Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster takes one of the franchise’s more distinctive factions and puts it firmly in the spotlight. Rather than controlling a heroic warrior charging into battle, players step into the fur-covered paws of Vihneek, a Skaven assassin who survives by being faster, sneakier and considerably less interested in fighting fair. The result is a 2D stealth-action platformer that combines assassination, environmental puzzles and unusual movement options, and after spending some hands-on time with the game during Gamescom, it already feels like a particularly fitting way to explore the grimy underworld of the Skaven.
What we know
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster is a 2D stealth-action platformer developed by Old Skull Games and published by Dotemu. It puts players in control of Vihneek, a Skaven assassin belonging to the Clans Eshin, as he attempts to survive the dangerous world of Skavendom and work his way up through its brutal hierarchy. The story begins with Vihneek escaping a particularly unpleasant fate before becoming entangled with Clan Skrell and being sent into the Gnaw, a sprawling and unstable underground environment populated by rival Skaven clans.
Stealth is at the heart of the experience, but Deathmaster is not simply about staying hidden. Vihneek can climb walls and ceilings, exploit environmental hazards, distract enemies and use his surroundings to create opportunities for assassination. His heightened senses can help identify threats and useful objects, while warpstone gathered throughout the environments can be used to unlock new abilities and equipment. As Vihneek grows stronger, the game is intended to provide more options for approaching its encounters, with different clan territories introducing their own hazards and behaviors.
The game is also built around the idea that Vihneek is extremely vulnerable when discovered. Enemies can dispatch him quickly, making observation and planning important parts of moving through each area. At the same time, assassination tools and abilities gradually give the Skaven more ways to turn the tables, whether that means silently eliminating a guard, creating a distraction or using improved mobility to reach an otherwise inaccessible route. The ultimate objective is to climb the Skaven hierarchy and become the feared Deathmaster. Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster is currently planned for release in 2027, with the preview based on the PC version.
What we saw
This preview is based on a demo build played during a hands-on session at Gamescom, where we also had the opportunity to meet with the developers. The demo covered an early portion of the game, introducing Vihneek’s movement, stealth and assassination mechanics before gradually opening up the possibilities available to the player. It provided a useful glimpse of how the basic stealth-platforming framework works, although the relatively early state of the build also meant that a few rough edges were visible.
What we thought
The most immediately appealing aspect of Deathmaster is how naturally the Skaven premise feeds into the gameplay. Vihneek is not simply a humanoid character placed into a 2D platformer with a Warhammer skin over the top. His ability to scamper across walls and ceilings fundamentally changes how the environments can be navigated, while his fragile nature reinforces the idea that this is a creature that survives through cunning rather than brute force. The opening section does a good job of establishing that vulnerability, with being spotted by an enemy potentially resulting in a very quick death. It makes observation feel like an important part of the gameplay rather than something that merely slows the action down.
The actual stealth mechanics are where the demo started to show its potential. Enemy patrol routes, sources of light, environmental objects and hiding places all become pieces of a small puzzle, with the player effectively working out how to get from one side of an area to the other without being caught. Throwing objects to create distractions, manipulating the environment and eventually using assassination tools provide several ways of dealing with individual enemies, while the ability to explore alternative routes makes the platforming itself part of the problem-solving. The whole approach feels reminiscent of Mark of the Ninja, particularly in how the game combines readable 2D platforming with stealth systems that encourage players to observe before acting.
Movement is similarly satisfying, with Vihneek’s ability to climb and traverse unusual surfaces giving the platforming a clear identity of its own. New abilities such as the grappling hook further expand his mobility and open up routes that were previously out of reach. There is also an appealing sense of progression in how quickly the demo began introducing additional tools and possibilities. That said, in one or two sections it felt possible to escape through solutions that did not necessarily seem like the intended approach. That could simply be the result of an early build, and in a game that encourages experimentation it may ultimately prove to be more of a strength than a problem, but it will be interesting to see how consistently the final level design supports that freedom.
Visually, Deathmaster has a suitably grimy identity without becoming difficult to read. The environments are dark, dirty and suitably unpleasant for a game about Skaven society, while the illustrative art style gives the characters and environments plenty of personality. The animations also sell Vihneek’s strange physicality particularly well, and the violent assassination sequences fit the decidedly nasty tone. The audio complements that atmosphere, particularly in the way the Skaven’s underground world is brought to life. There were still some signs of the game’s unfinished state during the demo, but the underlying combination of stealth, platforming and Skaven-infused grotesquery is already convincing. With more abilities, more elaborate environments and increasingly complex encounters still to come, Deathmaster has the foundations of a surprisingly strong addition to the Warhammer Age of Sigmar universe.