In August 2026, “gamescom 2026” was held in Cologne, Germany. At the event, I had the chance to try out the new FPS *Guns of Eschaton*, developed by Eschatology Entertainment.
Set in a United States on the brink of collapse, this game is a first-person “Souls-like” FPS. It unfolds as an “apocalyptic Western,” blending classic Western motifs—such as dust-swept wastelands, gunfighters, and revolvers—with otherworldly elements like monsters and the occult.The game is being developed by Eschatology Entertainment and published by 4Divinity.
The demo available this time was a special version created for gamescom that condensed the game’s core systems. It started with a tutorial, took me through a village teeming with enemies, and even let me experience a boss battle at the end.
It’s not just about shooting them in the head! The “right way to shoot” varies depending on the enemy.
A key feature of the game’s combat is the “Sequence Points” assigned to each enemy. The player’s hand-drawn “Cherokee Codex” contains information on enemy behavior, weaknesses, and anatomy, which serves as a guide for defeating them.
For example, for the enemy that appeared in the tutorial, the sequence is “legs → head.” By shooting the designated points in the correct order, you’ll deal additional damage with your subsequent attacks. The development team explained, “We don’t want you to fire a lot of shots; we want you to fire very few shots with extreme precision.”
Conversely, if you ignore the strategies outlined in the Codex and just shoot randomly, defeating enemies becomes quite a hassle. However, surprisingly, this very hassle keeps combat from becoming boring.This is because even similar humanoid enemies require different approaches for each one—for example, an enemy with a rifle requires “left leg → left arm → head,” while an enemy with a covered head requires targeting the legs in sequence. Regarding the latter, the staff explained that these enemies were designed “to demonstrate that shooting the head isn’t always the solution.”
In games that combine Souls-like elements with first-person shooters, I sometimes find that the time spent dodging enemy attacks and waiting for an opening to counterattack can feel a bit drawn out. However, in this game, you must constantly think about “where to shoot next” and “which enemy to take out first” even during those moments.By providing a different “solution” for each enemy, the game ensures that careful combat doesn’t devolve into mere waiting.
The development team themselves described the game as “a shooter in appearance, but first and foremost a Souls-like.” They emphasize that, unlike in a typical shooter where you simply fire off a barrage of bullets, it’s crucial to think before you shoot. Additionally, you can parry enemy attacks and even deflect some projectiles.
Furthermore, the demo features a campfire that, once lit, serves as a respawn point upon death. This aspect, too, shows that the game isn’t just a high-difficulty FPS—it’s been crafted with a strong awareness of the “Souls-like” formula.
Fire one shot, reload one round at a time. The “inconvenience” of 19th-century firearms is what makes it cool
For this demo, I primarily used a revolver. The gamescom version included “Archetypes” that let players quickly try out multiple combat styles, and from among them, I chose “Sheriff,” which wields two revolvers.
Note that this archetype was designed specifically for the demo. In the full game, players won’t be restricted to a specific class; instead, they’ll be able to unlock numerous abilities for each character and combine them to create their own unique combat style. The “Sheriff” archetype featured in this demo included abilities such as reloading the revolver after successfully parrying while out of ammo.
There is also a strong emphasis on the handling of the guns themselves. According to the development team, the weapons in this game are based on real firearms from the 19th century; for example, if a real gun required the hammer to be cocked before firing, that same action is required in the game as well—incorporating the mechanics of period firearms into combat.
Of course, reloading isn’t instantaneous like in modern FPS games. With the revolver we used this time, you have to load each bullet into the cylinder one by one. Loading round by round—click, click—while enemies are closing in is quite nerve-wracking.
However, the development team isn’t trying to hide this slow reload time as a flaw. “That’s why reloading takes so long—and that’s exactly why we love it,” they said, explaining that the game’s overall pace is built around the nature of 19th-century firearms: loading slowly and firing slowly.
Since you can parry even while reloading, it’s not just a matter of “escaping to a safe spot and waiting for the reload to finish.” You have to fend off enemy attacks while loading the revolver and decide where to fire the round you’ve just loaded.In a desolate, Western-style world, you grip a cumbersome revolver and take down monsters one shot at a time. This somewhat gritty style of combat is simply cool.
