DEEPWARD Turns a Cursed 1920s Expedition Into a Three-Hero Fight for Survival
Set in the 1920s, the story follows elite mercenaries from the secret organization Ignis Noctis. Their assignment is to escort Baron Friedrich von Altenberg, an Austrian nobleman fascinated by the occult, into an estate hidden in the Carpathian forests. The mission begins as an investigation into a spreading darkness, but the route soon leaves the ruined salons behind. Cellars, torture chambers, caves, prisons,
ritual halls, and ancient structures wait below, while reality becomes less reliable with every step.
A squad, not a loadout
The three-hero structure is the idea that gives DEEPWARD its identity. Each member of the six-character roster brings a distinct weapon, role, and playstyle. Bruno anchors a room with a heavy gun. Vireth closes distance with a sword. Tony favors precise dual-revolver fire, while Isabeau trades resilience for volatile magic. Joseph carries a shotgun and the experience of a veteran priest; Hector uses a Tesla gun to control crowds.
Players do not simply pick one of them before a mission. They build a team of three and swap instantly when the room demands a different answer. A distant threat may favor Tony, a packed corridor may call for Hector, and a collapsing front line may need Bruno. The mechanic turns each character into both a
tactical tool and a life that must be protected.
That distinction matters because health is limited and defeat has consequences. When a hero falls, that character is lost for the rest of the run. A bad decision therefore removes more than a health bar: it can take away the weapon, range, or ability the squad was built around. The strongest team on paper may
become an improvised pair trying to survive the next room.
Horror that refuses to wait
DEEPWARD is built around fast, close-range pressure. The official material shows firearms, blades, kicks, and supernatural abilities colliding with rooms full of relentless enemies. Survival depends on movement, target priority, and the willingness to commit before the encounter gets out of control. The
result looks closer to a desperate assault than a cautious haunted-house tour.
The Sanity system reinforces that pace. As the expedition descends, supernatural pressure grows through whispers, hallucinations, visual distortion, and other signs that the environment is getting inside the squad's head. Killing enemies restores stability, while hesitation allows the madness to build. It is a clever inversion of familiar horror logic: moving slowly may feel safe, but standing still can become its own threat.
Roguelite progression adds another layer to the decision-making. Perks, resources, squad composition, and hero losses shape each descent, while the changing route pushes the expedition from recognizable period locations into increasingly impossible spaces. The horror is not only about what is waiting below.
It is also about reaching it with the wrong survivor, too little health, and no clean plan left.
A Czech studio heads into the dark EchoFall Games is based in the Czech Republic and was founded by developers with former leadership experience at Madfinger Games and HGames-ArtWorks. DEEPWARD is currently in development for PC, with a demo or playtest planned ahead of release. The Steam page lists a Q1 2027 launch window and support for ten languages.
The announcement trailer has already earned international coverage, but the clearest reason to follow. DEEPWARD is the tension at the center of its design. Every hero is a weapon, every switch is a decision, and every descent can dismantle the plan that looked perfect at the start.
DEEPWARD is planned for PC via Steam in Q1 2027. Players can wishlist DEEPWARD on Steam, read IGN announcement coverage, watch the announcement trailer on IGN YouTube channel, or visit the official DEEPWARD website
DEEPWARD Turns a Cursed 1920s Expedition Into a Three-Hero Fight for Survival
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