En Garde!, an action indie inspired by classic swashbuckling adventures, will officially launch on August 16th, 2023, according to a new gameplay teaser. Today’s new footage proudly lists the influence of Zorro, The Three Musketeers, and even Princess Bride.

Developed and published by Fireplace Games, En Garde! centers on the tales of 17th century hero Adalia de Volador, as she opposes tyranny and the villainous Count-Duke with humor and dazzling fencing combat mechanics.

En Garde! will be available on PC via Steam, where you can wishlist the game now. There is currently no word on plans for a console port or other PC platforms. You can watch today’s release date trailer on the Fireplace Games YouTube channel:

The sense of style, action, and comedy in En Garde! promises to successfully harken back to The Mask of Zorro in particular. The world looks bright and colorful, but most importantly, it looks very interactive.

Classic swashbuckling films often feature an outnumbered hero, who thinks quickly and uses their surroundings to beat the odds. Their ability to make fools of an unambiguous enemy is pure, vintage entertainment.

The action in En Garde! is central, and according to the Steam page, the devs smartly built the environment as a “playground”. It will be an essential tool during combat, including stunning and evasion.

En Garde! will also encourage players to get creative and fill a “panache meter”, which unlocks special skills. These are natural incentives to reinforce the game’s attractive theme.

And for those who may be concerned, there’ll be a separate Arena Mode for practice, so the Story Episodes should provide some decent lore as a vehicle for all the swordplay.

It would be a delight if the devs made a sequel that worked in co-op, alluding to the teamwork in Musketeers, Zorro’s family, and similar adventures.

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