Sands of Aura coming to Steam Early Access in October

In Sands of Aura, you're tasked with breathing new life into a dying world with a sword in your hand. At the Future Games Show Powered by AMD, developer Chashu Entertainment and publisher Freedom Games announced it will bring the action-adventure to Steam Early Access on October 21, 2021. 

Sands of Aura is set in a world wrought with corruption and you'll need sharp reaction times to cleanse it. With seven distinct fighting styles to assist you in your adventure, you'll need to find the one that feels right for you as you battle it out against doomsday cultists, fallen kings, and everything in between – many will even drop weapon components that you can take back with you to your settlement so that, Chashu Entertainment promises, you'll be able to forge thousands of unique weapons.

Speaking of your settlement, that'll be your homebase in the world of Talamhel – an open world that you can explore freely, carving across the sprawling sandsea from your grainwake looking for new areas to explore and opportunities to take advantage of. Given how punishing the combat looks, taking a beat to breathe at your settlement will be key to survival, a chance to upgrade your weapons and armor, forge new items, and customize your character. 

You'll be able to experience all of this and more when the Sands of Aura Early Access period begins on October 21, 2021. You can add Sands of Aura to your Steam Wishlist in advance, which is undoubtedly the best way to prepare for this mixture of unforgiving souls-like combat, deep Diablo-style action-RPG systems, and a haunting story set in a shattered world. 

Sands of Aura doesn't have a release date just yet, although the team has promised that, after more than three years of development, it is on the near horizon. The Early Access release, which will cover the first three acts of the adventure, is the next milestone on the road to a 2022 release. 

Josh West
Editor-in-Chief, 12DOVE

Josh West is the Editor-in-Chief of 12DOVE. He has over 15 years experience in online and print journalism, and holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Prior to starting his current position, Josh has served as GR+'s Features Editor and Deputy Editor of games™ magazine, and has freelanced for numerous publications including 3D Artist, Edge magazine, iCreate, Metal Hammer, Play, Retro Gamer, and SFX. Additionally, he has appeared on the BBC and ITV to provide expert comment, written for Scholastic books, edited a book for Hachette, and worked as the Assistant Producer of the Future Games Show. In his spare time, Josh likes to play bass guitar and video games. Years ago, he was in a few movies and TV shows that you've definitely seen but will never be able to spot him in.

Read more
Hyper Light Breaker early access launch
"It's not Escape from Tarkov," but an extraction twist gives open-world roguelike Hyper Light Breaker an edge – plus it comes with one of the best indie games of 2016
Blades of Fire
Metroid Dread dev channels that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow energy in a new action game with "almost infinite" ways to build your own weapon
Standing below the imposing Monolith in Empyreal with a glaive equipped, this is a piece of key art from the game
This looter slasher mashes up Remnant 2 with shades of Final Fantasy 14 and lashings of special moves, all in an action-packed Steam Next Fest demo
Where Winds Meet - Big in 2025
Where Winds Meet is a stunning open world adventure set to deliver "the unique charm of wuxia martial arts combat" to the masses
Exploring and fighting in Blades of Fire
Blades of Fire plays like a lost Xbox 360-era mashup between God of War and Soulslikes, and it's coming from the studio behind Metroid Dread
The First Berserker: Khazan protagonist
Steam Next Fest hasn’t even started, but I’m already obsessed with the subtly Soulslike demo for this “hardcore” action RPG with over 3,000 reviews of its own
Latest in Action
GTA 3 Mobile screenshot showing claude running away from police near a casino
The fan-made Dreamcast version of GTA 3 is looking way better in the latest look, introducing tech that "would’ve previously been a slideshow"
The titular Bayonetta in Bayonetta 2
Devil May Cry and Bayonetta veteran Hideki Kamiya is still leaning on Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami's wisdom at new studio Clovers: "I have always made decisions based on his teachings"
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Dark Souls 2 fans remind Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima that he won’t be taking the DS2 acronym that easily
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding's themes of connection came about because "I thought I lost everything when I became alone nine years ago"
Beyond the Ice Palace 2
After 37 years, this Commodore 64 classic returns with a new Metroidvania sequel that gives serious old-school Castlevania vibes
Fortnite's Lara croft skin in front of a building
Fortnite has had Tomb Raider's Lara Croft locked away in battle pass exclusivity jail for almost 4 years, but she's reportedly getting a new skin very soon
Latest in News
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft guild cheats its way to winning Race for World First, gets caught, banned, then reverses its name and does it all over again
A AMD Ryzen 7 8700G being put into it's socket by a reviewer
AMD's new Ryzen 9 X3D processors launch today, here's the stock I've found so far
GTA 3 Mobile screenshot showing claude running away from police near a casino
The fan-made Dreamcast version of GTA 3 is looking way better in the latest look, introducing tech that "would’ve previously been a slideshow"
Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth studio asked Scarlett Johansson to join Instagram, but she refused: "The film will do fine"
Deltarune
Undertale creator Toby Fox's tomfoolery leaves Deltarune testers thinking an intentional nerf was actually a bug after they "independently" discovered it
Pokemon Go player trying to catch a Croagunk
Pokemon Go developer Niantic is being bought for $3.5 billion, CEO says it'll help its games be "'forever games' that will endure for future generations"