent is the world and characters that Tides of Annihilation established in the demo.
Tides of Annihilation primarily pulls from Arthurian legend as the core theme, but that does not mean that it takes place in the Medieval area. In fact, it takes place in modern day, with the Arthurian influence emerging as the result of a cataclysmic apocalypse. During the demo I played, Gwendolyn is wandering through the Great Russell Museum alongside one of her key allies, Niniane. She’s seeking more pieces of the Holy Grail, but the museum is teeming with threats that allow Gwendolyn to highlight her abilities.
Beyond the Arthurian influences, the demo also reveals that Gwendolyn will be forced to fight against threats from other mythologies. After stepping through a mysterious portal, she is forced to confront the Egyptian God of the Dead, Anubis, in a fittingly sandy arena. The fight is thrilling, in part because of the aforementioned combat, but also due to the sound design. The soundtrack is great, and aptly represents the sounds of the different mythological influences. As for voice acting, Angela Sant’Albano unsurprisingly shines as Gwendolyn. She portrays a great amount of vulnerability and kindness in her voice, while also highlighting the character’s more serious side when she or a loved one is threatened.
I feel like I only got a small taste of what Tides of Annihilation has to offer. There were other demos on display that I was not able to try, such as one that further explores the Egyptian environment, and another that features a “despair-level” difficulty. Yet that has only made me more eager to try out the full game when it eventually releases. I could not believe how good the game was, at least from the demo I played. The gameplay feels brilliant and hearkens back to the best of the hack-and-slash genre. The story is rich and already seems to be teasing further mysteries down the road. Finally, the sound design perfectly fits the world and the characters that inhabit it.
The best thing I can say about Tides of Annihilation is that the moment the demo ended, I immediately wanted to go back and play more. I cannot wait to see what the game has in store when it eventually releases for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam in the coming years.
