Introduction

Undecember is an upcoming action RPG or hack and slash game developed by Needs Games and published by Neowiz. It is scheduled for release in the second half of 2022.

Undecember aims to provide an immersive gameplay experience with a deep lore and legendary settings. Players take on the role of adventurers who must fight against the evil god Serpens who has woken up after a long slumber.

In this detailed review, we will cover the key aspects of Undecember including graphics, sound, gameplay, story, and overall review.

Graphics and Visuals

Undecember features high quality 3D graphics with Unreal Engine 4 powering the visuals. The environments are beautifully crafted ranging from sunny beaches to dark, eerie dungeons. Character models are highly detailed complete with fluid animations.

Some key highlights regarding the graphics:

• Beautiful Environments: The world of Undecember spans various well-designed areas including beautiful beaches, dense forests, dry deserts, damp swamps, and sinister dungeons. Each area has a distinct look and feel.
• Intricate Character Models: The character models look sharp and polished. Facial emotions are clearly conveyed with detailed facial animations. Armor sets and weapons also look intricately crafted.
• Smooth Animations: The attacks, movements, and skills all animate very smoothly. This helps with the immersive combat experience.
• Vibrant Magic Effects: The magic abilities light up the screen with vibrant colorful effects. The screen shakes on big impacts adding to the excitement.
• Optimized Visuals: Despite the high visual fidelity, the game seems well optimized to run smoothly on a range of hardware.

Overall, Undecember delivers AAA quality visuals that look stunning while also keeping the gameplay running smoothly across various hardware. The environments transport you to a mystical world filled with magic and adventure.

Sound Design and Music

The sound effects and background music also help enhance the dark fantasy setting:

• Immersive Ambient Sounds: Birds chirping, insects buzzing, leaves rustling – the ambient sounds of different environments are simulated well and make you feel present.
• Impactful Combat Sounds: Swords clanging, shockwaves blasting, ice shattering – the punishing sounds of combat abilities give suitable feedback.
• Epic Soundtrack: The background music sets the tone nicely whether traversing sunny coasts or entering dingy dungeons. The tunes ramp up during combat.
• Clear Character Voices: The characters are voice acted with clear quality. You can understand the emotions being conveyed.
• Minimal Annoying Sounds: No repetitive or annoying sounds that detract from the experience.

The sound design is top-notch and gives an added layer of immersion as you explore the fantasy world. The impactful combat sounds especially accentuate the skills.

Gameplay and Mechanics

Now let’s look at how it feels to actually play Undecember. Some key aspects regarding gameplay:

• Hack and Slash Combat: The combat gameplay is real-time and fast-paced. You directly control your character and use your skills against enemies.
• Four Playable Classes: There are 4 hero classes – Slayer (warrior), Shadow (assassin), Spellbinder (mage), and Summoner (pet conjurer). Each has unique skills.
• RPG Progression: Defeating enemies and completing quests earns you XP to level up. This unlocks new skills and improves stats. Loot like weapons and armor collected also boosts your power.
• Massive Skill Tree: Each class has a massive skill tree full of active and passive skills to unlock. This allows you to customize your playstyle.
• Open World Areas: The world is open so you can freely explore and discover new quests and loot. The areas feel expansive with beautiful scenery.
• Dungeons: There are instanced dungeons for more linear challenges requiring skillful play to overcome bosses and obstacles.
• Crafting System: Items can be crafted and upgraded using materials found from monsters and gathered from harvest nodes.
• Procedurally Generated Areas: Some areas like rifts have random layouts and obstacles to keep replays fresh.

Overall, the gameplay provides the classic hack and slash fun expected from an ARPG. There is plenty of room for experimenting with different skills and loot to match your playstyle. The open world and procedural generation add lots of replayability.

Story and Lore

Undecember is heavy on lore and backstory. This overview covers some key story aspects:

• Return of Serpens: The evil god Serpens has revived after a long slumber seeking vengeance against humanity. This forms the main conflict.
• 12 Guardians: You join the 12 guardian gods who defend humanity against Serpens’ undead army invasion.
• Dark Fantasy: The story has a dark gothic fantasy tone with occult elements. Strange rituals, elder gods, undead – atmospheric but not too cheerful!
• Mysterious Lore: There is deep lore about the guardians, Serpens, the rituals performed long ago etc. Uncovering this lore is an engaging aspect.
• Legendary Settings: The locales are based on legend like the fallen capital of Rovelle imbued with divine power.
• Expanded Universe: Expansions, webcomics, web novels will expand on the back stories for fans to dive deeper.
• Voice Acting: Full voice-overs for the campaign and side quests to enhance the storytelling.

Undecember seems to have an extensive lore-filled world. Fans of dark fantasy will find the occult setting and extensive backstories highly appealing. There is lots of narrative content to consume.

