Big Moxi Games revealed the upcoming ARPG, Wardens Rising, way back in 2019. The game garnered some attention from certain corners of the gaming public, yet enthusiasm appears to have dwindled in the years since. Chit Hot is now here to tell you why that shouldn’t be the case, and why you should be excited for Wardens Rising.
Wardens Rising is a Unique Take on the ARPG
Wardens Rising at first appears to be a pretty traditional ARPG experience. Played from a isometric viewpoint, the player engages with enemies in real-time combat across sprawling maps. However, there’s a whole new strategy element in there; both before and during gameplay.
Prior to each level, you’ll build and manage defenses. Much like a tower defense game, you’ll be placing towers, traps, portals and more to outsmart the enemy hordes. During each level, you’ll have to take the fight to the enemy nodes, while defending your own. A touch of League of Legends, anyone?
Of course, this wouldn’t be an ARPG without a character progression system. You’ll level up your chosen Warden, mastering unique abilities and unlocking new defensive tech and gear. Between each battle you’ll customise your loadout with tactical items and even a trusted companion. There’s five Wardens to choose from, but Big Moxi Games hasn’t yet revealed much about the companion selection.
Gaming is Better with Friends
As with most ARPGs, Wardens Rising allows for up to four players to play co-operatively. Imagine your Diablo‘s or Neverwinter Nights, and you’ll surely not be too far off. The difference of course, is that strategic element.
Exactly how the base building will work with multiple players on your team is not yet known. Will you divide the map into areas for each player to plan out? Will you be sharing a pool of resources? Hopefully, Big Moxi Games avoid the pitfall of just having a single player in charge of all of this. Your friends aren’t going to be happy if you keep them waiting for 20 minutes before delivering a plan that fails!
We do know however, that Wardens Rising offers 15 unique maps to play on. However, it seems like these will be an aside to the main campaign. Said campaign will feature 24 maps and four boss fights.
Change is Good
Back in 2019, Wardens Rising was a wholly different experience. Big Moxi Games took part in a global game studio business accelerator program run by Global Top Round, and placed within the top 10. This enabled the studio to take on angel investment capital to help IP and build the studio.
Since then, Big Moxi Games has been working both as a support studio and to create Wardens Rising as their debut title. It’s a long road that has seen the game grow and be refined into what we see today. From our perspective, it would seem that Big Moxi Games isn’t afraid to take on board external feedback, while also acknowledging that – especially in these troubling times – putting all your gaming eggs in one basket may not be the wisest business decision.
Small studios need to offer something unique to survive. Typically, that’s either quality or low cost. We’re unsure which side of the fence Big Moxi Games sit on, but we do know that working as a support studio to secure a future for your own IP is a worthwhile business strategy.
Take your time Big Moxi Games. We’ll still be here when Wardens Rising is ready…
Wardens Rising Launch Plans
Big Moxi Games plans to launch Wardens Rising in late 2024. This will mark five years since the game’s original announcement!
Wardens Rising is currently in development for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC. Are you excited for the game? Let us know in the comments below!
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