Don your swimming bands and prepare for a new era in Waven

If you listen to science, the world will be mostly underwater in a few decades, so why not practise early with Waven, the new tactical RPG from Ankama? Developed by Ankama, the minds behind the frankly brilliant DOFUS and WAKFU, the first trailer for this upcoming adventure has dropped and looks fantastic.

Waven starts you off at the dawn of a new era, when an unknown character came down with a bad case of explosions, blew up, and caused a huge tsunami that nearly wiped out the whole world. You will have to pick your hero, gear up with spells and equipment, and then sail from island to island, belting out your favourite sea shanty. That bit is surely mandatory.

Gameplay in Waven unfolds much like Ankama's previous games; the good old tried and tested tactical grid. Whilst the trailer does show a lot of combat clips, we, unfortunately, don’t get much in the way of hard facts, besides the graphics are definitely what you expect from the devs, endearing and cartoony. The brief glimpse of the equipment screen is certainly interesting, looking like there will be a huge selection of spells to choose from and upgradable companions and equipment to bring along, suggesting a wealth of combat choices.

If AI friends aren't your bag, team up with other players around the world to take on your foes. Or, if you are feeling frisky, enter the Kolossium to battle others, climb the ranks, and become a legend. You can also defend your Haven Island in an interesting-sounding asynchronous mode, which will be intriguing to hear more about.

Waven will be out in late 2023, with an early access mode coming this summer for one last round of player feedback before the real deal. To make sure you don’t miss out, sign up for the newsletter.