Games Like Penance

"He did not die a hero in the way stories tell it..."

The city of Ebenezer is burning. The revolution that protected the people for 500 years has been toppled in a single night. The man who is responsible for it all, is the only one still fighting. His name is Elior. He made 3 mistakes. His wife is lifeless because of the final one. He buried her the morning of the invasion, in the warm red sand, a few clicks outside the city. He returned afterwards.

He now stands in the courtyard and waits for the inevitable.

Elior has no health bar.

Elior has no traditional health indicator. He has a Flame Meter, it is his remaining life force, draining constantly, and draining faster when he uses the powers he carries, impossible to restore. Everything has a cost, and in battle each decision takes something he cannot get back. The question has never been whether his time reaches zero. The question is what he spends it on.

Elior's six comrades are fighting and dying across the burning city. As each hero falls, their elemental ability passes to him (Earth, Wind, Light, Shadow, Water, Fire) enriching, and improving his power, but also accelerating his inevitable end. Their memories appear in Elior's thoughts during combat. When they perish, the thoughts suddenly go silent.

There is no version of this story where Elior survives. There is no ending where mistakes are undone... There is only the question of who a person is when everything is already determined. What will you choose to do, with sins that cannot be forgiven, nor a fate that can be changed.

Before the gates crumble, look around. You won't get another chance.

Features

Penance is the first game in the Ardor universe.