Cornerstone: The Song of Tyrim is an all new Action RPG that follows a boy by the name of Tyrim, a young viking from the village of Borja. Cornerstone was originally Kickstarted successfully in 2013 by a team of two in Sweden, offering a unique action RPG that infuses combat, crafting, and physics-based puzzle-solving in a world with a beautiful art style. Players can expect to embark on a great adventure in Cornerstone as they seek out the missing Viking men of Borja village, with eight islands filled with traps, puzzles, enemies and more!
The cornerstone of Cornerstone: The Song of Tyrim is the crafting system, which is how you will craft the weaponry, items, and gear you'll need to defeat your enemies and solve the puzzles and traps that you encounter in your journey. Using the wood, rocks, and other items you can collect from the environment, you can craft a wide array of items and weapons to have at your disposal. If the crafting system isn't enough to pique your interest, Tyrim will be able to use a range of playable vehicles such as ships and windsurfers as he ventures around Nygard in search of the missing men, encountering all sorts of enemies and people to interact with!
As I said when I did a piece on Cornerstone back in 2013, the gameplay is quite unique and the developers aim to reward you for exploring the world in different ways. Overflow Games doesn't want players to feel like they have to grind, and as such, the crafting options give players the ability to defeat the enemies they encounter in more than one way - without any particular gear requirement. Take your enemy on face-to-face, or use your wits to defeat them, the choice is yours. What makes Cornerstone different from many other open-world games with crafting elements, is that it really focuses in on being an action RPG with the crafting elements augmenting the game experience and helping player choice to be different with each encounter. Couple that with the quests you'll embark upon for a cast of unique and quirky characters, include the live musical soundtrack, and this is a game that promises a lighthearted and enjoyable experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs9hzSDNVqA Cornerstone: The Song of Tyrim is set to release on April 26, 2016 on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and will be available for purchase at a number of online retailers for a regular price of $19.99. If you'd like to pre-order the game, you can find it on GOG, The Humble Store, Phoenix Online Studios, and will be available on Steam.
Disclosure: The author backed the original Kickstarter campaign at the $15 Tier.
Quick Take
As a backer of the Kickstarter, I'm very excited for this game. I've played the few demos that have released to the backers, and I have to say I'm impressed and really enjoy the play style and general mood of the game. Overall it reminds me a lot of Wind Waker, and a mash up of a few other RPGs and games. I'll be getting to work on a preview very soon, seeing as the preview build is now available!
