Tides of Annihilation Impresses in Hands-on Preview with Arthurian Stand-Based Combat

China-based studio Eclipse Glow Games is developing Tides of Annihilation, an upcoming character action game that blends Arthurian myth with modern-day London. Formed just two years ago, the studio features developers with prior experience working on prominent franchises such as Assassin's Creed, For Honor, Persona, and the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series. A recent two-hour hands-on preview event held in Chengdu, China, showcased how these diverse developer backgrounds are coming together in this upcoming single-player adventure.

At the center of Tides of Annihilation is the protagonist, Gwendolyn, who finds herself as the last remaining human on Earth as an encroaching fog from Avalon threatens the planet. The game's setting is an otherworldly interpretation of London, mixing historical gothic architecture with contemporary infrastructure. During the preview, players explored a location inspired by London's British Museum (named the Great Russell Museum), which features distinct Chinese, Japanese, and Egyptian exhibits. The environment transforms based on the culture of each exhibit, adapting the music and enemies to fit. This culminates in a multi-stage boss fight against the Egyptian deity Anubis, who shifts from a towering animalistic figure into a form sprouting mechanical tentacles.

Combat in Tides of Annihilation is a traditional hack-and-slash action experience inspired by classics like Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, and the original Greek God of War trilogy. The standout mechanic is the "dual frontline system," where players blend Gwendolyn's sword attacks with knight summons. Inspired by Arthurian legend but designed with a monstrous, Berserk-like aesthetic, these knight summons act similarly to "stands" from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Players can equip two knights at a time, mapping them to specific controller inputs (such as the Triangle button and R2 trigger) to perform unique combos. For example, the knight Kay can freeze enemies in place, allowing the fiery Palamedes to follow up with a high-damage attack. The wind-based knight Gaheris can launch enemies into cyclones, creating opportunities for specialized airborne combat builds. Knights also play a role in exploration and puzzle-solving, and players can swap between two different active knight loadouts using the d-pad.

The game also features a deep statistical gear system consisting of armor sets, badges, and swords that alter combat attributes. While equipment changes Gwendolyn's statistics, her physical appearance is customized through separate, unlockable cosmetic outfits. Exploration off the beaten path and completing side-quests reward players with these new gear pieces and costumes.

Behind the scenes, the development team recently navigated an unexpected change in production. Last month, Eclipse Glow Games revealed that voice actor Jennifer English (known for her work in Baldur's Gate 3 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33) stepped away from voicing the protagonist Gwendolyn due to mental health concerns. Director Ary Chen and producer Kun Fu expressed deep respect for her decision, noting that English assisted the team in transition by helping to cast and guide her successor. English continues to serve as the voice-over director for the project. While the identity of the new voice actress has not yet been revealed, previewers noted that the performance successfully maintains the tone established in early promotional trailers.

Tides of Annihilation is currently in development and is scheduled to release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.