#sedleo

1348 EX VOTO

Reveal Trailer

Aeta | 03.15.2026 | 1348 Ex Voto

SO A GAME REVIEW.

I want this game to find its audience and be successful so much. 

I played it not engaging in internet discussion, I bought it simply because I thought I would like it. And you know what? I loved it. I love it. It’s a wholesome story in the spirit of knight literature. But certain people just… Ruined its reputation. I am abhorred about the state of discussion. I am so righteously angry at what I see. What terrible things they say about women. About the main character. People are truly blind. This woman is an angel! By her beauty, by her soul. I personally made a vow - to help this game not to go down so easily. It’s not a 10/10 for everyone, but I am sure - it deserves better, better fair discussion, better audience. (I loved it so much that it’s 10/10 for me, but you should know that I am just SO geeky about every topic in this game. Knights, priests (monks), both romanesque and ancient roman architecture. IT IS A LITERAL MY ROMAN EMPIRE FOR TODAY. But medieval.) 1) The gameplay isn’t basic nor broken. The game is both cinematic experience (I enjoyed the story and the cut-scenes), exploring (the locations in this game reward exploring, finding secrets is so fun… cave behind waterfall - haha, for real? classic.) and battles (requires skill. blocking in time, understanding how to put down an enemy with the attacks. I swear to you - i was sweating all the time and how rewarding it was, where i honed my skill in playing and figured it out how to fight in this game) 2) The art design and level design is beautiful and interesting. This game is heaven to a medieval setting lover. I love character designs. I love the little towns. I love the churches. I love the ancient ruins. Italy is right when it says that the game is a cultural heritage!! when i look at these mountains and those hills - YES, i see that this IS Italy, it breathes Italy, it feels so real at a deep level. I’ve been to Italy once, and wow, how this picture is so real. 3) This game isn’t even near “sjw” as people say about it. Not that this term is even constructive… But I just want to pick at those people - they are wrong even in their own insults. Now attention!!! The game doesn’t tell upfront that the two girls are lesbians. But! You can ship them. There’s plenty of material to that, but it’s not in your face. Some even say that’s plain queerbaiting. Well, I see the point, but the genre of knight romance is so that knight’s love must be pure and innocent. And I, personally, find what they wanted to say - deep.  This game isn’t about romance. It’s about war and suffering. About people’s rotten (or nuanced?) nature. About dark times and one person, who still believes in righteousness and wants to make everything right. I don’t want to spoil it, but the story is tragic. And it’s art. This game is art. (imho) (if you will) And… I hope I don’t need to explain how the female protagonist with a sword in a video game is OK??? ALRIGHT? Yes? Fuh. I love you, tumblr, you certainly are on my side here. 4) Optimisation. I have a humble build to my pc (as a knight should be…), i think it’s like mb 8 years old??  Or 10? Honestly, I am not a tech person, so I don't know what I am talking about, but what I want to say - with what I have I felt ok at some graphics quality toggling. so you can play it on not so strong hardware. 5) My playthrough took me 10 hours. It is a rather short story, but every inch of it feels saturated! NOW.!!! Pls buy this game if you can. If you want. Because it’s so unfair and unjust how bad it’s now doing at this level of soul and quality. I am not near an influencer - but I want to help even if I am just one small woman recommending to friends. Play it, review it, tell your friends who also may like it! Now, ladies (in knighthood)! This is our war - pls pls look at this game, we need more games like that, we need not to give a reason to those sexists like “look, nobody is interested in a game with a female protagonist” - WE ARE! We are interested, this is out stuff, we want games where a woman can slice up everything around with a damn longsword!!! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1895900/1348_Ex_Voto/

Publisher Dear Villagers and newly established Italian developer Sedleo have announced 14th century Italy action adventure game 1348 Ex Voto for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam). It will launch in early 2026.

Here is an overview of the game, via Dear Villagers:

About

1348 Ex Voto is a cinematic action-adventure game. The game takes place in 1348, in medieval Italy and tells the story of Aeta (voiced by Alby Baldwin) during her brutal journey across the Italian Peninsula to find her closest one, Bianca (Jennifer English), after bandits have raided their village. 1348 Ex Voto is the first project of newly founded studio Sedleo, an Italian team created by Tom Oceano (game director) and Fabiola Martelli (studio director). Tom and Fabiola recruited a team of international AAA veterans to give life to their own stories and high-quality games. As an Italian team, Italy was an obvious choice to Sedleo as they wished to create life-like environments, they spent a lot of time in the rural parts of the peninsula to explore the landscapes and record everything they needed to design an accurate and plausible world to the story they wanted to tell.

