Eitr briefly got some screen time during Sony’s E3 showcase, but with everyone geeking out over The Last Guardian, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Shenmue III a pixel art indie game wasn’t going to get the attention it deserved. So let’s give it some attention now!

From Eneme Entertainment and Devolver Digital, Eitr is an isometric action RPG steeped in Norse mythology. The story setup goes like this:

The Shield Maiden, as with all mortal Norsemen, was to have her fate determined by the three fate-weaving Norns and their sacred loom before she even entered the world. However, her destiny was shattered when the mischievous god Loki interfered, dripping spots of the wretched substance Eitr into the unwoven loom, forever altering the Shield Maiden’s path and engulfing the great tree Yggdrasil in darkness. Now the Shield Maiden must venture into the nine Norse worlds connected by Yggdrasil and unravel the mystery of her fate.

Poking around Eneme’s website, I’m not surprised to learn that Dark Souls, Diablo, Path of Exile, and Zelda are listed among the favorite games of the studio’s two designers, because Eitr clearly appears to draw inspiration from those exact games.

For its RPG elements, Eitr drops traditional experience points for the Favor System, a level-up mechanic that will give you the choice to apply permanent upgrades or gain powerful perks that will be lost upon death. Similarly, the randomly generated loot system will have a death penalty attached, as items may become damaged when the Shield Maiden dies.

I know pixel art is used (some might say overused) a lot these days, but when it’s used as more than just a visual gimmick to evoke nostalgia the style can be as beautiful and elegant and jaw-dropping as any modern AAA 3D game with all the graphical bells and whistles set to max. Eitr is one of those games that shows just how spectacular pixel art can be when animated at the highest level.

There’s still a lot we don’t yet know about the inner gameplay workings of Eitr, and that’s probably because the game is still a ways off from its planned release in 2016. Look forward to playing this deadly pixel art beauty next year on PC and PlayStation 4.