Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is an upcoming game from developer ACE Team and publisher Nacon (who are on a bit of a roll this month). It appears to be a take on the Soulslike that uses weapons-free, hand-to-hand combat.
Set in the fictional world of Zenozoik (which is the setting of ACE Team’s Zeno Clash, which admit I never played), Clash looks like a pseudo hand-animated mash-up of God of War (2018) and maybe something from the mind of J.R. R. Tolkien or even the Oddworld series.
In Clash, you play as Pseudo (who apparently has some sort of pet on his shoulder), a stoic warrior haunted by dark memories who chooses to live apart from civilization. You must master various styles of hand-to-hand combat in order to defeat the enemies and bosses you will encounter in Clash, since enemy types will all have exploitable weaknesses to discover.
And since the prevailing law in Zenozoik is that the rule of combat is determined by a literal game of dice, you will need to search for the most powerful artifacts, the aptly titled Artifacts of Chaos, in order to get the upper hand.
There’s also some sort of multiplayer element that happens in your dreams? According to the game’s listing on Steam:
Every night, Pseudo’s dreams are so vivid that they literally come to life. Enter his mysterious dreamscape and embark on a multiplayer adventure. Play co-op with up to three players or challenge other players in arena combat.
I’m personally not one for strictly brawler-style combat, especially the more slower, plodding, deliberate variety. But the art style and general tone of Clash: Artifacts of Chaos definitely have me interested in seeing more. Clash could very well be a sleeper hit in my book, especially if it veers more toward the hard as heck Souls formula that seems to be all the rage with the kids these days. At least, with a certain type of kid…
Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is scheduled to be out in 2022 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S — basically every current platform that doesn’t begin with a Nin- and end with a -tendo Switch. This is one to keep an eye on. And what better way to start then by checking out the trailer below?
