Release: May 26, 2026
Genres: RPG
Systems: PC • PlayStation 5 • Xbox Series X|S
Website: https://perpgames.com/game/relic/
Core Overview
The Relic: First Guardian is a dark fantasy, Soulslike‑style action RPG from Korean studio Project Cloud Games, published by Perp Games. You play as the last Guardian in the ruined world of Arsiltus, trying to gather fragments of a shattered “great relic” and seal a void that’s corrupting everything. The game leans heavily into tragic, folklore‑inspired storytelling, tough boss fights, and build experimentation instead of traditional character levels. It’s planned for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, with an early‑2026 launch window announced.
Setting, Story, and Tone
The world of Arsiltus was once prosperous but was swallowed by a void created when the great relic was destroyed, turning it into a desolate, death‑filled land. You’re resurrected as the Last Guardian and tasked with recovering the relic’s fragments to restore balance and prevent total collapse. The game’s lore is inspired by Asian, especially Korean, folktales, weaving myths and legends directly into the main quests and boss backstories. Every relic, weapon, armor piece, and boss is treated as a unique artifact with its own history, making the world feel like a collection of self‑contained tragedies.
Combat and Gameplay
Combat is real‑time, stamina‑based, and clearly Soulslike: you dodge, parry, block, and counter, with timing and pattern recognition being key. A twist is that stamina is primarily reserved for defense and dodging, while attacks rely more on cooldown‑based skills, encouraging a rhythmic, flow‑driven fighting style. You can choose from five distinct weapon types, each with its own skills and emotional “theme,” and you can mix abilities across twelve skill trees to create your own quasi‑class. The world is semi‑open/interconnected, with dungeons, branching paths, hidden areas, and environmental storytelling (inscriptions, journals, ruins) that reward exploration.
Progression and Relic System
There are no traditional character levels; instead, you grow through “memory,” via Relics (also called runes) and gear you collect. Each Relic carries one of over 70 unique passive effects that can alter skill behavior, tweak combat tempo, and specialize specific weapon styles. Every weapon and armor piece is unique (no incremental “+1 sword” variants), meaning builds are about finding specific artifacts rather than climbing gear tiers. Crafting, item upgrades, and clearing dungeons or bosses expand your traversal and combat options instead of just bumping a level number.
Bosses and Difficulty
The game features more than 70 major bosses, referred to as “Brutals,” each with its own sorrowful backstory and self‑contained folktale. Beating a Brutal not only advances the story but also grants special items, upgrades, and their “echoes,” which tie into your power growth and the world’s restoration. Difficulty is intended to be challenging in classic Soulslike fashion, punishing reckless play but rewarding mastery of enemy patterns and clever use of weapon types and relic builds. One example quest adapts the Korean folktale “The Heavenly Maiden and the Woodcutter,” ending in a horror‑tinged boss encounter, showing how the game blends myth with tough fights.
Platforms, Status, and Where to Watch More
The Relic: First Guardian is slated for early 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, with PS5 specifically mentioned for a May 26, 2026 launch in one announcement. Multiple gameplay demos (8–36 minutes) are available on YouTube showing 4K footage of exploration, boss fights, and the combat rhythm. You can wishlist it on Steam and check console store pages (PlayStation, Xbox) for updated release info as development progresses.
If you tell me what you care about most (difficulty, build variety, story, or performance), I can break down how well this game seems to line up with your preferences specifically.