The full release is scheduled to feature over 20 types of 19th-century firearms, along with build customization elements that combine active and passive abilities, custom bullets, talismans, and armor.Additionally, the developers have officially introduced a system where you select different bullets depending on the enemy and treat the revolver’s cylinder itself like a “consumable queue” or a “combat plan timeline.”
Although this demo didn’t delve into such in-depth ammunition management, it seems like a great fit for a game that prioritizes “the next shot.”
It’s not just “hard because it’s strong.” Boss battles with gimmicks that require you to figure out the “correct sequence”
At the end of the demo, a giant, eyeball-like boss awaited us. It had a bizarre appearance, resembling multiple overlapping rings surrounding the eyeball, which was floating in midair.
Here, just like with regular enemies, you can’t simply “shoot anywhere.” The strategy involves shooting the points arranged on the rings in order from the outside in, and finally shooting the central eye. Once you hit the correct spot, you move on to the next point, and by repeating this process, you deal damage.
In other words, this isn’t a boss you can defeat simply by attacking relentlessly—it’s a puzzle boss that requires you to first understand the mechanics of “how to defeat it.”
The appeal of this boss lies in the fact that it’s difficult to win by simply dodging attacks and firing continuously. You must first understand the strategy, then actually aim carefully and shoot the targets in order while dodging attacks. It was a boss battle that tested both your understanding of the solution and your ability to execute it.
That said, it’s not exactly easy once you figure out the mechanics. The boss relentlessly attacks you even while you’re attacking it. In addition to attacks you can parry, there are powerful moves you must dodge by dashing—and you need to evade all of these while aiming at small targets and hitting them in the correct sequence.
In other words, this battle simultaneously tests your ability to understand the mechanics, your aiming skills as an FPS player, and your ability to dodge attacks as an action game player. If you get too caught up in aiming, you’ll take damage; if you spend all your time dodging, you won’t be able to progress through the sequence. It’s difficult, but it’s quite rewarding—a boss battle that leaves you thinking, “I’ll get it next time.”
I, too, was defeated on my first attempt, coming within a hair’s breadth of victory. At that point, a staff member pointed out that I had switched to a revolver—which has a slow reload speed—mid-battle, giving the boss time to recover while I was reloading. On my next attempt, I paid attention to that detail and managed to defeat the boss.
Opening the Codex and loading each bullet one by one—that “hassle” is part of the fun
While this demo focused on combat, I was told that the full game places significant emphasis on exploration and storytelling as well. According to the development team, there are numerous quests, and by delving deeply into the world and the story, you may sometimes discover different ways to solve boss battles. They also explained that you can find different approaches to saving a world on the brink of apocalypse.
Even in this demo, the village teeming with enemies wasn’t a place where you had to defeat every single enemy; it was possible to simply pass through and head straight for the boss. It seems the game aims to offer choices not only in “how to defeat enemies” in combat but also in “how to solve the problem in the first place.”
You have to operate the hammer with every shot, and when you run out of ammo, you have to reload one round at a time. On top of that, you have to consult the Codex to figure out the correct strategy for each enemy. This game is, quite simply, a “high-maintenance” FPS.
However, from my perspective, that very hassle is what made it quite fun. While you’ll struggle to take down enemies if you don’t shoot exactly as the Codex instructs, the fact that each enemy has its own unique strategy prevents you from ever feeling like you’re “just shooting the same enemy over and over.” It brings a Souls-like sense of caution to the FPS genre, but it doesn’t turn the game into one where you simply wait for the enemy to show an opening.
You have to identify enemy weak points, dodge attacks, chamber a single round at a time, and fire that one shot precisely where it’s needed. And when facing bosses, you even have to figure out the mechanics behind “how to defeat them” in the first place.
It’s precisely because you can’t just spray bullets that shooting is so fun. Even in this brief hands-on session, I could sense that distinct personality in *Guns of Escaton*.
*Guns of Escaton* is currently in development for PC (Steam),PS5, andXBOX Series X|S. It is scheduled for release on Steam in 2026. In addition to solo play, players will be able to progress through the entire story in co-op mode, and PvP elements are also planned.