Game Modes

Let’s look at the major game modes that are planned for Undecember:

• Main Campaign: An epic story campaign where you follow the main quests to progress the guardians vs Serpens plot and visit key locales.
• World Map: An open world that can be freely explored for side activities like random quests, world bosses, and discovering dungeons.
• Dungeons: Instanced dungeons with linear challenges to overcome using your combat skills and character build.
• Rifts: Procedurally generated combat arenas separate from the main world. Has random layouts and quick replays.
• PvP: Player vs Player combat where you can duel other players in an arena or ranked matches with seasons.
• Horde Mode: Survive endless waves of enemies as a cooperative multiplayer mode. Has in-game leaderboards.
• Crafting: Crafting interface to combine materials for creating and upgrading items. Getting rare recipes can provide excellent gear.

There is a good variety of content here from the structured story campaigns to the freedom of open world areas. Procedural rifts, PvP, and horde mode add replay value.

Monetization Model

Undecember will be monetized using two key methods:

• Initial Purchase: The base game will have an upfront cost like typical AAA game pricing. No official price yet but likely $40-$60.
• Cosmetics: Additional cosmetic skins for your character and pets will be sold separately in the in-game store. Does not impact gameplay.

The developers have emphasized there will be no “pay to win” elements. No gameplay boosts or power-ups for sale. Purchases are cosmetic only. A fair model that relies on the core game’s quality.

Release Platforms

Undecember is being developed for the major platforms:

• Windows PC
• PlayStation 4 & 5
• Xbox One & Series S/X
• Nintendo Switch planned after initial launch

Releasing on all major platforms ensures the game can reach the widest player base possible from old to new generation consoles.

The PC version will be available on both Steam and Epic Games Store. Console versions are expected to follow a few months after the PC release.

Development Team

Undecember is developed by Needs Games, a relatively new studio based in Seoul, South Korea. Here are some key facts about the team:

• Founded in 2020 by former producers and developers from NCSoft, Nexon, and Netmarble.
• About 50 employees currently working on Undecember.
• CEO is Hyung Tae Kim who has 25+ years industry experience.
• Strong pedigree from major Korean gaming companies.
• Fully focused on Undecember as their debut title.

While Needs Games is a newer studio, the leadership has deep experience with top Korean MMORPG companies. Their expertise should translate well into creating Undecember as a high quality hack and slash RPG.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• High quality 3D graphics powered by Unreal Engine 4
• Fluid combat animations and impactful sound design
• 4 unique playable classes with deep skill customization
• Tons of lore and narrative content for fans of story-driven games
• Variety of game modes like open world, dungeons, PvP and horde
• Crafting and character progression systems provide depth
• Monetization relies on fair cosmetics model

Cons:

• Combat may feel repetitive to some over long playtimes
• Could be pay to win elements if monetization expands
• Needs Games is an unproven studio despite pedigree
• PvP and co-op functionality could have issues
• Storytelling might be too exposition heavy

Verdict

Undecember shows tremendous promise based on the previews and information released so far. It has the core ARPGS gameplay loop executed well with the high production values you expect from a AAA title. Fans of hack and slash loot games like Diablo and Path of Exile will feel right at home.

The dark gothic setting and extensive lore will appeal to players who enjoy immersing themselves in story-driven games and uncovering histories. With 4 classes, crafting systems, PvP, and expansive world areas, there is lots of content to keep you occupied.

As the debut game from Needs Games, Undecember will be an excellent test of the studio’s capabilities. If they deliver on the quality and content promised, it could become the next big ARPG franchise.

Overall, the game looks incredibly polished and should provide hours of dungeon crawling fun for ARPG fans. Undecember could become one of the top releases in the hack and slash genre when it launches.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the release date for Undecember?

The release date for Undecember has not been officially confirmed yet but is expected to be sometime in the second half of 2022 based on development timelines.

What platforms will Undecember be available on?

Undecember is planned for release on Windows PC, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One and Series S/X. A Nintendo Switch version is also planned after the initial launch.

Will Undecember have controller support?

Yes, controller support is confirmed for Undecember on all platforms. The game is designed with controller-first in mind for console players.

Is Undecember an MMO or online multiplayer game?

Undecember is primarily a singleplayer focused hack and slash RPG. However, it will have online multiplayer features such as co-op, PvP arenas, and horde mode. But the main campaigns can be played solo.

Will there be microtransactions in Undecember?

The only microtransactions planned are cosmetic skins that do not affect gameplay. The developers have emphasized there will be no “pay to win” systems.

Will there be post-launch content and expansions?

Yes, the developers have mentioned their plans for regular post-launch content updates including new story expansions, game modes, classes, and incremental improvements.

Are there difficulty options or accessibility features?

Yes, Undecember is planned to have multiple difficulty modes as well as a range of accessibility options like re-mappable controls, text-to-speech etc. These will allow the game to be enjoyed by players of all skill levels.

Closing Thoughts

Undecember delivers a remarkable dark fantasy world brimming with action-packed adventures. It evokes the thrill of classic ARPGs while modernizing the formula with quality production values. For hack and slash fans, mark your calendars because Undecember could be the highlight of 2022.