Ertugrul of Ulukayin Preview

There are several games that stand out as not only good games but also good world-building pieces. Games like The Witcher 3 have always drawn from folklore, and that has always been a plus for the game. Most games, however, remain centric toward generic fantasy tropes. This is even more evident with third-person RPGs and action-adventure games.

Ertugrul of Ulukayin is an upcoming action-adventure game that dives deep into the Turkic medieval era and lets you immerse yourself in the events of the time. And the times are definitely eventful. With the coming of the Mongol Hordes from the east, the tribes of the Seljuks are under constant threat. You play as the titular Ertugrul, defending your people and tribe as you go on a journey to find your brother.

The game describes Ulukayin as the Tree of Life and connects the afterlife with life. With heavy connotations from Turkish folklore, the game will probably involve many elements from myths, as the titular character, Ertugrul, is a semi-legendary figure who happens to be the father of Osman I. Keen readers and fans of history will know that name well because Osman went on to establish what we now know as the Ottoman Empire.

Ertugrul of Ulukayin also presents itself as a semi-open world game, which unfortunately does not yet translate to Early Access very well, as there's just not enough content available. However, the emphasis on early access is very important, as the game will likely have more content added to it.

You start off not in the shoes of Ertugrul but rather as a 'veiled woman' searching for a friend. You come across a small village devastated by an unseen foe and go to help them out. Here, some of the basics of the game come into focus. 

First of all, you have your trusty horse, who you can pet and lead once dismounted. Secondly, you can go around and climb certain places marked by symbols. Additionally, you also get to use an enhanced vision that is really reminiscent of Eagle Vision from the Assassin's Creed Series.

You go around helping people out until; eventually, you get to save a girl trapped in a house. Here, you discover you can break certain things by rolling into them or hitting them, as well as the general RPG things like crouching and running.

The girl you save just so happens to have been saved by a certain prisoner who vaguely fits the description of your friend. So you set off in the direction of the bad guys. Here, you investigate various points, eventually coming up to a hill.

This is where the game moves back into a flashback, where you finally take over the titular character, Ertugrul. A short cutscene where you play polo, with quick-time events later, you see your tribe getting attacked by Mongols. Here, you go around, weaving through the village and taking out Mongol warriors as you save your mother and friends and eventually encounter your father, who instructs you to find and save your missing brother.

By now, you should be oriented with the combat system, wherein you have your basic attacks and heavy attacks. One interesting thing to note is that your enemies have a stamina bar and a health bar. Your attacks don't do that much damage; however, they do deplete the enemy's stamina. Once their stamina is depleted, they take more damage and get staggered. When staggered, you can execute them instantly with a finisher.

You also have a shield and a bow, both of which you need in the sections up ahead, where you chase the Mongols and hunt them down. You also get introduced to the crafting system, which is a general crafting system where you need certain items to craft other items like arrows and health potions.

You have your trusty friend, Turgut, coming along with you, who appears to be a great brawler. I enjoyed him taking on multiple enemies while I stood back, peppering them with arrows. Ertugrul of Ulukayin promises you the ability to upgrade yourself with a skill tree and also upgrade your companions. 

Yes, companions, because remember that 'veiled woman' from the prologue? That's Meryem, Turgut's brother and who, I imagine, is going to be more of a support companion when compared to Turgut's brawler status.

It'd be nice if they all had separate sections in their upgrade trees since they all have unique weapons and combat styles. For example, while you carry a sword, shield, and bow, Turgut lumbers around with his axe. 

As you find the Mongol camp, you and Turgut get captured by a scary shaman, who you eventually fight in a boss battle of quite high difficulty. In the end, you retrieve the chest and find new clues for your brother's whereabouts. With that, the first chapter and the playable portions of the game ends.

The music of Ertugrul of Ulukayin is great, featuring local instruments and themes of both Turkish and Central Asian origin. The voice acting and the dialogue could definitely use some touching up; however, I am sure a lot of the lines are just lost in translation. 

The game being played in Turkish is a good thing, adding to the atmosphere. The game also promises aspects of building up and protecting your tribe, etc. However, none of them are present in Chapter I, so it is intriguing to see what's more to come.

So far, things seem shaky, but not in a super bad way. Ertugrul of Ulukayin comes from Turkish developer Tekdem Studios and is basically made by the same guys who created the series under the same name. As previously mentioned, the game is incredibly reminiscent of old-school action-adventure games with combat systems that match all of the above. 

Ertugrul of Ulukayin isn't anything spectacular or super innovative, but it's not terrible, either. It is good to see a game come out of the Turkish region, and with its release supposedly being in Q2 of 2025, hopefully, we'll see more soon.