Urtuk: The Desolation

Urtuk: The Desolation is an open-world, turn-based tactical RPG set in a dark, low-fantasy world. You guide a band of adventurers through the ruins of an ancient world, recruiting followers, looting fallen enemies and trying to survive a harsh realm. Its survival campaign is procedurally generated, and its hand-drawn art covers characters, monsters, objects, the world map and battlefields.

Story

Many centuries ago, Giants lived peacefully alongside humans. A war between the two species left the Giants extinct. Some years ago, scientists discovered how to extract the Life Essence from Giant bones. The fluid promised to cure diseases, mend grievous wounds and perhaps halt aging, but it often causes mutations or lethal illnesses instead. Experiments on unwilling subjects continue while scientists try to understand the serum.

You play as Urtuk, who escapes from the Sanatorium, where abducted commoners are subjected to these experiments. Exposure to the Life Essence has left him with a severe mutation that worsens each day. He travels in search of a cure, and will eventually die unless he can stop the mutation from progressing. The world is marked by toil, suffering and darkness, with some light magical elements but no overwhelmingly powerful sorcerers or classical fantasy creatures such as elves, dwarfs and dragons.

Tactical battles

Combat takes place in turn-based battles across large maps, where environmental factors shape your tactics. You can ram enemies into spikes or over cliffs, shield allies, counterattack when struck, use archers for ranged support alongside melee fighters and perform combo attacks. The game also has a carefully designed class and skill system.

Character abilities

Characters can learn skills by performing specific actions in battle. You can also extract skills and traits from fallen enemies and apply them to your units, changing their roles in combat. Extracted abilities include pushing an enemy with a critical hit, retaliating when hit, avoiding a lethal strike and making a lifestealing counterattack.