The God Slayer Impressions: The Last Airbender meets Assassin's Creed

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I was invited to an early showcase of Pathea Games' upcoming action RPG The God Slayer. At the time, I didn't know the game's name, only that the creators of the family friendly My Time series were taking a departure into darkness for a new type of game, using their years of experience to create a project wholly different from anything they've done before under the Pathea label.

The God Slayer certainly ticks those boxes. From the title alone you should get a gist of the main aim of the game. You're slaying gods. Not just because you want to or because you're angry like in God of War, but because you're tired of the deities above treating people like ants. So, you join a resistance movement, becoming a mask-wearing vigilante who uses elemental powers to match the gods' strength. Set in an Asian-inspired steampunk world, The God Slayer is unlike a lot of the games we see on today's market, and it immediately grabbed me once I was led through the gameplay demo.

It's worth noting right off the bat that I didn't play The God Slayer. The game seems in very early stages right now, but it still draws easily with its cinematic spectacle. In some ways, I was reminded of when I first sat down to a presentation of a little-known game called Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 at Gamescom 2024. At the time, I was very impressed, but sceptical about how real the experience would be compared to the demo. In many ways, I feel the same way about The God Slayer, because Pathea Games really looks to be onto something here.

The God Slayer wears its inspirations on its sleeves. You have mastered all five elements (fire, water, earth, metal, and wood), and can use them to the best of your abilities in fast-paced action that sees you mow down foes with fists of flame, knock them aside with massive boulders or conjured metal weapons, or freeze and control them with water powers. The detailed animations and effects might be a little showy, but their impressive visuals leave you with the lasting impression that combat is going to feel punchy and thematic. Mixing and matching elements looks like a lot of fun, and it's clear Pathea has developed this system beyond just giving each element a different coat of paint.

Before getting our flaming fists ready to punch servants of the evil gods, I got a look at the game's sweeping city and some of its traversal elements. We didn't get to see the player choice offered in the side quests of The God Slayer, but I was assured the player will be able to go about side missions in their own style in the final product. The demo mission saw the protagonist attack a god at the base of their operations, by the looks of things. Traversal mixes some Assassin's Creed-style parkour with big jumps and the assistance of some elemental powers, making for a nice blend that again doesn't cause any confusion about its inspirations but uses them to the best of its ability. The city itself is the main open world area, and looks perfectly designed for hours spent running across rooftops or dashing between nearby alleys. A good mix of the map being open enough to warrant exploration, but not too open to make you wonder whether it's really worth spending 15 minutes trekking north.

It was also nice to see elemental powers used outside of combat. Roof tiles could be swept away onto an enemy below or to take their feet out from under them. Bits of metal could be picked up and hurled at a group. These prompts won't overload the screen, as I was told, but they will allow the player to experience their powers outside of neat combat animations. That's a real boon in bringing the world of The God Slayer to life, as it reminded me of Control allowing the player to mess with their powers whether they needed to use them or not.

With the demo running quite short, there's a lot that remains to be seen with The God Slayer. The narrative, for example, appears relatable but perhaps a bit formulaic from what we've seen so far. It was impossible to tell how deep the RPG systems go, but I was told that they allow for different player builds and offer rich social interactions with NPCs as well. Where The God Slayer really shines, and what really took hold of me during the presentation is the game's spectacle. It's reminiscent of Black Myth: Wukong in a way, as a game that feels so bold in its cinematic styling that you look at it with a good deal of awe. It's sure to catch the eye with clips on social media, but here's hoping Pathea Games has cooked up an experience that does more than just look amazing. Whenever it comes, I'll be excited to see more of The God Slayer.