A new Resident Evil 2-inspired survival horror game has been announced at The Future Games Show at Gamescom, and I'll be keeping an eye on how this one develops.
Alkimya: House of Wisdom quickly puts across what it's all about in a one-minute trailer. From a first-person point of view, we enter a dimly lit courtyard after putting down a map. The sight of rotting bodies swiftly tells us this is somewhere we want to leave soon.
And that we do. After several towering foes in masks appear, we shoot one down before entering a room, slowing down the rest with a smoke bomb, and then shutting down door for some reprieve. The reprieve, however, is denied as we turn to see a much bigger, hulking foe slowly move toward us.
Set in Bagdad during the 1258 Mongol invasion, this cosmic horror twist on history sees us in shoes of Yusuf, a foreign alchemist drawn to the country in search of a cure to save our dying daughter. That brings us to the titular House of Widsom – once a bastion of knowledge, it now finds itself in overrun by Mongol invaders unaware of the mysterious forces that fester beneath its foundations.
You get a sense of the Resident Evil 2 vibes from the trailer, though they run deeper. The House of Wisdom is not unlike Raccoon City's police station in that you'll be scavenging resources, solving puzzles, and doubling back plenty as new discoveries make well-trodden ground relevant again. Naturally, you can also expect a stalker-type enemy to hound you through the House of Wisdom. A real nemesis, if you will.
As for what Alkimya brings to the table, you've got alchemy-based combat that involves hurling alchemical flasks with a variety of effects to damage, disrupt, and so on. Alongside more historical references like firearms of the Islamic Golden Age, you've got the aesthetics of the game as Alkimya trades Resident Evil's bio-tech and zombies for something more mythical and cosmic.
There's some decent talent behind it too. Developer Iksyr is a 40-person team that includes veterans from Bungie, Raven Software, Playground Games, and Crytek.
Alkimya: House of Wisdom is coming to PS5 and PC in early 2028.
If you're looking for more excellent games from today's Future Games Show, have a look at our official Steam page.
