The Relic: First Guardian, built by the small Korean studio Project Cloud Games, launches on PC and PS5 on July 31. The game first surfaced in December 2020 under the working title Project Relic, putting the finished release roughly six years down the road from that reveal. Xbox and Nintendo Switch 2 editions are slated for later this summer, with Perp Games handling distribution.

The team peaked at 14 people and currently sits at nine. Korean outlet ThisIsGame, which played a build one month out from release, reported a total playtime of around 40 hours, 79 bosses, and more than 100 in-game events.

Sharper and more aggressive than a typical Soulslike

Parrying, dodging, stamina, and limited healing all follow Soulslike convention, but the combat design pushes players toward active use of skills and items rather than cautious spacing. According to the developers, field encounters lean closer to hack-and-slash, while boss fights focus on one-on-one exchanges.

The source material comes from Korean folklore and oral tradition, including tales such as The Fairy and the Woodcutter, The Golden Axe and the Silver Axe, and Tiger Brother. The visual direction, however, avoids overt Eastern styling in favor of the dark palette of classical Western painting, and English voice acting is supported. The studio says it will keep tuning difficulty right up to launch.