The Banner Saga devs announce a side-scrolling brawler that's not as depressing as The Banner Saga

Looks like I won't be regretting every in-game decision I've ever made with Stoic's new game Towerborne. It's an action RPG that looks much more light-hearted than the studio's previous Viking-ish trilogy The Banner Saga, where I killed every character I loved and made a host of bad choices. Announced during the Xbox Game Showcase at this year's not-E3, Towerborne looks much more family-friendly. Which is lucky because you'll be wanting to grab family members, as it's also a co-op adventure. Check out the trailer below.

From the trailer, Towerborne looks to be inspired by classic beat 'em ups set in a colorful fantasy world. Heroes in this world are called Aces, and interestingly, when an Ace dies, they're able to come back from the dead - but the twist is that their death becomes part of their story. It's not clear exactly what that means yet, but it sounds very Wildermyth-y if you ask me.

This all takes place in an area called The Wilds, home to a bunch of beasties and areas to explore. In a team of three, you'll be able to mix and match your combat to a playstyle suited to you, and with the ability to further customise your character it's unlikely that in couch co-op (or online matchmaking) you'll be fighting next to someone with the exact same build - so that's cool.

Towerborne will release on Steam, Game Pass, and Xbox Series S/X consoles. No word of a release date yet but it'll be out sometime in 2024.

NotE3 and Summer Game Fest 2023 is over for another year. You can find out all the latest news by visiting our E3 2023 hub, or you can catch up with our round-up posts of everything that was announced at Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Games Showcase, the PC Gaming Show, Day Of The Devs, and our top highlights from the Wholesome Direct.