Decemberborn Interactive, the indie developer behind the NES-inspired metroidvania Cathedral, announced earlier this week that it is working on a prequel that will be coming to PC (Steam) and consoles (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4).
Cathedral, in case you've never heard of it, was an action-adventure game released in 2019 for PCs that saw players take control of a nameless knight who wakes up in a strange and mysterious world and ends up partnering with a spirit named Soul, to unravel its mysteries.
In order to progress, players were forced to travel across a large interconnected map, battling enemies and acquiring new items to progress, with the developers rendering the game's world in a retro pixel-art style that was inspired by games from the NES era, without slavishly sticking to the console's limitations. It was later released on Nintendo Switch and PS4, and was also included on an Evercade cart (alongside another metroidvania, Alwa's Awakening, from the developer Elden Pixel).
According to the new announcement, the prequel, which is called Cathedral: Crow's Curse is set in the same universe as the original Cathedral, but will feature a new story focusing on the character of Crow, a "skilled Shade Sentinel" who was introduced as an NPC in the previous title. In addition to this, it will also include a more detailed art style, with "dynamic lighting and enhanced animations".
Here's a description of what you can expect, courtesy of the developers:
"Step into the shadows and unravel the fate of the Shade Sentinels. Parry, dodge and fight your way through a seamless, interconnected world while you uncover the root of the curse that plagues it. Who were the First Ones and what did they leave behind? Battle ancient guardians, fight the Magnus Cultists of Shade Forest and unveil the hidden secrets of the one known only as The Architect.
Meet a vast array of characters, both friendly and not-so-friendly, in different biomes and towns. Explore side quests and unlock a ton of upgrades."
Sadly, no release date has been confirmed just yet, but if you want to wishlist the game, a Steam page is already available, allowing you to express your interest and keep tabs on the project ahead of its release.
You can also watch the teaser trailer below, to see some of those new animations in action: