Back in the Xbox Live Arcade days, one of my favorite games on the storefront was Mark of the Ninja. I loved the idea of a 2D stealth game that treated each enemy encounter as a puzzle that could only be solved with careful use of your toolkit, rather than a brute-force fight to the death. Sadly, nothing has quite recaptured that magic since the game’s initial release. That is, until Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster, a game from Dotemu and Runes Studio that I had the opportunity to check out during Gamescom 2026.
Those who are familiar with Warhammer may have more knowledge of the 40,000 side of the universe, rather than Age of Sigmar. Thankfully, Deathmaster is meant to be a jumping-off point for those unfamiliar, with its opening intro highlighting the stark contrast between the more high fantasy-driven world of Age of Sigmar and the cyberpunk/space opera-dystopia of 40,000. In this particular game, you play as Vihneek, a member of a race of rat-like creatures known as the Skaven. After escaping from a near-death encounter, he is coerced into joining Clan Eshin, a faction that sticks to the shadows and attacks its enemies through stealth. The demo highlights just a few of the challenges Vihneek will face when the full game releases.
Right off the bat, I must say that the brief glimpse I caught of the setting and visuals in Deathmaster was immaculate. It seems to bring the usually under-represented world of Age of Sigmar to life beautifully, with an almost pastel-like art style. It reminded me even more of Mark of the Ninja, which made sense, considering that I was told by one of the lead developers that one of the lead creators of the XBLA game consulted on this new release. You can see elements of that in the visual design and worldbuilding, but it becomes even more apparent when you get into the actual gameplay.
After a short tutorial that eased me into the gameplay basics, introducing me to the ability to crawl up walls and the importance of sticking to the shadows, I was thrust into the first real mission that required me to infiltrate and slowly dismantle an operation from a rival faction. This is where I really started to understand the gameplay core of Deathmaster, which forced me to treat each room filled with enemies as a problem I needed to overcome with precision rather than superior strength.
For instance, there is a part where two Skaven are staring at each other in a light-filled room. Trying to take on both in a head-on fight would mean near-instant death, so I had two options: either I could try and climb above them in the small cloth that served as cover, or I could try and throw a nearby object as a distraction so that they looked away from the direction I needed to go towards. Each further room only escalated these mini-puzzles, with some requiring me to sneak up on my opponent from behind or even use a grappling hook to reach higher ground.
I loved the limited time I had with Deathmaster. The way it handles its atmosphere and gameplay is so compelling thus far, and I absolutely cannot wait to play more. I especially like that stealth is treated as an absolute must, and that trying to pick a fight with the enemies will result in failure. The developers mentioned that they were debating whether to give Vihneek more ways to defend himself, and personally, I hope they don’t. These kinds of games where stealth is an essential part of gameplay are so rare nowadays; I believe that this title would benefit from that emphasis.
Only time will tell how Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster changes or sticks to the mechanics shown in the demo, as the game will release in 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.
