What if Jesus hadn’t died on the cross? What if he’d broken free and, enraged by what was happening, unleashed his fury on the non-believers? The Inquisitor explores this alternate religious reality and its consequences centuries later when zealot Inquisitors enforce their faith on the people.
I spoke with The Dust team at Gamescom, including QA specialist and audio designer Konrad Giedry, as they showed me The Inquisitor's dark and twisted world, telling me, “The Inquisition was bad in real life, and here it’s way worse.” The team took inspiration from the real world, for example, the town of Koenigstein that you find yourself in is very much a real place, but is a reimagining of the real Koenigstein.
The game follows Inquisitor Mordimer Madderin, who is sent to investigate a string of mysteries in Koenigstein, only to stumble into a much more sinister mystery. It’s a dark fantasy adventure, and the clues that this is not the history we know are evident throughout the world as you explore. In church, Jesus is depicted as wielding a massive sword, while statues and paintings of the Virgin Mary show her dual-wielding blades. It’s more brimstone and fire than benevolence and forgiveness.
The Inquisitor is based on a book series by Polish author Jacek Piekara, and the team promises plenty of Easter Eggs from the books will be included for fans of the series. One rule the team had to stick to was that they couldn’t make Mordimer “a nice guy”, though they confess they have made him a little nicer than he is in the books.
As an Inquisitor, Mordimer has heightened senses, special abilities, and access to special items, like an Inquisitor powder that can blind enemies or heal. As I learn more about this grumpy protagonist with strange powers in a dark, fantasy world based on a Polish book series, it’s hard not to see some similarities between The Inquisitor and The Witcher. It’s intriguing to think that, given time, The Inquisitor could potentially tap into a similar level of success as The Witcher.
I discuss this with the team, and Giedry quickly points out that The Inquisitor is at a disadvantage compared to The Witcher in that the books still need to be translated outside of Polish, meaning it has a smaller fan base. Unfortunately, when I asked whether Mordimer ever appears in a bathtub, they could not confirm it. What a pity.
Limited language is not a problem the game will face, as it’s fully voiced in English, German, and Polish, with interface and subtitle support for additional languages. The team took great care in the voiceover work, telling me how they have one character who speaks in rhyme, and they ensured that he conforms to this rhyming speech in each language.
For a small team of about 25 people, a lot of effort has gone into making The Inquisitor something special. “This was done with motion capture with a capoeira martial artist,” they tell me about a boss battle with a jester-style enemy who cavorts around as he attacks you. “It’s Brazilian dance fighting developed by slaves who were allowed to keep their dancing but were not permitted to learn combat.”
There’s a morality system at play in The Inquisitor. Characters remember what you do and say, affecting events and conversations later in the game, and there are multiple endings to unlock. It’s entirely narrative-focused, with the team telling me it will take about 12-15 hours to beat, with no side quests or weapon/armour upgrades in the game. There are some cosmetic changes you can apply, however.
There are also no difficulty options, so combat requires some skill, but it’s not overly complicated. You only have to juggle your heavy and light attacks while blocking and parrying. That might seem too simple, but combat is just one aspect of the game, and there are some diverse gameplay elements to explore. If you’re not much of a fighter, you can largely avoid combat apart from specific boss battles.
Mordimer receives visions he believes are from Jesus Christ that help to set various investigations in motion. Investigation mode works very similarly to the detective mode in the Arkham games, where objects and evidence are highlighted, alerting you to check them out, and your visions will unlock new things to examine as you uncover additional clues.
Clues and information also help with puzzles, while a hide-and-seek Marco Polo-style minigame with the enemy where you try and hear where they are also features. Your light will slowly burn down, so you have to keep refilling it as if it goes out, you’re dead.
Mordimer only has a health bar of sorts in the Unworld. Usually, you only have the old-school indicator of blood on your screen to represent your health, but in the Unworld, you have a light meter. Light powers abilities, and without it, you’re dead.
In the Unworld, Mordimer’s hair turns white—Geralt, eat your heart out—and the riders of the apocalypse loom in the sky, ready to strike at a moment’s notice with various attacks. One sends a rain of arrows, another blocks your path with a giant sword, and the last releases a mist that damages you.
Noticeably, there were only three riders instead of the traditional four. Giedry’s emphasised “Hmmmm” in response to this query leads me to believe there might be something spoiler-related there.
Shards of Unworld memories to unlock clues that will help Mordimer in real life. Enemies lurk besides the riders, though praying offers a stealth mode. Foes call a great Eldritch horror-like enemy that can’t be beaten and pursues you through the area, Mr. X style, so stealth is key. There are safe zones to hide in, but it's too late to hide if it’s already spotted you.
I went into my session with The Inquisitor knowing nothing other than “it’s a Jesus game”, and left pleasantly surprised and intrigued by everything I had seen. I’d love to imagine that this could be the first of many in an epic game series that will go on to rival The Witcher one day, but only time will tell. The Inquisitor will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC and can be wishlisted on Steam here.