1348 Ex Voto swings HEMA steel at the Black Death—can this indie pull off “cinematic” ambition?

Why this reveal caught my eye

A grounded medieval action-adventure that isn’t just another fantasy Soulslike? That’s why 1348 Ex Voto popped for me during the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2025. Set in plague-ravaged Italy, you play Aeta, a wandering knight searching for her friend Bianca while skirting bandits and religious zealots. The hook isn’t just the grim setting; it’s the promise of third-person, HEMA-informed swordplay-plus Dear Villagers’ knack for backing narratively sharp indies (The Forgotten City, Souldiers, Edge of Eternity). But “cinematic” scope from a small team is a high-wire act. Here’s where I’m excited-and where my eyebrows go up.

Key takeaways

• Third-person, HEMA-inspired melee could land closer to Kingdom Come: Deliverance than arcade brawlers.
• 1348 Italy during the Black Death is a fresh lens-less knights-vs-dragons, more survival and moral rot.
• “Cinematic” ambition from a new indie team is promising, but scope and polish will be the real test.
• Launching early 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC—plenty of time to show uncut systems and polish.

Breaking down the announcement

On paper, 1348 Ex Voto is a focused third-person action-adventure: you’re Aeta, a knight errant tracking Bianca after a bandit attack. The enemy roster leans human—bandits, mercs, zealots—suggesting readable, duelist-style engagements over monster hunting. The studio, Sedleo, is an Italian indie outfit, and the reveal emphasized tactically paced combat, exploration through rural villages and forests, and a story that leans into honor and sacrifice at a time when those ideals are crumbling. Voice talent includes Jennifer English for Bianca, which should perk ears after her standout work in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Trailers show a moody, grounded tone: muddy roads, plague carts, confessional whispers instead of bombast. That’s a strong identity play in a market stuffed with fantasy and sci-fi power fantasies. If Sedleo sticks to human-scale stakes and keeps the camera intimate, it can carve a lane.

HEMA steel vs. game feel

“HEMA-informed combat” can mean a lot. At its best (think Kingdom Come’s measured rhythm), it forces you to read guards, control distance, and pick your moment—every clash is a conversation, not a button mash. At its worst, fidelity becomes stiffness: long recovery windows, unreadable tells, and a camera that fights you when multiple enemies pile on.

Ex Voto’s pitch suggests timing, positioning, and technique matter. If Sedleo nails hitbox honesty, animation priority, and clear telegraphs, the result could be a satisfying mid-weight feel—not Souls, not For Honor, but somewhere deliberate and personal. I want to see:

• How stamina (or an equivalent) gates aggression and defense.
• Whether feints, binds, or ripostes exist and are readable in third person.
• Group combat solutions: spacing tools, quick finishers, or morale breaks to avoid tedious kiting.
• How armor and weapon matchups change your decisions—do brigandines shrug off slashes, forcing thrusts?

Without that clarity, “tactical” risks translating to “slow and clunky.” With it, every victory can feel earned rather than scripted.

The plague-era angle that actually matters

Black Death games tend to split: stealth-survival like A Plague Tale, or open historical sim like Kingdom Come. Ex Voto seems to thread the needle—story-first action with grounded steel. Setting it in 1348 Italy opens specific opportunities: religious hysteria, collapsing civic order, mercenary companies, and the stark contrast between church sanctuaries and lawless countryside. That’s fertile ground for morally messy quests—are you cutting through “fanatics,” or dismantling the only social order left standing?

I’m hoping exploration isn’t just a moody corridor. Semi-open regions with side tales—sickhouses, burned farms, disputed pilgrim roads—could make investigation and choice feel meaningful, not just a breadcrumb trail to the next duel.

Indie scope vs. “cinematic” promise

Dear Villagers has a solid track record for narrative-forward indies, but launches can be rough around the edges (Edge of Eternity needed post-launch love; The Forgotten City nailed scope by staying lean). Ex Voto’s early 2026 date gives time, yet “cinematic” is where many small teams overreach. Cinematic can mean confident framing and smartly cut scenes—or it can mean lots of cutscenes papering over thin systems.

What I need to see before I buy the hype:

• An uncut combat slice with HUD on, UI prompts visible, and a multi-enemy skirmish.
• A quest with at least two viable approaches (dialogue, stealth, duel) and consequences beyond loot.
• Traversal clarity—horses, climbing, or foot travel only? How does the world invite detours?
• Performance targets on consoles. 60 fps would sell the swordplay; 30 with heavy motion blur would kneecap it.
• Accessibility options for timing windows and camera assist; tactical isn’t fun if the camera is your real boss.

The gamer’s perspective

This caught my attention because the market needs more historical action games that trust steel and intent over stat bloat. If Sedleo keeps fights intimate, builds encounters around human psychology, and lets the plague setting shape systems (resource scarcity, risk-reward travel, social suspicion), 1348 Ex Voto could sit in that sweet spot between A Plague Tale’s atmosphere and Kingdom Come’s dueling depth. If it leans on overly scripted “cinematic” beats, it’ll feel like every other moody action game with a rustic filter.

TL;DR

1348 Ex Voto aims for grounded, HEMA-flavored swordplay in plague-era Italy—a welcome angle with real potential. I’m cautiously optimistic, but I need uncut combat, quest variety, and performance targets before I believe the “cinematic” promise. If Sedleo keeps scope smart and the steel honest, this could be a standout 2026 sleeper.