The Waylanders is a party-based RPG in the vein of Dragon Age and Pillars of Eternity, telling the story of the first encounter between the ancient Celts and their gods, the Tuatha de Danaan. Developer Gato Studio unveiled the combat system (real-time with poses as it should be) last year, but perhaps the bigger draw is the story: former Telltale designer Emily Grace Buck wrote the script, Chris Averon is on board for the job (and of course), and former Dragon Age creative director Mike Laidlaw is serving as script consultant.

The studio today released a new video showcasing one of the early game's narrative interludes used to propel the story: Isu, King of Brigantia, is about to lead the first delegation to the mythical home of the gods, while his hot-blooded son, Lugaid, a young His youthful arrogance threatens to undermine decades of diplomacy. A third NPC in the video, the druid Amelgin, is available as a companion. The player character is also shown, with his arm in the frame at around 52 seconds.

"It's a very story-driven game," said Sergio Prieto, CEO of Gato Studio, adding that there are several such interludes throughout the game.

The video also reveals the sailing ship Vengeance, which will be home base during the game, but it is more than just a sailing ship. It also serves as a sort of portal between the Celtic and medieval periods that make up the time-travel game world of "Waylanders.

"We went deep into Celtic mythology to create the lore of the ship. The Vengeance is a magical ship that navigates through realms beyond reality. When you're on the ship, you're in a magical fog. That is where you will be based for the entire game, where you will receive all the main missions and most of the loyalty missions. The ship also allows you to travel to different locations and travel through the timeline.

The ship may remind you of similar ships in fantasy RPGs like Divinity: Original Sin 2 or Pillars of Eternity 2 but according to Prieto, it is actually closer to the Normandy in "Mass Effect".

"Every companion's room or area will be decorated with its own personality. Similarly, all important missions will begin with 'Revenge', where you will also have conversations that will develop your relationship with your companions. Apart from that, there is a "mail" area where you will receive letters related to the missions and from NPCs. The letters come from the Moorian ravens, who can cross the magical barriers that surround Vengeance and find your ship anywhere in time and space," he explains.

"For us, the ship becomes like an element of the story. There are missions and mechanics associated with Vengeance, but even though we were thinking about using them for combat mechanics and base construction during production, we decided to focus on new and unique mechanics in the game, like formations."

Formations, as we introduced last year, allow party members to assemble in different arrangements, such as Arrowheads and Phalanxes, each offering unique advantages (and perhaps disadvantages) in combat. In addition, party members can coalesce in different formations to form giant magical beasts, much like druidic devastators, but hopefully more effective.

Gato Studios also recently released a "Character Creator Preview" video, demonstrating some of the character customization options available in the game.

The Waylanders will be available later this year and is currently on Steam's wish list; you can see more about it at The Waylanders.com.