Coridden

Coridden is a hack'n'slash action RPG game developed by Aftnareld - a small independent development studio from Sweden, which was officially established in 2018. It's a debut project for the team, and its inspirations were titles such as Diablo and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, as well as Champions of Norrath, Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn and the Horizon series from Guerrilla Games. Creating the game was made possible, among other things, thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.

Plot

Coridden takes us on a journey to a post-apocalyptic science-fantasy universe, where futuristic inventions meet sword and magic.

The action takes place on the planet Heera. Once, the heart of the civilization that inhabited it was the technology-packed city of Aasha. One day, a sudden destructive incident occurred there and those who managed to survive the disaster were forced to leave this place, close it down, and establish a new city - Quilon. Although the survivors managed to take some advanced technology with them, their new home was only a shadow of the destroyed metropolis.

Two hundred years later, members of the Dayal family, who dream of becoming Quilon champions, decide to find Aasha and uncover the secrets hidden behind the barrier surrounding it. The protagonists do not yet know that they will have to face a gigantic threat, which was not without reason locked away from the rest of the world.

Mechanics

In Coridden, we watch the action in a three-dimensional isometric view. The core of the game are missions assigned to us by the inhabitants of Heera, with whom we can have conversations. The game gives us four playable characters (Jai, Devi, Lilly, Eshan) and allows us to choose one of four classes:

1. The Guardian is highly skilled in using heavy melee weapons and shields;
2. Hellion makes use of combat magic and skills used to heal or strengthen allies;
3. The Hunter keeps enemies at a distance, and can also set traps, poison enemies, or use camouflage;
4. Surge launches swift, precise attacks, while also strengthening his allies and being able to manipulate the speed of his team and enemies.

It doesn't end there, because thanks to special items, heroes become so-called Shifters and can change into beasts at any time. The beasts differ in terms of appearance, skills, strengths and weaknesses. Some of them also have special moves and attacks, such as charging at enemies or grabbing them. However, there's a catch: to gain the ability to transform into a certain creature, we must first defeat it.

Heera is a bit like prehistoric Earth. While traveling through the wilderness, we constantly come across fantasy monsters, many of which remind dinosaurs (although they also include, for example, dragons). In human form, we eliminate them, making use of melee and ranged weapons, as well as a wide range of combat abilities. In beast form, we use the fangs and claws, as well as its individual skills.

During dynamic battles, we have to be in constant motion, launching accurate attacks and dodging. In addition, we need to pay attention to the energy indicator (separate for each of our character's forms), making sure it does not run out.

As we progress, we develop both forms, unlocking new abilities and perks and improving the ones we already have. We increase the value of selected attributes, as well as acquire more and more powerful equipment and improve it with special items.

The adventure takes us through various locations with an open structure. Among them, we will find both picturesque places (reminiscent of the moon Pandora from the Avatar film series) and various buildings erected by people - abandoned or inhabited - full of advanced technology.

We traverse the world on foot or on the back of a mount, provided that one of the players accompanying us agrees to be transformed into a beast and used in such a capacity. In this way, we can also fight, together forming a powerful cavalry unit.

Coridden puts a bit more emphasis on exploration than typical hack'n'slash games, allowing us not only to run around locations, but also to swim, jump and climb obstacles. From time to time, we also solve environmental puzzles.

Game modes

Coridden allows to play alone or in cooperative mode (local or online) for up to four people.