Band of Crusaders: Everything We Know

Among the most promising upcoming games to keep an eye out for is Band of Crusaders. While its fundamental concepts are familiar, the upcoming game plans to shine its spotlight on the universe of The Witcher. However, rather than focus on the Witchers, the game ushers in the abominations of hell and all other treacherous demons you can imagine. Sounds exciting? Take a look at everything we know about Band of Crusaders below.

What is Band of Crusaders?

Band of Crusaders is an upcoming medieval real-time strategy RPG game. You’ll control the Grandmaster as they strive to command an order of knights sworn to defend the world from a demonic invasion. The world is set in medieval Europe, drawing heavy inspiration from the universe of The Witcher franchise. Get ready to jump into a sandbox adventure, exploring a vast world packed with crusaders to recruit, spaces to set up camps, and Archdemons to destroy. 

Story

Set in medieval Europe, Band of Crusaders takes you on a riveting journey of redemption. It tells of a world that has succumbed to its sins, paving the way for demonic oppression. Slowly but surely, fear consumes the entire realm. However, hope arises when the Grandmaster assembles an order of brave knights. You’ll control the Grandmaster as they lead an army of knights to war, fighting an unholy wave of enemies. You’ll set up camps, bolstering your defenses. But you’ll also fight treacherous Archdemons in intense battles to regain control of the world. Above all, your leadership will determine whether you overcome darkness.

Gameplay

Band of Crusaders will infuse real-time strategy with RPG mechanics. The upcoming game will merge slow-motion gameplay with strategy and a dynamic combat system. You can synergize characters to optimize their abilities in battle. Moreover, you’ll maximize character placement on the battlefield to avoid permanent death. With each hit potentially causing the permanent death of a unit member, you’ll doubtlessly be engrossed in pulling off successful missions. You’ll grapple with a deep combat system that takes into account each character’s stats. Additionally, the game will offer a variety of combat, keeping your runs fresh and engaging. Check out the key features you can look forward to in the final game below.

Key Features

• Camp management: You can recruit up to 20 knights to fight for your cause. You’ll need to manage them in a world with scarce resources and hostile enemies. Camp management will range anywhere from recruiting new knights, healing active units, repairing broken gear, training new recruits, and more. Each character will have unique origin stories, strengths, and weaknesses. So, you’ll have to optimize the strongest crew that synergizes well together. Moreover, you’ll upgrade your camps, experimenting with “intricate interactions” and “strategic campaign progression.”
• Character customization: Each character will have skill trees that can accommodate multiple roles on the battlefield. You’ll assign equipment that syncs well with your strategy in combat and upgrade it over time. Units will be flexible between classes, allowing you to experiment freely with weapons and abilities. You’ll explore active, passive, and semi-active abilities per character that support your overall play style.
• Dynamic map progression: The variety of maps in Band of Crusaders will change over time based on the interactions between characters and NPCs. As demons relentlessly attack your camps, they will push human factions into battle. Some combat encounters will become epic boss battles that leave a mark on the world. All the while, the map, and your gameplay will respond to the demons you fight, varying seasons, and a day and night cycle.
• Crusade against abominations: While you’ll often fight demonic forces, you’ll also encounter hostile human factions. The demons draw inspiration from the Bible and European folklore. As a result, you’ll face varying enemy types with distinct strengths and weaknesses that push you to plan ahead and adjust your play style.

Development

Virtual Alchemy is developing and publishing Band of Crusaders. The studio is an independent developer based in Warsaw, Poland. While the upcoming game will be the studio’s first venture in the gaming world, Band of Crusaders has already seen a positive response. The developers express their passion for developing “intellectually challenging games that have their own unique and compelling identity.” Besides the upcoming game, the studio is also working on a strategy RPG called Project Morning Star.

Trailer

“This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer,” kicks off Band of Crusaders’ official reveal trailer. It’s quite a steamy first sneak peek into the visuals and gameplay you can expect. The voice-over immerses you in a stunning medieval world crawling with all sorts of abominations. Set in Europe in 1350 A.D., the game merges historical references with fantasy. It charges you with planning a well-coordinated attack on a corrupt demonic force encroaching on the entire realm. 

Part management, part real-time strategy, the game tackles both genres with finesse. Well, at least the trailer looks as though the gameplay will run without a hitch. One can only hope that the setting is just as immersive as The Witcher franchise it draws inspiration from. On the enemies’ front, they sure do seem wide-ranging. This could easily become a challenging feat to rid the world of all the demonic races the trailer portrays, and surely many more to come. Can you assemble the perfect unit to fight a demon invasion and save the world?

Release Date, Platforms, & Editions

It’s unclear when Band of Crusaders will launch. Steam suggests the release date is “to be announced.” So, all we can do is wait for further updates. While you wait, you can add the game to your Steam wishlist to get a notification when it drops. For now, the upcoming game plans to launch on PC platforms. No editions have been confirmed. Still, you can always follow the official social handle here to stay on top of new announcements as they come in.

So, what’s your take? Will you be grabbing a copy of Band of Crusaders when it drops? Let us know over on our socials here.