It has been a few months since the developers at Bonfire Studios, comprised of former staff from Blizzard Entertainment and Riot Games, revealed their debut title, Arkheron. The game is billed as an “Ascension Royale,” pitting 15 teams of three against one another inside the Tower. Players battle through chaotic floors of mayhem and PvP combat before a final showdown at the summit. When given the opportunity to play a few rounds in the Tower, I signed up. Arkheron delivers fast-paced, team-based multiplayer matches with deep gameplay that feels satisfying on the controller.
At the outset, players embody an Echo, an entity anchored to the Tower. As an Echo, you climb the Tower and survive against competing teams to claim victory. Rather than selecting predefined heroes, Echoes are adaptable, allowing players to tailor their build to their preferred playstyle. My first session with Arkheron involved experimenting with the various equipment combinations available in training mode, testing the different synergies that can be discovered throughout the Tower.
The Relics, Arkheron’s version of legendary weapons, tied to each Eternal, the game’s powerful hero archetypes, are laid out for players to test. In this mode, you can experiment with any Eternal’s equipment, allowing you to become familiar with combat before stepping into the chaos of the Tower, where the intensity quickly escalates in life-or-death situations.
“Arkheron is at its best when in these chaotic battles for survival, and these skirmishes are a blast.”
My favourite melee weapon is Vaton’s whip-like Relic. The rest of his kit is equally strong, but the whip stands out for its speed, stylish animation and heavy damage-over-time effect. When transformed, Vaton can unleash a devastating ultimate ability that puts the opposing team on the defensive.
This flexibility is central to success in Arkheron. Bonfire Studios encourages players to experiment with Relics from different Eternals to create powerful combinations. You are not required to equip all four items from the same Eternal. While Vaton’s whip is my preferred melee option, I sometimes choose Penelope’s Mirror over his slower projectile, which also applies a slowing effect. Her version fires more quickly, but choosing it means giving up access to Vaton’s full kit and ultimate ability. That trade-off adds meaningful depth and allows players to mix and match Eternal abilities to suit their strategy.
First off, an Arkheron ascension mode game starts with the team selecting where to drop into, very much like a Helldivers 2 drop. Teams need to be careful, because if they don’t select the zone in time, they can start hundreds of meters away from your teammates, putting you at a big disadvantage. This only happened to us once, I swear.
As our heroic party of three ventured forward into the Tower, we came across a side quest that required us to unlock an armoury 300+ meters away from our location. Arkheron has side quests in ascension mode, and completing these grants excellent rewards, but other teams can intervene, which does tend to make them risky. Luckily for us, this quest was simple, and we found the door quickly.
This room had copious treasure chests, rarity denoted with the usual colour designations (white is weakest), filled with weapons and Relics to pick up for the team. One member preferred the healing of an Eternal’s amulet, and another swore, “The Dual Axes are awesome,” so one snagged the amulet, and the other grabbed the axes, and we kept moving.
This is the bread and butter of Arkheron. Exploring the randomly generated Tower floors, hunting loot, powering up your squad to be prepared to battle against other teams, to Ascend to the next floor. After we beat a team of NPC monsters that were flooding the prison blocks, we encountered a teleporter that could transport us across the map. This costs in-game currency you pick up from killing monsters, so we were able to hightail it to the west of the map in record time.
Another feature within the Tower is the presence of shops, where teams can purchase consumables, medallions and other boons that provide a competitive edge. These items are bought using the same in-game currency, so it is important to determine the right moment to spend it. Consumables can be stacked. For example, one teammate can carry up to three health potions, while another can hold up to four fortitude restorations, represented by the blue bar above the health meter.
All of these elements can be communicated clearly within the squad to manage inventory efficiently and coordinate tactics during a fight. Bonfire Studios has also implemented a thoughtful UI that displays key information about each party member, including Relic skill cooldowns, without cluttering the screen. The interface can also be used to assist teammates without verbal communication. Teamwork is paramount in Arkheron.
When racing toward our first Ascend fight, a mandatory confrontation at the end of each floor, the circle began to close around the arena, forcing one team to emerge victorious. Remaining outside the circle causes continuous HP damage, similar to Fortnite. In one encounter, an opponent used an amulet found in a chest to push enemies backward, disrupting positioning inside the shrinking zone.
This was being used to send us into the danger zone for extra damage. Arkheron is at its best when in these chaotic battles for survival, and these skirmishes are a blast. Dodging, using abilities, trying to escape endless pushes to kick me outside of the circle, these are the moments that made Arkheron a different experience.
“Arkheron delivers a hard-to-put-down gameplay loop that constantly tempted me to jump into one more round.”
After acquiring Vaton’s crown, amulet, whip and orb-based ranged weapon, I was able to activate his Ascend form and transform into the Eternal. The transformation animation can be timed to negate incoming damage, adding another strategic layer to combat within the Tower. When teammates are downed, they can be revived, and the same applies to opponents. However, to eliminate an enemy permanently, you must perform an execution. Executions are risky without support, so having a teammate provide cover is essential.
Using an Eternal’s transformed state feels appropriately powerful, similar to controlling a hero character in Star Wars Battlefront II. Their ultimate abilities can shift the momentum of a fight. The presence of an Eternal on the battlefield demands attention, and I often prioritized targeting them during engagements. While exploring the Tower, teammates can also drop Relics for one another to optimize loadouts before facing rival Echo teams. This coordination extends to building more effective Eternal configurations as well.
After playing a few matches, several things became clear. Arkheron delivers a hard-to-put-down gameplay loop that constantly tempted me to jump into one more round. With matches lasting about 25 minutes, it is easy to fit games into shorter sessions. The control scheme, whether using a controller or mouse and keyboard, feels responsive and intuitive, and the movable camera performs smoothly. The sound design adds tension, cutting to ominous silence when an enemy team is nearby. Although Arkheron is Bonfire Studios’ first title, its level of polish suggests a far more seasoned debut.
What Bonfire Studios has achieved so far is a promising new take on the PvP experience. The game consistently delivers entertaining moments and competitive, high-stakes encounters, heightened by the pressure of a constantly shrinking battle zone. The system that allows teammates to collaborate on optimized loadouts works well in practice, and discovering new ways to combine Eternal Relics into powerful synergies is both satisfying and impactful.
Arkheron is a title PVP players should keep an eye on, and a demo will be available on Steam on February 20 if anyone wants to Ascend.
