1348 Ex Voto demo: promising combat, rough edges

1348 Ex Voto puts you in the boots of Aeta, a young knight errant in medieval Italy. The demo opens with a prologue that shows her training and introduces Bianca, her closest companion, before a bandit attack sends Aeta into a bloody campaign of vengeance. Combat is deliberate and weighty, with one- and two-handed stances, light and heavy attacks, block and dodge, and a timed true strike for chaining moves.

Animations were motion-captured by HEMA experts, and weapon customization appears in the demo through interchangeable sword parts. The game leans into a sparse, cinematic world rather than an open one: few NPCs, limited collectables, and a linear path. Still, small finds such as food, skill books and trinkets matter, and the Unreal Engine 5 visuals—from burning interiors to sunlit churches and smouldering pyres—stand out, drawing an aesthetic line to titles like A Plague Tale: Requiem.

That polish isn’t consistent yet.

Italy

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