Revealed during the Convergence Showcase, Cygnus Cross is doubling down on its “All-Star” vocal talent for the upcoming “Diablo-meets-Stardew” ARPG. Summer 2026 can’t come soon enough.
It has been less than a month since Cygnus Cross first pulled back the curtain on Emberville, and the indie world is already buzzing. What started as a quiet three-year passion project has quickly transformed into one of the most anticipated titles of the year. Today, during the Convergence Showcase livestream, the developer proved they aren’t slowing down, announcing a heavy-hitting addition to the voice cast and a major behind-the-scenes promotion for a fan-favorite talent.
The Performance Director and the Blacksmith
The highlight of the showcase was the announcement that Alex Jordan (The Alters, Cyberpunk 2077) has significantly expanded his involvement. While already confirmed as a core cast member, Jordan has officially stepped into the role of Performance Director for the project. This move signals Cygnus Cross’s commitment to high-fidelity narrative delivery, even in a 2D action-RPG space.
“The thing that really makes any project stand out to me is the developers themselves,” Jordan shared during the stream. He praised the team’s “overflowing abundance” of detail and nuance, though he did offer a cheeky confession regarding his co-star: “I lied to Doug about him getting sausages to help get the deal across the line… don’t tell him.”
The “Doug” in question is, of course, the legendary Doug Cockle (The Witcher). Cockle, who seems to be operating on a very specific culinary incentive program, expressed his own excitement for the project’s clear goals and boundary-pushing drive. “I’m always attracted to projects where the team has a clear goal in mind… Plus, they told me there would be small sausages. I like small sausages.”
Enter the Assassin: Abubakar Salim Joins the Fray
Adding even more weight to the roster, Cygnus Cross revealed that Abubakar Salim—the voice of Bayek in Assassin’s Creed: Origins and Alyn of Hull in House of the Dragon—has officially joined the cast. Salim, known for championing innovative indie projects through his own studio (Surgent Studios), noted that Emberville’s intellect and intent drew him in.
“I look for projects that take risks, and Emberville is absolutely pushing the envelope,” Salim said. “Seeing how this team is deconstructing the genre is inspiring.”
Beyond the Conventional “Fight and Farm”
While the “Diablo-lite meets Stardew Valley” pitch is the easy elevator hook, the gameplay details revealed today suggest something much deeper. Cygnus Cross is aiming for a “personality-driven” title that prioritizes player agency through several unique systems:
- Inherited Skills: Unlike traditional class-based RPGs, Emberville allows you to level up multiple classes and “inherit” active and passive abilities. This creates a cross-class hybrid system where you can tailor your active combat class to a highly specific playstyle.
- Weapon-Bound Combos: The two-button combat system is deceptively deep, featuring combos tied to specific weapon types. You can chain different strikes to unleash devastating finishers, rewarding knowledge of your arsenal over simple button-mashing.
- Dynamic UI: In a brilliant quality-of-life move, the game features a HUD that seamlessly adjusts based on your proximity to specific tasks. Approaching a farm? The UI shifts to agricultural tools. Entering a dungeon? It pivots back to combat.
The Estate: Your Piece of the World
When you aren’t plumbing the depths of the procedurally generated Vitromotus dungeon, you’ll be spending time at the Estate. This is your creative hub, where you can place custom houses, crafting stations, and decorations. Rescuing NPCs from the dungeon brings them back to your town, unlocking new teaching skills, blueprints, and recipes to help rebuild the ruined community.
With a massive world featuring diverse biomes and fearsome bosses, Emberville is shaping up to be a dense, polished experience that respects the player’s time and creativity.
Key Features:
- Multi-layered Combat: Two-button simplicity with weapon-bound combo depth.
- Procedural Generation: Ever-changing dungeon corridors and biomes.
- Deep Progression: Level up weapons, armor, and crafting skills simultaneously.
- Full Customization: Cross-class skill inheritance and creative building.
Emberville is scheduled to launch into Steam Early Access in Summer 2026.
Stay Connected:
- Wishlist on Steam: Emberville Store Page
- Official Website: cygnuscross.com
- Discord: Join the Community
