Destination Empire is a 3D platformer hack-and-slash with fast tactical RPG elements, combining real-time combat, time-stopping tactical encounters and optional first-person gameplay that can reveal entirely different solutions.

You are a nameless Time Warden stationed at an outpost that suddenly comes under attack by a powerful enemy force.

As the outpost falls and the Time Wardens around you are overwhelmed, you barely manage to escape aboard a portal-based time travel vessel — a machine that behaves more like a spacecraft than a simple doorway, carrying its passengers by crossing through different planes of time.

Your escape throws you into a journey through strange locations, unfamiliar eras and increasingly dangerous encounters.

Fortunately, you aren't travelling alone.

At your side are Cassius, a talking sword with a personality of his own, and Communicator, your board computer and constant companion. Their conversations accompany you throughout the journey, bringing humor to the adventure while gradually revealing more about the world, the Time Wardens and the forces behind the attack.

FIGHT FAST. STOP TIME. THINK.

Combat begins as fast-paced hack-and-slash action, but large groups of enemies can quickly become difficult to control.

Fighting charges Kairos. Once enough energy has been gathered, you can stop time and shift the battle into a more tactical state.

Assess the battlefield, choose your targets, prioritize dangerous enemies and decide how to break apart overwhelming groups before returning to real-time combat.

Knowing when to keep attacking and when to stop time and rethink the situation becomes increasingly important as encounters grow more chaotic.

HACK, SLASH AND KEEP MOVING

Destination Empire combines hack-and-slash combat with the movement and exploration of a 3D platformer.

Run through environments, jump across obstacles, dodge attacks and combine melee combat, ranged weapons and abilities as you make your way through each location.

Some encounters reward aggression and quick reactions. Others demand positioning, target prioritization and careful use of Kairos when too many enemies begin closing in at once.

CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

Sometimes there is more than one solution.

Switch into first person to approach parts of the game from an entirely different perspective. Examine your surroundings, attack from range, identify weaknesses or discover interactions that may offer another way forward.

A boss might be defeated through direct hack-and-slash combat and tactical maneuvering, while another solution could involve studying the arena, exploiting a weakness or interacting with the environment.

First-person gameplay is another tool at your disposal rather than a separate path you are always forced to take.

Experiment, observe and find the approach that works for you.

ADAPT YOUR BUILD

If your current strategy isn't working, change it.

Destination Empire uses an accessible skill system designed to make experimentation easy. Quickly reskill your character when a level, boss or particular enemy group demands a different approach.

Adjust your melee, ranged and other abilities without being permanently locked into decisions made earlier in the game.

Different enemies, bosses and locations can favor different tactics. If one approach isn't working, change your skills, rethink your strategy and try something new.

TRAVEL THROUGH TIME

Your portal-based vessel carries you between locations by moving through different planes of time.

Despite its portal-like nature, it behaves more like a time-travelling spacecraft — launching away from one destination, moving through the layers between eras and eventually delivering you somewhere entirely new.

Each destination can introduce different environments, layouts, traversal challenges and enemy groups. You aren't simply returning to the same battlefield with a different set of enemies waiting for you.

Some locations may emphasize platforming and fast melee encounters. Others may give you more room to experiment with Kairos, ranged combat, first-person interactions or alternative ways of progressing.

The journey through time may be fast.

The arrival is not always graceful.

FACE ENCOUNTERS YOUR WAY

Larger encounters and bosses can challenge you in different ways.

Some become intense hack-and-slash battles where movement, dodging and aggressive attacks are the key to victory.

Others may overwhelm you with groups of enemies, encouraging you to charge Kairos and turn the fight into a tactical encounter.

Bosses can be defeated through direct combat and careful maneuvering, while some encounters may also hide weaknesses, environmental interactions or alternative solutions that reward observation and experimentation.

There isn't always only one way to win.

LISTEN. EXPLORE. PIECE IT TOGETHER.

The destruction of the Time Warden outpost is only the beginning.

As you travel through new locations, Cassius and Communicator talk, argue and comment on what is happening around you. Their conversations bring humor to the journey while gradually revealing pieces of the larger story.

What attacked the Time Wardens?

What happened to the organization you left behind?

And what exactly have you escaped into?

The nameless Time Warden may not always have much to say.

Fortunately, his equipment does.

Fight fast. Stop time. Adapt. Find another way.