Every so often a trailer drops that makes you stop scrolling and sit up straight. Fatekeeper, a grimdark first-person action RPG from Paraglacial and THQ Nordic, just did exactly that – not with some enormous dragon or cinematic set piece, but with a bedraggled, sharp-tongued talking rat perched on your arm.
The new gameplay trailer, published in late November, leans hard into that odd couple dynamic. It opens on the rat berating you for nearly getting both of you killed in an ambush, before you shove him back into your pack and continue toward a glowing gateway called the Moon Gate. It’s weird, moody, a little funny, and it immediately gives Fatekeeper more personality than most grimdark fantasy reels manage in several minutes.
A Grimdark World With a Mouthy Guide
On paper, Fatekeeper sounds like a familiar fantasy setup: ruined castles, cursed relics, and a world slowly unraveling under the weight of forgotten gods. In motion, the trailer sells something more specific – tight corridors, clanking armor, and a constant feeling that you’re one sloppy dodge away from being thrown off a ledge.
The rat keeps it from collapsing into pure edge. He rides your shoulder, comments on close calls, and argues with you about where to go next. He’s not a cute mascot so much as a grumpy narrator who’s seen all of this before and is tired of watching mortals repeat the same mistakes. In a genre full of voiceless protagonists and stoic mentors, a sarcastic rodent guide is an unexpectedly strong hook.
Hexen Bones, Dark Messiah Energy
Underneath the talking-rat novelty, Fatekeeper is clearly built for players who miss the era of first-person fantasy brawlers. The developers have cited Hexen as a core inspiration, and you can feel that in the way levels are structured: dense, handcrafted spaces with secrets tucked into side paths and vertical routes, rather than open-world sprawl.
At the same time, the moment-to-moment action has a real Dark Messiah of Might and Magic vibe – weighty swings, crunchy hits, and enemies that stagger, stumble, and crumple in ways that make good positioning as important as raw stats. Kicks, shield bashes, and environmental hazards all show up in the footage, encouraging you to use the arena itself as a weapon instead of just trading blows.
There are hints of Soulslike pace in the way attacks land and stamina matters, but the combat here looks more about opportunistic brutality than memorizing long boss patterns.
Building a Character, Not Just a Loadout
What pushes Fatekeeper firmly into RPG territory is how it treats your build. Every character starts with access to both melee and magic, and from there you specialise into very different archetypes. The trailer and accompanying info tease paths that can turn you into a hulking hammer-wielder, a trap-setting alchemist, a pyromancer who controls space with fire, or some hybrid you cobble together yourself.
This isn’t just about damage numbers. The way you invest into your skills appears to change how you move through levels, how you approach encounters, and which risks you’re willing to take. Combined with a focus on exploration and tactical choices over pure twitch reflex, it feels aimed squarely at players who want their builds to express playstyle, not just gear score.
Early Access Plans and What Comes Next
For now, Fatekeeper is confirmed for PC, with plans to hit Steam in early access sometime in 2026. That gives Paraglacial room to tune combat balance, iterate on level design, and, crucially, figure out just how much the rat should talk without becoming annoying.
If the current trailer is any indication, though, they’re on a promising track. The world looks grim without being dull, the combat has satisfying heft, and the talking rat companion instantly sets it apart from the sea of po-faced fantasy RPGs. If you’ve been craving a new first-person RPG that mixes old-school lineage with modern polish – and you don’t mind a tiny, judgmental rodent riding shotgun – Fatekeeper is one to keep on your radar for 2026.