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A Dark Medieval Journey Through Plague-Ridden Italy
1348 Ex Voto now has a confirmed release date. Independent Italian studio Sedleo and French publisher Dear Villagers have announced that the medieval action-adventure will launch on March 12.
The game will be available on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, as well as PlayStation 5. A previously announced Xbox version has been cancelled, with the developers stating that the decision was made to focus fully on delivering the strongest possible experience on PC and PlayStation.
Set during the devastation of 14th-century Italy, 1348 Ex Voto follows the journey of Aeta, voiced by Alby Baldwin, a young knight errant searching for her closest companion, Bianca, portrayed by Jennifer English.
A Personal Story Set Against a Brutal Backdrop
The narrative of 1348 Ex Voto centres on survival and moral conflict in a society already fractured by war, fanaticism, and a virulent plague. As Aeta presses forward, she encounters religious zealots, roaming bandits, and hardened mercenaries, each reflecting different responses to a world collapsing under fear and desperation.
Rather than framing the story around large-scale heroics, the game emphasises personal motivation, ambition, and the difficult choices made in pursuit of survival and loyalty.
Themes of Choice, Identity, and Moral Conflict
According to Sedleo, 1348 Ex Voto is built around intimate themes rather than broad historical spectacle. The developers describe the story as an exploration of who people aspire to be versus who they are allowed to become, and whether the means used to pursue those goals can ever truly justify the outcome.
Those themes are woven directly into both narrative progression and character interactions, grounding the medieval setting in human-scale struggles rather than mythic fantasy. The result aims to be a story-driven experience in which emotional weight carries as much weight as combat proficiency.
Combat Inspired by Historical European Martial Arts
Combat and exploration form the core of 1348 Ex Voto’s gameplay. Sedleo has worked alongside industry experts to design a combat system influenced by Historical European Martial Arts, prioritising grounded movement, deliberate strikes, and positional awareness.
Encounters are designed to feel dangerous and methodical rather than power-driven, reflecting the harsh reality of the game’s setting. This approach is paired with detailed environments that recreate the rural landscapes of medieval Italy, emphasising authenticity over spectacle.
Together, these systems aim to deliver a more restrained and immersive action-adventure, where survival depends as much on decision-making as on mechanical skill.
Looking Ahead to Release
With its March 12 release date now set, 1348 Ex Voto looks set to offer players a focused, narrative-driven alternative in the action-adventure space. By narrowing its platform scope and leaning into historically grounded design, Sedleo is clearly aiming to deliver a tightly crafted experience rather than a broad blockbuster.
Whether that approach resonates with players will soon be answered when Aeta’s journey begins on PC and PlayStation 5 later this year.
