Craft Your Own Hero’s Story in Ephemeral Tale

RPGs often confine players to a specific role, but Ephemeral Tale from Dawdling Dog busts that trope with a random hammer it found under a rock.

That’s because what you’re capable of, who you become, and how you handle challenges in Ephemeral Tale all depends on what loot you find on your journey — and it’s completely random. It’s an interesting twist that makes scouring the land for any and every bit of loot you can snag completely worth your time.

Whatever path you choose, you’ll need to focus on creating a balanced build that can handle both the normal enemies and super-hard bosses scattered across the game’s five dungeons. Each enemy holds an item you can use for crafting as well, and if that still isn’t enough ways to get hold of goods, you can try to find secret vendors throughout the world as well.

Despite breaking the RPG mold, enemies and the basic scenario are highly reminiscent of the likes of Dragon Quest, with monster boxes, evil slugs, a plot to envelop the world in darkness, and a first-person view during combat. It looks like there are even varying dialects among the folks and critters you come across on your quest.

Ephemeral Tale is in early access now on Steam.