1348 Ex Voto remains my most anticipated game of 2026

I've not been quiet about my excitement for 1348 Ex Voto. Ever since I saw the trailer last year, I've been enamored by everything about this game: the art treatment, the "historically-accurate" combat styles, and a mistaken belief that they're pulling on some Dante's Inferno stuff (alas, the woman you're trying to find is Bianca, not Beatrice).

Here's the thing. 1348 Ex Voto rips. I love this game already, and I've only played the first forty minutes...twice. I've talked a bit about this in the past in my Sword of the Sea review, where I mention that Giant Squid is playing the same greatest hits while the indie scene that was inspired by their games has surpassed them. 1348 Ex Voto is that, but for the Sony house-style. Let me explain.

The Last of Us, God of War (2018), and even the latest Uncharted were all the mainstream hits that touted their use of filmmaking methods (God of War's "one-shot" trick comes to mind) as core elements of the game's design. God of War also had a contextual HUD, meant to enhance the film-like feel of the game. Hell, I'd even point to The Order: 1886's letterboxing as a means of coopting film technique for game style. As time moved on, we see this in AA indies: The Banishers' uses very similar contextual HUD elements, while Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 uses melodramatic camera angles borrowed from film and painting.

What is striking in most of these games, though, is their use of film techniques (intense close-ups, thematic background imagery, contextual HUDs for immersion, etc.) primarily in intensive moments. Cutscenes in Sony's house-style games feel like video game cutscenes because they are driven by action; Ghost of Tsushima features incredible scenes ripped from Kurosawa films, but most of those scenes are lovingly crafted battle-hype moments. Scenes of powerful people preparing to be powerful for the camera. God of War's kinetic cutscenes are a wonder to behold, but the cinematography is more akin to Michael Bay than the tender angles of an A24 director, even though they're trying to employ the same tricks.

This is what I love about 1348 Ex Voto: it is shot from those tender angles. The opening cutscene, a tutorial training scene between Aeta and Bianca, feels like an arthouse film opening. Bianca is framed in oblique angles, always keeping her golden pendant in view. Aeta is shot from a severe distance most of the time. So much of the Sony house-style of cinematography feels like a gimmick, but 1348's feels important.

That feeling of melodrama isn't just in the shot composition; it's in the childlike melodrama between Aeta and Bianca as well. From Bianca's playacting of an Arthurian duel to encourage Aeta to fight her, to Aeta's demo-ending vow on his knees to find Bianca, surrounded by the roaring flames of his home, this game is dripping in drama. It is damn near Shakespearean.

The combat in 1348 Ex Voto is pretty simple in the demo, but there's a small skill tree to add additional moves (and maybe stances?) as you play. Not apparent in the marketing, but you could probably assume, 1348 is a bit of a Souls-like. Attacks are deliberate, and you'll spend most of your time chipping your enemy's poise meter down, hoping they don't land a strike on you and take away one of your precious five hearts. I died a few times in my two playthroughs, almost always because I was playing too fast. There are only ten or so opponents in the demo, but the scarcity really lets you sit with the combat and dial it in.

I also can't overstate how stunning the game looks. From the character designs to the woods you wander through, to the toppled and burning town you climb through, I couldn't believe how well-crafted and gorgeous every element of this game is. Even the sausages you use as health pickups are lovingly rendered.

I haven't played Hellblade or Plague Tale (yet), but I can certainly see how 1348 Ex Voto is in that league already. I cannot wait to get back to this game when it launches in March. The Nextfest demo will be up until at least March 2, though with a release date of March 12, 2026, I wouldn't be surprised if this demo stays live until at least then. If you're a fan of medieval melodrama, slow, deliberate combat, or you just miss people saying "thou" and "thy" all the time, 1348 Ex Voto is Nextfest demo for you.