Crimson Moon wants you (and maybe a friend) to feel like a badass

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At February 2026’s State of Play presentation, a new action RPG called Crimson Moon really stood out. It features a striking, dark gothic art style and promises engaging missions with intense combat and detailed character development. Combined with a powerful heavy metal soundtrack, we were eager to learn more about the game.

I recently attended GDC 2026 and got a preview of the game from the developers at ProbablyMonsters. Mark Subotnick, their Chief Product Officer, walked me through a demo of the game.

The city of Gildenarch has fallen to the Infernal Legion, an army of the undead, in the world of Crimson Moon. You play as a Nephilim, a warrior with angelic heritage, and your mission is to destroy the Legion with extreme force.

ProbablyMonsters is making it clear that Crimson Moon will be a powerful, action-packed game. As one previewer put it, players will be strong and capable characters going on a quest to defeat frightening undead enemies – a classic ‘power fantasy’ experience.

During the GDC demo, two playable characters were showcased: Sunder and Aegis. Sunder excels at long-range attacks, while Aegis is designed for close-quarters combat. When I asked the developers if these characters represented different classes, they explained that the game doesn’t actually have classes, but that ‘character class’ is the simplest way to understand their differences – each character has unique abilities and effects. We then played through the demo using Aegis, the close-combat character.

The central hub of the game is called Sanctus Clypeus. The developer, Bot, explained that a lot of effort went into creating this area, as players will spend most of their time here between missions, developing their character. He described the visual style as a blend of ‘Gothic and High Renaissance’ architecture. The game is structured around missions, and each one can be customized with different difficulty levels and challenges before you start, though I didn’t get a close look at those options. After demonstrating the same mission repeatedly at GDC, he chose a fairly difficult setting and began.

I’m really excited about this game because you can play it however you want! You can go it alone if you’re feeling brave, or team up with a friend for some co-op action. They even highlighted this in the trailer, with the tagline ‘hunt alone or slay together’, which I think is awesome. The developers explained that this was a key design choice.

The game supports easy co-op – players can join or leave whenever they want, and the game will automatically choose the player with the best connection to host. We want to offer both strong solo and multiplayer experiences, and aren’t forcing players to choose one over the other. The game adjusts difficulty dynamically, so you’ll have a similar experience playing alone or with friends. Plus, playing co-op can offer unique advantages. If you and a friend coordinate your equipment and strategies, you can achieve results that wouldn’t be possible playing alone – essentially, the combined effort creates something greater than the sum of its parts.

During the demo, which I watched rather than played, the gameplay reminded me a lot of Nioh or Nioh 2, but with a faster tempo. Combat focused on stages, managing stamina, and using a wide range of moves and abilities. There’s also a robust loot and gear system for customizing and strengthening your character. The game features an “Angel Mode” – similar to an overdrive – that boosts damage and likely reduces stamina usage.

I asked the developers what inspired Crimson Moon. They told me the team draws heavily from action RPGs like Dark Souls, Darksiders, Diablo, Lies of P, Nioh, and Elden Ring. They also mentioned that 80s metal album artwork was a key influence on the game’s style.

The ProbablyMonsters team repeatedly highlighted that they’re aiming for fast-paced, exciting gameplay – something they described as being like a heavy metal soundtrack. This focus on adrenaline and energy was clear both in the demo and the game’s announcement trailer.

Crimson Moon sets itself apart from many action RPGs with its Lives system. It works simply: if you run out of health but have a Life available, you instantly revive. This adds an arcade-like feel, giving you multiple chances to keep playing after taking damage. During the demo, the player had six Lives, but the developer explained that you’ll earn more as you progress through the game.

Bot explains that the game is somewhat more lenient, giving players a moment to react and plan their next move. He also mentioned that players might earn more lives as they progress.

As a huge fan, I was really hoping for an open-world game, but the developer made it clear that’s not what we’re getting. It’s going to be more of a traditional level-based experience – you move from one area to the next, facing challenges and ultimately taking on a big boss. But, thankfully, they are letting us explore each level to find cool loot and learn more about the story, so it won’t be totally linear. They want us to feel like we can wander and discover things, which is awesome!

The demo culminated in a battle against Cardinal Mathias, a large and surprisingly nimble zombie wielding a massive weapon. Although the boss had a visible health bar and name, I didn’t see a stagger or stun meter. It seems the game uses a poise system – similar to Lies of P – where the boss can be briefly stunned if enough damage is dealt quickly.

I was curious about how the game would actually play during a preview session. The initial announcements mentioned ‘replayable missions,’ and it seemed you begin missions from a central hub, collect rewards, improve your character, and then continue. The developers at ProbablyMonsters described it as a ‘mission roguelike,’ which felt a bit odd because I didn’t see a clear repeating cycle typical of that genre. When I asked them to explain further, Bot responded:

We’re building an action RPG with roguelike features. Players will find different items and equipment with various bonuses and passive effects. When you finish a mission, you get to keep the loot you’ve earned. We’re still adding more of those roguelike elements. It was hard to fully understand how everything connects – like how your overall progress, level, and gear work together – during the demo. It sounds like some of the specific bonuses and run features are still being finalized.

I wanted to be sure we were using the right terms, so I asked if calling the game an “action roguelike RPG” was inaccurate. He confirmed that he didn’t think it was a mislabel.

During the boss fight demo, Bot highlighted how the music swells as the boss weakens. He explained, “That mix of gothic and renaissance sounds, then the metal… when that metal kicks in while I’m playing, it really energizes me.”

Crimson Moon is set to release later this year for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

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2026-03-18 18:27