Like many a great tale of political intrigue and bloody power-wrangling, Crown Gambit starts with a disputed succession to the throne. The King of Meodred has been assassinated, and you—playing as as a team of three young paladins—will play a vital role in deciding who will succeed him; choose who to side with, and choose wisely, because a strong hand will be needed to guide the kingdom through the encroaching darkness. Will you seek to legitimise the gifted first-born bastard son of the king, shake up tradition by helping the princess Gallenor ascend to the throne, or back another pretender altogether?

Speaking of strong hands, your adventure across this dark low-fantasy realm will be fought on the board, in engaging tactical card battles that will see you taking on everything from the city’s miscreants, to rival knights and vicious beasts.These battles will be a spectacle unto themselves, as each swing of your sword, mace, or anchor (yep, that’s a thing), and each ancestral power you call on from above, is bolstered by beautiful animations that light up your screen in a preternatural glow.

As you work your way through Meodred, your Paladin’s strength will grow, letting you deck-build their skills and train them to match your unique playstyle—be that defensive vanguard or vicious attacker. Eventually you’ll come into possession of Sacred Relics—mysterious objects will allow you to channel Ancestral Grace to smite your foes with. But beware: using these comes at a price, and not respecting their immense power puts your very soul at risk. You’ll need to decide whether to destroy the relics and free yourself from the unknowable ancestral powers, or embrace their power to aid you in battle.

Each paladin—Aliza the swashbuckler, Hael the cleric, and Rollo the stalwart tank—has their own personality and backstory, offering a unique narrative journey through a tale that takes notes from Celtic and Breton folklore. Between battles, you’ll be pulled into story-altering dialogues, where you’ll need to navigate aeons-old noble rivalries and characters whose goals might not align with your own. In a world where friends are a luxury but allies are invaluable, you’ll need to be wary of who to trust. Each decision shapes your hero’s personality and branches the narrative towards one of several fascinating endings.

Binding all this together is a beautiful aesthetic conceived by the game’s Art Director Antoine “Gobert” Tabouret-Loudéac. Brooding character illustrations, and a dark, earthy palette punctuated by deep crimsons and cyans, evoke a gritty yet mesmerising world that looks like a fusion of House of the Dragon and fantasy book covers from the 80s.

If you’re ready to venture into Meodred, where self-motivated lords are just as dangerous as the beasts and bandits of the battlefield, then head over to Steam and download Crown Gambit demo, which is available until November 20 as part of Steam’s Save&Sound festival. The game doesn’t come out until 2025, but you can wishlist Crown Gambit now on Steam, and start plotting your path through its intriguing and unforgiving world.