Tides of Annihilation is a visual spectacle, with boss fights that feel epic in scale, and a story that I can’t wait to play more of.
Something about Arthurian mythology just sings to me. While there are tall tales of knights in shining armor battling dragons and all manner of beasties, there's something inherently relatable about the Knights of the Round Table. Placing the magic and monsters aside, there's a sense that these were ordinary people blessed with martial prowess and extraordinary bravery. Yes, they're fables, but they're still remarkably human.
That's why Tides of Annihilation is so interesting to me. Blending the magic of the Arthurian mythos with a dystopian modern-day London setting, it's both visually spectacular and narratively intriguing. We've seen a lot of beautiful games coming out of China recently - Black Myth Wukong perhaps being the first, paving the way for the likes of S-Game's upcoming Phantom Blade Zero and, now, Tides of Annihilation. While a lot of these have honed in on Eastern myths, Eclipse Glow Games' debut combines China's spectacular visual storytelling with Western folklore, and after playing an hour of it at Gamescom, I'm genuinely hungry for more.
Let's start out with the obvious: in terms of visual fidelity, Tides of Annihilation stuns. The level I played was set in the Great Russell Museum, which is clearly inspired by the ever-iconic British Museum. As Gwen - the modern nickname for King Arthur's wife, Guinevere - I'm tasked with exploring the Russell's once spectacular halls, which have now been overrun with corruption.
The zone is expansive, and there's a real sense of scale, amplified by Gwen's myriad traversal mechanics. She can glide along magical ziplines, hop easily from platform to platform, and grapple around. The movement itself is dynamic and fluid, but it also helps illustrate the Museum's size - you feel small, while it feels intimidating, much like a lot of London's architecture does.
The Egyptian Section is my North Star, but my personal highlight was in the Chinese exhibition where, if you're a history nerd like me, you'll recognize various artifacts like the Dragon Tiles, which are, indeed, housed in the British Museum's Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery of China and South Asia.
That attention to detail is impressive, as is the imposing figure of Guan Yu, the Han Dynasty general who, in Tides of Annihilation, effectively acts as Gwen's mentor. He's cast in stone and is, in many Chinese regions, almost treated as a god. Eclipse Glow has done a fantastic job of evoking that sense of awe, bringing him to vibrant, yet intimidating life.
Eclipse Glow's Co-CEO and Tides Game Director Ary Chen tells me that the team "conducted extensive research on location, visiting historic sites and studying historical artifacts at the British Museum to immerse [themselves] in the city's atmosphere, architecture, and folklore. Our aim has been to bring together a deep respect for the source culture and the freedom to interpret it creatively, rather than take a strictly academic or documentary approach," he says. That's clear to see here.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.pcgamesn.com/tides-of-annihilation/gamescom-preview-2026
