Russian developer Dark Crystal Games and German publisher Prime Matter announced that the cRPG Encased will be officially released on September 7th for PC via Steam (where it’s already available through Early Access), GOG, and the Epic Games Store.
Set in an alternative 1976, the game has players exploring a hostile area called The Dome; a sealed wasteland packed to the brim with amazing technology but also deadly enemies.
Players start off in one of five disciplines – science, engineering, security, management or convict – which affects both their initial stats, specialisation and opens (or prevents) unique dialogue within the game.
As with all classical RPG’s the game is a mix of exploration, combat and quest interaction as you journey across the environment crafting supplies and weapons and trying to ensure each day is not your last.
As you level up, you’ll encounter six different factions that have sprung up in the zone. Whether they become your friends or enemies is entirely up to you.
The game owes some of its spiritual inspiration to books like Roadside Picnic – as well as some classic post-apocalyptic RPGs – creating a familiar but unique environment that will appeal to both the veteran afficionado and RPG newbie alike.
Francesco recently got to try a preview build of Encased and summarized his thoughts with the following conclusion.
Encased may not be trying to reinvent the wheel in any significant way, but the huge amount of freedom it offers is sure to make more than a few RPG enthusiasts happy. The combat system may not be particularly exciting, but every other feature and mechanics is so nicely put together that most fans are likely to look past its straightforwardness.
Check out a brand new batch of screenshots, captured from a never-before-seen area of the game, in the gallery below.
