Flawless Elder Scrolls Rival Is Free To Trial On Steam And The Most Unique Game You'll Play This Year

Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series has inspired countless RPGs over the years, but we’ve never seen one look like this before.

Through the eyes of our custom characters, we’ve explored several corners of Tamriel, though we still don’t know for sure where The Elder Scrolls VI will take us next.

The game still doesn’t have a release date and we’re yet to see even a screenshot of in-game footage, so in the meantime why not give the below Steam game a try?

Elder Scrolls With Creativity Dialled Up To 11

In a game that feels like the lovechild of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Kingdom Come Deliverance II, Black Raven is the most unique RPG you’ll play this year. There’s even a bit of Witcher influence sprinkled in for good measure.

As the game’s description explains, “Black Raven is a “dark 2.5D action-adventure” game that takes a lot of its inspiration from Slavic folklore.

You play as Ivan, who like many RPG protagonists is struck with a terrible fate when his family falls victim to “a brutal raid.”

Overcome with a need for vengeance, Ivan takes up his sword and travels the land, picking fights with whatever cruel opponent stands in his way.

The story is something we’ve heard time and time again in various ways, but where Black Raven really shines is its gameplay.

With an over-the-shoulder perspective all of the fighting is done with 2D sprites that act as if they’re in a 3D space. You’ll find another example of this in a different Elder Scrolls rival, Broken Dagger.

Alexey Marchenko

The gameplay footage is otherworldly and harkens back to the old-school RPGs we grew up on. It specifically gives me King’s Field vibes.

It’s a treat for the eyes and if you’re already sold you’ll be happy to hear a free demo is available now on Steam.

The demo will give you a taste of the action you can expect from the full game, and there’s even a playtest for those looking to provide feedback.

Unfortunately, Black Raven doesn’t have a release date yet but with any luck it’ll launch later this year.

It’ll launch on PCs only like so many of these indie games do but with any luck it’ll get a console port later down the line.

In the meantime this is exactly the kind of game you should play before The Elder Scrolls VI comes out, but we need an update on its development first…

With Summer Game Fest and Gamescom quickly approaching there’s a chance we’ll see a trailer at the very least, but given the significance of the RPG it wouldn’t be surprising to see it get its own showcase later in 2026.

READ MORE: The Elder Scrolls Returns In Fresh Gameplay Tease For New Entry