Everything we know about the upcoming visually stunning soulslike Ballad of Antara!
Ballad of Antara transports you to a fantastical world of Para where you must attempt to survive against the invasion of an ancient power as common folk. The gameplay of Ballad of Antara was recently revealed, and some new information was also provided. I’ve got to say—this game looks amazing, though I have some concerns based on the information we have so far.
Who is Making This Game?
The visuals look gorgeous right off the bat, and we’ve got TipsWorks Studio’s magic with Unreal Engine 5 to thank for that. TipsWorks is a game developer based in Shanghai, China, and they have notably made Pascal’s Wager in the past, a dark fantasy souls-like adventure title that gained considerable traction back in 2020.
While the Definitive Edition is purchasable on Steam, Pascal’s Wager first came out on mobile devices, and it remains one of the few premium souls likes on the mobile platform. One of the highlights of the game was its offering of multiple playable characters with unique playstyles.
What is Ballad of Antara?
Ballad of Antara appears to be an Open World Hack and Slash soulslike that focuses heavily on parrying. It feels like a spiritual successor to Pascal’s Wager, except it seems to be wildly better in every aspect. The presentation seems similar to Black Myth: Wukong, and if that game’s success is anything to go by, then Ballad of Antara might end up being a smash hit.
What’s The Setting?
From the trailer, we can see that the setting is dark fantasy, and it seems to be inspired by Eastern mythology, with mythical creatures shown off in every other scene. A blog post accompanied by the trailer tells us that Ballad of Antara offers two worlds for us to explore: one of normalcy and the other unimaginable.
At the end of the trailer, we see a young girl wearing a fur coat and holding a staff. She is also confirmed to have significant ties to the calamities that take place in the land of Para.
What is the Gameplay Like?
From the gameplay showcase, the combat appears to feel meaty, with hits and parries appearing easy to pull off. In one of the early parts of the gameplay reveal, we see our male protagonist throw some form of firebomb to stagger his opponent, though whether this is an item or some magic wielded by him still remains to be seen.
The protagonist also seems to be accompanied by a child who aids him in combat while riding what seems like a silver tiger who can spit flames—very cool stuff. One thing that stood out to me, shown later in the video, is that you can swap between characters while you play on the fly.
Are There Multiple Playable Characters?
In the video, the player is seen switching between the male sword handler and a woman with a bow. This echoes the blog post, which said you would have multiple playable characters called Emissaries.
Will It Have Co-Op?
Ballad of Antara is confirmed to have a Co-Op with up to 2 other players. We haven’t seen how TipsWorks Studio has implemented it so far, but it seems promising. We have not gotten too many soulslike co-op titles before, so Ballad of Antara is going to be a welcome addition to that.
The Catch?
The gameplay, visuals, lore, and overall impressions look great, but what’s the catch? I have some worries based on what we have seen so far. First, the enemies shown appear to have a ton of health, which makes me worried about whether the enemies would have bloated HP throughout the game. However, it seems like we were only shown an early portion of the game, and we could gain access to tools to exploit weaknesses and take out enemies faster.
Pricing, Platforms, and Release Date
Ballad of Antara will be Free To Play and is confirmed to be playable on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, PC, and mobile devices. After its release in 2025, TipsWorks Studio plans to add new content in the form of regions and playable characters in future updates.
Now, the game being Free-to-play surprised me. It remains to be seen how TipsWorks will implement their payment model here and whether this game coming to mobile devices stunts the overall potential of the game. Could this be a soulslike alternative to Genshin Impact or Destiny on mobile? Only time will tell.
