Top Story
Monomyth
A worthy successor to Ultima Underworld
Monomyth is a dungeon crawler being developed by a small team – primarily by Dr Michael Alexander Tröls. The game is conceived as a spiritual successor to the Ultima Underworld games, Arx Fatalis and the King’s Field series. However, Monomyth is not intended to be a remake or a re-release of the old games; rather, it aims to capture the atmosphere and feel of the old games and present them in a modern guise. The game is currently still in development, but there is already an Early Access release offering over 80 hours of gameplay. Further information on this project can be found on the official Monomyth website at Rat Tower Software.
What is Monomyth about? Here’s a brief look at the plot: The age of humankind is drawing to a close! Empires are crumbling, whilst raging storms lash mercilessly across the Earth’s surface. The peoples of Ariath are fleeing into the dark depths of the underworld to escape the danger. Amidst the chaos of a world facing its final breath, your father, King Ferodin the Third, sends an expedition to the long-ruined citadel city of Lysandria. Legend has it that buried deep within its heart lies the Divine Gift – an artefact so powerful and precious, that it might even appease the wrathful gods. Your own brother led the men, yet they vanished without a trace. Against your father’s wishes, you resolve to set out for Lysandria yourself. It is a journey that will take you into the depths of the underworld and beyond. Find your brother and retrieve the sacred artefact – but beware: the walls of the ancient fortress harbour dark secrets, and they are far from as quiet and deserted as they appear...
Monomyth runs on the Unreal Engine 4 and features stunning graphics that bring the dark and atmospheric world of Ariath to life. The gameplay is a mix of exploration, combat and puzzle-solving. There is a wide variety of weapons, spells and abilities to use in battle, as well as various enemies to defeat. Through conversations with the inhabitants of Lysandria, you learn more about the history of the city and the events that took place there. The world of Ariath is vast and full of secrets to discover, the story is gripping and well told.
In Monomyth, you can customise your character exactly as you wish. There are six character attributes and thirteen skills, the combination of which allows for many different playstyles. As the game progresses, your character gains experience points, which can be invested in improving attributes and skills. To do this, you must visit one of the many shrines scattered throughout the world. As soon as the player touches the shrine, all of the character’s health and mana points are fully restored. Once the character has earned enough experience points to level up, the experience points can be invested in improving one attribute and two skills. The attributes improve the character’s base stats, such as health, strength, dexterity and intelligence, whilst the skills increase the success of actions such as sword fighting, casting spells or lockpicking. If the character dies, they will be revived at the last shrine they visited in that area, but will lose some of the experience points gained from defeating enemies and completing quests.
When creating a character, the game offers a few portraits to choose from, all of which are currently male. However, there is the option to import your own portrait into the game, so you can also create a female character. I made use of this feature, albeit with a portrait of a male character based on a photo of myself, and in doing so, I indulged a little bit of vanity ;-)
If you realise that the attributes and skills you have chosen are not ideal for your playing style, you have the option to change them later. As the game progresses, you’ll encounter a "Mysterious Priest" who, for a fee, offers you the chance to reset and redistribute your attributes and skills, thereby tailoring your character to your own needs.
Many aspects of Monomyth are strongly reminiscent of the Ultima series, particularly in terms of atmosphere the Ultima Underworld games. To reach certain areas, for example, you have to swim, dive, jump or climb, which is very reminiscent of the mechanics in the two Ultima Underworld games. To open locked doors, you must either find a key or use a lock pick. Depending on the door, you need a certain level in lockpicking to successfully pick the lock. Wooden doors can also be broken down with a weapon, although the weapon used may be damaged in the process. In general, weapons and armour can sustain damage in battle and must then be repaired to restore their full functionality. If the weapon or armour is made of metal, you can repair it yourself at one of the forges scattered throughout the game. If it is made of leather or another material, it must be taken to a trader to have it repaired, which of course costs money. And yes, in Monomyth you can also bake bread, roast meat, go fishing, gather herbs, play instruments and brew healing and mana potions at certain fountains.
Some areas feature maps that you first have to find and on which you can leave notes. Items can be collected in an inventory, and sometimes you need to combine them to create new items or to activate a specific function. There are merchants who supply you with equipment and to whom you can also sell items. One of these merchants sells magical items and goes by the name of Iolo - another lovely nod to the Ultima series. Through conversations with the inhabitants of Lysandria, you learn more about the city’s history and the events that took place there. A welcome new feature compared to the older games is the presence of a journal in which all important information and clues that you receive throughout the game are recorded. This is particularly helpful, as Monomyth features a multitude of quests and tasks that you must complete in order to progress through the game.
The spell system is also very extensive and offers a wide variety of spells, which can be used in combat, but also outside of combat to solve puzzles or reach certain areas. Spells are cast using spell scrolls, which you can either find or buy from traders; these are recorded in a spellbook. All spells are based on one of the three schools of magic: Divine, Aura and Cosmic Magic. There are spells that help you in combat, such as fireballs or healing spells, but also spells that are useful outside of combat, such as teleportation or invisibility. To cast a spell, it must first be memorised. This is done using so-called Echo Stones, which you can find or buy in the world and which are automatically entered into a pentagram. A spell is activated by connecting certain Echo Stones in the correct order within the pentagram, provided that the character’s intelligence is high enough for the selected spell. The spell must then be stored in one of the available spell slots.
I’ve already played Monomyth for over 80 hours and I’m thrilled with what I’ve seen so far. The game offers a vast world to explore, a gripping story and complex gameplay, which should appeal to both fans of the older games and new players alike. I’m really looking forward to the final release of Monomyth and can’t wait to bring this game to a successful conclusion.
Monomyth is available as a beta release both on Steam and on GOG.