Before its impending Kickstarter campaign launches, we played a demo of Legends of Awen: Rise of the Fianna from Hawkswell Studios, a cRPG set in the underutilized arena of Celtic myth.
Much like Breath of the Wild altered the notion of what an open-world game could be, Baldur’s Gate 3 transformed many’s understanding of RPGs.
Larian created an impossibly high bar, especially in regards to actualizing the “role” aspect of a role-playing game. It wasn’t enough to allow the player to make a spectrum of dialog choices that may influence events and character behaviors. The world had to respond to the player’s whims, creative solutions could be made for otherwise simple problems.
Hawkswell Studios definitely has aspirational goals with their upcoming game Legends of Awen: Rise of the Fianna. In the lead up to Hawkswell’s Kickstarter to further fund production of Legends of Awen, I had the opportunity to play a condensed demo of the game, one meant to boil down several hours worth of content into an early digestible look. Understandably, the build is meant to be representative of the final product and in its pre-alpha state, its not perfect.
Before I got my hands on this particular build, I was shown a presentation of the content by Hawkswell. They noted how we would be able to move rapidly between unique areas, such as a small village, a haunted wood, and a dangerous mine. But not only would these areas be populated with their own content and quests, the journey between them all would be significantly more substantial. Aspects such as the user interface, combat animations, and balancing are all a work in progress. And based on the goals of the Kickstarter, features may or may not be included when the game releases in full.
Only a handful of times have I played early builds as I have with Legends of Awen. And it is honestly refreshing. These concentrated demos that act as a blend of finalized work and vertical slices are a valuable look into and undeniably helpful for a studio like Hawkswell who wishes to garner interest in their ambitions.
Perhaps my biggest draw to Legends of Awen is its setting. Though it doesn’t stray from the touchstone of fantasy found in may RPGs of its type, the game is rooted in Celtic lore and myth. Players will take of the role of Finn, leader of an envoy of Fianna–another word for a band of mercenaries–for the High Queen. Finn and their group of fellow bards, druids, and warriors are sent to protect the Kingdom of Tara. Currently, two warring factions in the North and South are embroiled in a conflict as Goban, the Forge King of Red Hill has become suddenly ill. In the midst of the King’s illness, his son and daughter are vying for control of the throne, giving them control of Red Hill’s Blood Iron deposits, an ore used for crafting valuable weapons and armor.
Immediately I could see the potential for Finn’s journey based on the idea that as players work their way through the story, questlines will likely emerge from not only the King and his children, but the warring factions as well.
Legends of Awen is rooted in the story of Finn McCool, a prominent hero in Irish folklore and one I’ve only heard mention of a few times in my life. Immediately, Hawkswell evokes one’s idea of a mythical, fantastic Celtic setting. Verdant woods set the tone of folklore rooted in the majesty of the natural world. Thick woods housing an ancient Sriggan allude to potential terror. One of the earliest locations is a cemetery littered with human-like statues where the player can encounter a spirit.
Because of the demo’s limited reach, it’s difficult to acquire a sense of how deep and intricate the use of Celtic lore and Irish history will be. Hawkswell hopes that it can have an option for Gaelic subtitles in the future but nothing is set in stone. What I found interesting is that a game being placed in such a rare setting is being developed by a French studio, yet Hawkswell spoke of their love for the various myths from Ireland and Scotland alike, giving me confidence that it will be integrated well.
Equally as promising is Legends of Awen‘s use of player agency when it comes to narrative and combat approaches. Should players wish, they can complete the entire game without killing anything. And while I saw that in action with various charisma checks during conversation, it was more interesting when played out in combat.
Taking place on a grid, Legends of Awen‘s combat is typical point-and-click fare where players hope to line up their party to best contend with a threat. But every enemy has a health bar and a kind of Conviction bar. Naturally, the numerous skills Finn and their party have can chip away at an enemy’s health. But in active battle, players can opt to shave off an opponent’s conviction.
This mechanic is first exemplified in the demo’s opening battle where Finn’s group is halted by a particularly irksome guard who engages in combat. This captain of the guard and his other lackeys can certainly be killed but the game implies this would set a bad standard. Finn’s party in the demo consists of a warrior, a druid, and a bard, exemplifying strength combat, magic dealing, and buffs, respectively. But each character has damage-dealing skills and ones that affect conviction.
While it isn’t an easy process, I find the nature of this “charm combat” quite fun. It’s a secondary way to conduct battle where the player must be mindful of an enemy’s mood. Being “Angry” is a status effect that can make specific charisma skills null. Two of the lesser guards were easily charmed and commented on the folly of their captain, recognizing that Finn likely meant no harm. But this only further infuriated the captain who powered up his attacks.
Much like a Dishonored or Metal Gear Solid that can be surmounted without setting off alerts or outright killing someone, Legends of Awen can actually make itself more difficult if a player opts to not shed blood. But those who wish to be violent can take advantage of a range of status ailments that can change the pace of battle. Enemies can be “wet” which may make them be frozen an extra turn or take more lightning damage. Strong attacks may launch an enemy a few squares away, potentially lining them up for a shot from another teammate.
Right now, the nature of combat feels slightly bare-bones primarily because of the limited combat scenarios in the demo. In the mines players can encounter a large group of goblins known as Redcaps (due to soaking their hats in their victims’ blood), and it got somewhat chaotic and exciting to manage the numerous opponents. But Hawkswell hasn’t included a lot of flair with combat animations and the user interface is pretty basic. Obviously these things can change over time and with updated builds. While balancing may be off when it comes to difficulty, that’s a hard thing to truly know for sure with such a limited scope.
Considering the way Hawkswell crafted this demo to sort of scrunch up the Legends of Awen experience into this digestible bit, I thought I had a good sense of what was going to be offered in the fuller game. There are times of day that can influence character and combat interactions, potentially adding new opportunities for quests. At one point, Finn was absorbed into their sword to go back into the past–because their sword happens to contain the spirit of a warrior from hundreds of years ago. In the past, players take on the role of this warrior and can make decisions that don’t entirely alter the story but can influence the outcomes of a quest. In this instance, they can learn what caused the spriggan in the woods to become violent, potentially turning an encounter from friendly to violent.
The cRPG genre has undergone a renaissance in the past few years and players are better off for it. Studios should have more confidence in delivering rich, choice-based narratives to players. And with the promise of unique companions with complex relationships, non-violent combat, and a underutilized Celtic setting, Legends of Awen holds promise. I expect in the months leading up to release, players will see more of what Hawkswell has to offer and how the game is building towards a polished final release.
Legends of Awen: Rise of the Fianna is aiming for a 2025 release date on PC. Before then, players can check out Hawkswell Studios’ Kickstarter page for the game and be notified when the campaign goes live.