Then came the choice of the year, 1348, which represents a dire year in Italy history. Following the spread of diseases and pestilence across the country, instability had taken a turn for the worse in the already fragile medieval society. Population faced increased violence and criminality from bandits and mercenaries, while religious zealots ran amok in the region. At the same time, higher stratum suffered from a vacuum of power which led to a crippled leadership. It is in these circumstances that Aeta, a young noble, lost trace of her closest one, Bianca, following a bandits raid on their village. Since Aeta had been training to become a knight, she takes on the task to find Bianca herself, which will lead her across a brutal journey, exploring and fighting her way through medieval Italy to reach her goal.

Key Features

Brave the harsh realities of the Italian late medieval period through the eyes of a courageous noble whose life is about to change fundamentally. Follow Aeta (Alby Baldwin), a young knight errant, on a brutal journey through Italy to find and save her closest one, Bianca (Jennifer English). 1348 Ex Voto is a thrilling third-person action-adventure game inspired by classics of the genre and chivalric story tropes.

1348, A Tumultuous Medieval Italy – Discover a 14th-century-inspired Italy, a cradle of political strife and rural exodus. Banditry, mercenaries, and religious zealots run amok while pestilence festers in the countryside and cities.

Inspired by Historical European Martial Arts – Experience thrilling sword fighting in cinematic combat inspired by Historical European Martial Arts and animated with the help of trained Performance Capture actors. Use Aeta’s martial knowledge to surprise and overcome your enemies by strategically choosing between 2 different combat stances, one and two-handed. Find skill books throughout your adventure to unlock new combos and personalize Aeta’s swordplay with different weapon parts.

A Ravaged Yet Magnificent Italy – From medieval villages to castles and the beautiful grassy mountainside of the Appennino to the remnants of classical Rome, explore a magnificent 14th century Italy through the eyes of a knight-errant. Search your surroundings to stumble upon trinkets and treasures to complete your collection.

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.

Announce Trailer

1348 ex voto credo sia un progetto estremamente coraggioso, soprattutto perché nasce in Italia e decide di non nascondere le proprie ambizioni narrative dietro una patina di perfezione tecnica che non potrebbe permettersi.

Vedere le montagne della Toscana e i dintorni di Roma ricostruiti in Unreal Engine 5 per raccontare la nostra storia (la Peste Nera del 1348) ha un fascino incredibile. È un’operazione di "orgoglio videoludico" italiano che mancava.

La presenza di Jennifer English è una garanzia di qualità emotiva. Se lei ha scelto questo progetto, significa che la sceneggiatura ha una marcia in più. Il legame tra Aeta (la protagonista) e Bianca (l'amica del cuore oppure qualcosa in più? Osiamo ragazzi: mi date la ship, grazie?), con tutto il sottotesto di ribellione femminile, potrebbe essere emozionante.

L'uso della motion capture per la scherma storica (HEMA) suggerisce che, pur essendo semplice, il combattimento avrà un peso e una credibilità visiva rari negli indie.

Cosa mi preoccupa invece? Un sistema "grezzo e ingessato" può diventare frustrante alla lunga. Se il gioco dura diverse ore, la sola storia potrebbe non bastare a compensare dei combattimenti che sembrano tutti uguali. Spero che Aeta non sia solo un calco di personaggi già visti, ma che abbia una sua voce specifica. Il rischio è che la narrazione sia troppo "didascalica", togliendo spazio alle sfumature e al non-detto, che spesso sono le parti più belle dei legami profondi. Unreal Engine 5 è un motore pesante. Per un team indie, gestire ambienti così vasti e dettagliati senza bug o cali di frame rate è una sfida enorme.

1348: EX VOTO Story Trailer

Sedleo and Dear Villagers' 1348: EX VOTO is an action adventure game inspired by tales of chivalry. You are a young knight errant in Medieval Italy on a quest to save someone close to her.

Aeta | 03.15.2026 | 1348 Ex Voto

03.14.2026 | 1348 Ex Voto