A Link to the Past Meets Eldritch Red Dead Redemption in "Tombwater"

There aren't too many combos that simply work. But when we learnt of the existence of Tombwater, a dev-described "Souls-like action-RPG" featuring "Metroidvania progression and Zelda-like exploration" that also happens to be a "Weird Western", we were hooked. Add to that Tombwater comes with an enmormous Red Dead Redemption (OG)-style map and Eldritch monsters for days, plus big, bigger and biggest bosses, well, we were just covered in miasma-laden planes dust and found ourselves squinting towards an ever-darkening sunset, oddly wanting more. 

There's a serious camp of Zeldaphiles out there who will argue, on myriad pixelated hills, that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the best The Legend of Zelda title out there. So when a young and upcoming dev or studio drops that name as proper inspiration, most of the IYKYK crowd will perk up and listen and, largely, just go all in. We're halfway to that, but it's the other stuff mentioned in the Tombwater descriptor above that have us champing at the bit. Still, have a look at the most recent trailer and decide for yourself...

Enter Tombwater, where shadows roam and whispers echo from deep within the abandoned silver mines. A once-thriving community, now a shell of what it was, its people have been gripped by the tendrils of bleak madness. Step into the well-worn cowboots of a lone gunslinger, drawn to the eerie, decaying streets by the disappearance of Sheriff Elliott Flintwood — your only friend in a town lost to the abyss. Uncover the truth, face the terrors lurking in the depths, and confront what festers within the heart of Tombwater.

Featuring a classic top-down 2D pixel presentation, unique crafting, loads of exploration on various planes and grueling boss battles with Souls-like inspied combat, Tombwater is shaping up to be something special. A demo for the game is available now where you can also Wishlist it on Steam -- its release date is listed only as "2025" but we suspect with all the news, trailers and the aforementioned demo, we're not too far away. We'll be chasing up the devs for more on this enticing action-RPG which is currently only slated for PC. 

Check out a handful of screens for the game below (click each for a larger, full-size look), including a look at the game's ever-growing map which is quite large given its stature in presentation (and is all the more reason we're so keen on it!). 

Stay tuned for more from us as we have it.