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During the recent Golden Joystick Awards, it was revealed that a new Conan game is being worked on under the name Conan: The Black Pyramid, where players will take on the role of Conan, the Barbarian, and other characters from the Robert E. Howard universe as they fight through the ever-changing black pyramid in search of a mysterious entity that summoned them there.
Conan: The Black Pyramid Delves Into the Dark Abyss of Monsters and Top-Down Combat
Throughout the trailer showcasing Conan: The Black Pyramid, we can see all kinds of gameplay features that will be present upon release, such as the numerous floors and rooms that the Black Pyramid will hold in its depths, as each room moves between various times, locations, and scenarios to bring the player into completely unique locations each time.
Although these locations are only small rooms, there are plenty of them to find, and which ones you find is entirely the player’s choice, which acts quite similarly to the game Hades. This can happen as the player chooses which door they will progress through and the rewards they will claim from said room once they complete it.
Even though we do not see during the trailer what these different doors hold behind them in terms of rewards, we can assume that they will have things like gold, weapon perks, and ability perks that will make your run through the Black Pyramid that much easier.
We can also see during the trailer that the actual floor layouts will consist of numerous rooms that you have to progress through before eventually stumbling into a merchant room where you can purchase upgrades before heading into a mini-boss. Depending on the floors you are facing, this might change, with the rooms varying in length, but eventually you will have to face a final boss of the floor if you haven’t died already.
During the trailer, we even got a small glimpse at the meta progression for the different characters you can use throughout Conan: The Black Pyramid, as each individual character within the game has their own skill tree that you can slowly unlock and upgrade, providing you with various playstyles to try whenever you see fit.
There are even different versions of each character you can choose from as well, which we can see during the trailer that showcases the different versions of Conan from different time periods and situations. As a bonus, each of these different versions of the characters will also have their own loadouts, so you aren’t just choosing a different skin in a sense, but you are also choosing a whole new loadout of weapons, abilities, and perks to choose from that can entirely change your style of combat.
This can be even more interesting once you add in the idea of co-op into Conan: The Black Pyramid, which is a plan for the game, as both you and your friend will be able to mix and match between the different characters you unlock to make some rather devastating combinations of weapons and powers that will destroy the enemies around you.
Sadly, we don’t see a whole lot regarding the story within the trailer, but it is clear that Conan has been brought to the Black Pyramid by an unknown force as he seeks a challenge and the opportunity to leave his throne behind, and he takes it without a second thought as he ventures to the Black Pyramid, reverts to his younger self, and ventures into the depths of this unknown location.
We can also see one of the bosses that Conan will face during his travels within the Black Pyramid as he fights a large creature with a giant sword that hulks around the battlefield, and it looks like it will be an interesting fight, with more bosses lurking inside the game waiting to be found.
Finally, let’s talk about the combat. In Conan: The Black Pyramid, the combat isn’t overly fast-paced, with the game focusing on heavier-looking combat that deals devastating damage and makes the player think about what they are doing rather than just running around aimlessly doing what they want.
To help with this, the combat provides the player with all kinds of weapons they can use depending on the character they pick, with some using swords, some with bows, and even access to relics that can summon lightning or even a ghostly boat. It is all entirely different and fun to experiment with.
The combat looks even more fun once you begin to gather upgrades, as these changes to your combat style can entirely alter how you fight through the game, as you might be slower but deal more damage, or focus more on ranged than up close. It’s all a toss of a coin depending on what you find during your travels.
According to the trailer, there is no set release date for Conan: The Black Pyramid as of yet, but there is the opportunity to sign up for a playtest, so if this excites you, go sign up!
For your next read, why not check out our review of Faking It XL, or check out our list of the best action games of 2026.
Liam is a Senior Editor, Writer, and Critic for Thumb Wars and has been working with the team since day one. Liam is a big fan of all things gaming, as you will catch him playing all of the new releases from every genre you can imagine. Whether you find Liam gaming just for fun or spending his free time streaming, you will always find a smile on his face when it comes to all things gaming.
