As Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 winds down, this new RPG is ready to be your next medieval adventure

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is one of the best RPGs I've played - however, despite Warhorse having a huge hit on its hands, it's zoomed through the game's post-launch slate, taking roughly ten months to get from launch to its third and final DLC, Mysteria Ecclesiae. It's confirmed that there's no more KCD2 on the horizon, and that's sad, but here's a project that might help ease your pain a little. Taking things out to third-person, new medieval RPG Of Ash and Steel is remarkably ambitious, despite the size of its development team. After a small delay, the game is now finally out on Steam.

Inspired by classic role-playing games of the early 2000s, Of Ash and Steel doesn't look like it came from that era - although you shouldn't expect glistening, triple-A visuals either. There is a level of jank to the game that does age it a fair bit, with some slightly ropey facial animations and lip syncing being the first things you'll notice. But there's some proper RPG systems and gameplay lying underneath that I think could appease those who love a good medieval adventure. It was also one of the most-played demos during Steam Next Fest in October, and has over 200,000 wishlists according to developer Fire and Frost, so the lack of visual polish isn't something that should immediately deter you.

Its main story alone is said to run 45 hours, plus you'll have the usual array of side quests and lore entries to peruse. You'll be playing as Tristan, a cartographer by trade who now has to step up. Like KCD, the medieval combat is weighty and realistic, with three different stances to learn and countless weapons and skills to consider as well.

The realism continues in the exploration department - Fire and Frost is proud to have zero quest markers on the HUD, so you'll have to rely on your navigational skills and intuition to get around and keep your adventure on track. The game takes place across seven islands, rather than one continuous open land mass, which might make things a little kinder if you were to get completely lost, seeing as you'll never be too far from a shoreline to reorientate yourself.

Beyond completing quests and slaying enemies, several side activities like fishing, hunting, and alchemy will also eat up your time and could be helpful as you journey across the island. For those who loved the Legacy of the Forge DLC in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, blacksmithing is here in Of Ash and Steel as well, and you can even use it to create your own "one-of-a-kind" swords.

Given this is made by a small indie studio, it's packed with pretty much all the elements you'd expect from a big medieval RPG. As I mentioned, there is a bit of jank in the visual and audio department from what I've seen in its demo and early reviews, but some decent fun will hopefully lie underneath.

After previously setting a date in early November, the last-minute discovery of a few severe bugs pushed things back slightly, but now it's finally out in the wild. Of Ash and Steel is live right now on Steam, and its demo is still available if you want to give it a try before you buy. If you do want to jump right in, it'll set you back $29.99 / £24.99.