Code provided thanks to Press Engine.
Colossus – Eternal Blight – One Of Those Indie Gems
Every now and then an indie game comes along that just feels a little bit special. Not because it’s trying to be the biggest game of the year, but because you can tell there’s an incredible amount of passion behind it. That’s exactly the feeling I walked away with after spending time with Colossus – Eternal Blight.
Launching into Early Access, this ambitious action RPG throws an awful lot of ideas into the mix. It’s part Zelda-style adventure, part action RPG, part narrative-driven experience, with a splash of roguelite elements and meaningful decision-making on top. On paper, that sounds like far too much to squeeze into one game, but surprisingly it comes together far better than I expected. It isn’t perfect, far from it at this stage, but there’s something here that genuinely made me excited to see where the full journey goes.
A Story That Drew Me In
You play as Lucian, a young chap hoping to follow in his older brother Lance’s footsteps as a respected warrior. Before long, everything begins to unravel as a mysterious corruption known as the Blight starts consuming the kingdom. Adding to the mystery, Lance disappears, leaving Lucian to uncover the truth while trying to stop the darkness spreading across the land.
Now, none of this is completely groundbreaking. Fantasy stories involving corruption have been done plenty of times before. However, what impressed me here wasn’t necessarily the premise itself, but how it was presented.
The writing is surprisingly strong. Lucian and Lance feel believable as brothers, with genuine affection between them alongside a little underlying tension. Even some of the supporting characters quickly became likeable. There’s one early sequence involving Lucian’s childhood friend Prim that genuinely had me invested in helping her. It’s been quite a while since I’ve played an indie RPG where I actually wanted to keep pushing forward simply to find out what happened next.
Pixel Art That Goes Above And Beyond
Visually, this game is absolutely gorgeous. At first glance, screenshots simply look like another attractive pixel art game, but once it’s actually moving, everything comes alive. The animation work is incredibly smooth, the environments are packed with detail, and countless little touches really help sell the world. Birds scatter as you approach them, forests feel dense with vegetation and towns are filled with personality. I’m always a sucker for environmental detail, and Colossus absolutely delivers here.
Combined with an excellent soundtrack that effortlessly switches between peaceful exploration themes and energetic battle music, it’s a game that’s simply lovely to spend time in.
Combat
Combat takes inspiration from modern action RPGs without going completely overboard. You’ll spend most battles using standard sword attacks, dodging incoming strikes and, if you’re brave enough, parrying enemy attacks. Now, if you’ve read many of my reviews before, you’ll know I’m hardly the world’s biggest fan of parry systems. Thankfully, Colossus doesn’t force you into using it constantly. Enemies telegraph many of their attacks clearly, making successful parries feel achievable rather than frustrating. Better still, dodging remains a perfectly viable option if that’s more your style.
As you progress, you’ll unlock abilities through multiple skill trees, allowing you to shape Lucian into different builds. I enjoyed experimenting with these, although I did find actually activating abilities a little slower than I’d have liked. Holding triggers before selecting abilities sometimes felt awkward during particularly hectic fights. Overall though, the combat is enjoyable, responsive and has a nice sense of weight behind every hit.
More Than Just Fighting
One thing I really appreciated is just how much variety there is outside combat. Exploration is rewarded with hidden treasure, equipment upgrades and optional secrets tucked away throughout the world. The Zelda-inspired puzzles are another highlight. Some are straightforward block-pushing puzzles, while others ask you to genuinely observe the environment. At one point I actually found myself reaching for a notebook to jot down clues involving environmental details elsewhere in the world. I absolutely love games that encourage paying attention rather than simply highlighting every solution. Not every puzzle landed for me, though. Some of the block-based puzzles dragged on longer than I would have liked and occasionally interrupted the pacing.
Choice Seems To Matter
One of the game’s more intriguing systems revolves around the Blight itself. As corruption spreads throughout the kingdom, you’ll encounter infected characters whose fates aren’t always guaranteed. You’ll investigate their stories, gather information from other NPCs and ultimately decide how to approach each situation. The game also hints at allowing players to embrace corruption themselves in exchange for power, which could lead to some fascinating choices later on. It’s an idea I definitely want to see explored further throughout Early Access.
Early Access Rough Edges
As promising as Colossus is, there are definitely areas that still need work. Enemy placement occasionally felt unfair, especially when multiple ranged enemies combined attacks that left little room to react.
I encountered several bugs, including getting stuck in scenery, being able to walk through locked doors and everyone’s favourite: the hard crash to desktop. Thankfully, save points were generous enough that I never lost much progress. Loading times also felt surprisingly long in certain areas, particularly during some roguelite-inspired sections where you choose different routes before eventually facing a boss.
There’s also one design choice I’m personally never particularly fond of: resting at checkpoints respawns every defeated enemy. I know plenty of players enjoy that Souls-inspired mechanic, but I personally would love to see accessibility options that allow a more traditional adventure experience for those who prefer it. Given this is Early Access though, these all feel like areas that could realistically improve over time.
Final Thoughts
Colossus – Eternal Blight left a very positive impression on me. It certainly isn’t trying to play things safe. Instead, it throws together action combat, exploration, puzzles, meaningful story choices, RPG progression and even a few roguelite mechanics into one ambitious package.
That mixture won’t click with absolutely everyone. Some players may love the combat but dislike the puzzles. Others may enjoy the story but not the more demanding battles. That’s always the risk when a game tries to wear so many different hats. For me though, the heart of the project shines through. There’s genuine ambition here. There’s beautiful presentation, a story that kept me invested and enough interesting mechanics that I constantly wanted to see what came next.
Yes, Early Access brings bugs, balancing issues and rough edges, but underneath all of that is a game that feels like it could become something really memorable. If nothing else, I’d highly recommend downloading the free demo if you’re curious. It gives a great taste of the world, the combat and the overall feel of the adventure. This is definitely one I’ll be keeping a close eye on as development continues, and I have a feeling Colossus – Eternal Blight could become one of those hidden indie gems people end up recommending for years to come.
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