Volkolak: The Will of Gods is out now on Steam. According to the Steam store page, the full 1.0 release landed on August 22, 2025, with an earlier demo released August 21, 2024, so this game’s been cooking for a while before most players noticed it. What finally arrived is a 2D side-scrolling soulslike with a hook that’s hard to shake: turning into a werewolf mid-fight isn’t a gimmick, it’s the whole point. Toss in a setting built from actual Slavic folklore instead of the usual generic dark fantasy, and there’s something here worth digging into.
Picture Hollow Knight’s slow-burn exploration mixed with the kind of punishing, deliberate combat Soulsborne fans crave, then dress the whole thing up with Baba Yaga, Koschei the Immortal, and pagan altars instead of gargoyles and graveyards. That’s the pitch.
The Far-Away State: What Kind of World This Is
The setting is called the Far-Away State, a medieval world that’s been hit hard by a curse from the necromancer Koschei the Immortal. His curse doesn’t just kill people — it twists them into monsters, which is basically the reason the whole map is crawling with enemies in the first place.
Before diving into combat or classes, it helps to picture the map itself. Players explore the dungeons of Tsargrad, creep through the Dark Forest, and wade into the Stinking Swamp, all connected in classic metroidvania fashion. New abilities open new paths, and areas that seemed like dead ends early on suddenly make sense hours later.
The cast pulls straight from Slavic mythology — Leshy, the Serpent, Baba Yaga, the Firebird all show up, and some of them actually talk instead of just swinging claws. That’s a nice touch. Getting lore from a mythical creature instead of grinding it out of an item description feels more natural, and it gives the world a bit more personality than the usual silent-NPC routine.
Visually, the game leans on traditional hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animation with a gloomy, shadowy color palette. That’s a step above the pixel-art look so many indie metroidvanias lean on, and it gives Volkolak a slightly more handmade, storybook feel — albeit a storybook someone left out in the rain.
Combat and the Werewolf Transformation That Drives Everything
At its core, Volkolak runs on deep, deliberate Soulslike combat. Players face off against the curse’s twisted minions across more than 50 enemy types and 10 mythical bosses, so there’s no shortage of things trying to end a run early.
The real twist is the werewolf transformation, and it’s not just a cosmetic party trick. Shifting into wolf form unlocks distinct abilities tied to specific pagan god altars scattered around the world, meaning the transformation actually changes how a fight plays out rather than just changing the character model. The three classes approach that shift differently, too: Cursed leans all the way into aggressive ghoul-form combat, Volkolak relies on magic to keep the werewolf instincts in check while still tapping into the altar powers, and Veteran mostly sidesteps the transformation altogether in favor of straightforward warrior combat.
Players bounce between two modes depending on the moment. Human form lets them gear up with different weapons and play things more traditionally, almost like a standard action game. Werewolf form leans hard into those altar-granted powers instead. Switching between the two gives combat two very different rhythms, and figuring out when to lean on which form becomes its own kind of puzzle.
Three Classes, Three Completely Different Stories
Right at the start, players lock in one of three paths, and each one comes packed with its own locations, NPCs, and side content. Cursed leans all the way into the bloodthirsty ghoul side of things. Volkolak takes the middle road, using magic to rein in the werewolf instincts rather than embracing them fully. Veteran skips the curse altogether, playing things straight as a standard warrior.
This isn’t a simple stat-swap choice, either. The game promises three genuinely different playthrough experiences complete with separate endings, so picking a class doubles as picking a narrative direction. It ties right back into the game’s fate theme — whether the protagonist ends up a noble hero, a full-blown monster, or something messier in between depends entirely on the path chosen and the choices made along the way.
Who This Game Is Actually For
Fans of punishing 2D Soulsborne combat — the Blasphemous and Salt and Sanctuary crowd — will feel right at home here. This is a game built around deliberate, high-stakes encounters, not fast arcade-style button mashing. Metroidvania completionists who love slowly cracking open a big, secret-filled map will find plenty to chew on too, since new skills constantly open fresh routes through old areas.
Anyone tired of yet another generic medieval-fantasy setting should take note. The Slavic mythological backbone — Koschei, Baba Yaga, the Firebird — gives Volkolak a flavor that’s genuinely different from the usual pack. And for players who care about replay value, the three-class system along with branching choices and multiple endings means a second or third run actually plays differently, not just harder.
Where Can You Get Volkolak: The Will of Gods?
Volkolak: The Will of Gods came out on Steam on August 22, 2025, and it’s available right now for anyone curious enough to click buy. Along the way, a “Chapter 2” trailer reportedly surfaced around April 2025, calling the update the most massive since the game’s Early Access launch and pegging the game at roughly 80% complete — a sign this one had a longer road to 1.0 than a single launch date suggests. It’s single-player only, but it comes with full controller support, and the developer actually recommends playing with a gamepad rather than a keyboard. Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud, and Family Sharing round out the package. The game was developed by Volk Team, also referred to as Volkolak Team, while Steam lists Progamefactoryllc as the publisher.
Given how much folklore, transformation mechanics, and branching fate baked into one package, does this scratch the itch for something different in the soulslike space, or does the crowded metroidvania market make it tough for a game like this to stand out?
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F.A.Q.
What is Volkolak: The Will of Gods?
Volkolak: The Will of Gods is a 2D soulslike metroidvania set in a dark Slavic fantasy world called the Far-Away State. Players fight monsters twisted by Koschei the Immortal’s curse while exploring an interconnected map full of Slavic mythological figures like Baba Yaga, Leshy, and the Firebird.
Is Volkolak: The Will of Gods out on Steam?
Yes, the full 1.0 version came out on Steam on August 22, 2025, after a demo released back in August 2024. A “Chapter 2” update trailer surfaced around April 2025, pegging the game at roughly 80% complete, suggesting continued content additions beyond the initial launch.
Was Volkolak: The Will of Gods in Early Access?
The game had a lengthy pre-release period with a public demo starting August 21, 2024, well over a year before the 1.0 launch. References to an “Early Access launch” tied to the Chapter 2 update trailer suggest the game went through staged development before reaching its full August 2025 release.
Is Volkolak: The Will of Gods on Switch?
No platform beyond PC is listed for Volkolak: The Will of Gods; it’s currently available only through Steam. The Steam page confirms single-player support with full controller compatibility, and the developer recommends a gamepad, but no Switch or other console version has been announced.
What type of game is Volkolak: The Will of Gods?
It’s a 2D side-scrolling soulslike metroidvania that mixes deliberate, punishing combat with slow-burn exploration. Players fight through more than 50 enemy types and 10 mythical bosses while unlocking new abilities that open previously inaccessible parts of the map, similar in structure to games like Hollow Knight.
Does Volkolak: The Will of Gods have multiple endings?
Yes, choosing between the three classes — Cursed, Volkolak, and Veteran — leads to separate storylines, unique locations, and different endings. The choice ties directly into the game’s fate theme, determining whether the protagonist becomes a hero, a monster, or something in between.
Does Volkolak: The Will of Gods have werewolf transformation?
Yes, transforming into a werewolf is the game’s core mechanic rather than a cosmetic extra. Wolf form unlocks abilities tied to pagan god altars scattered through the world, while human form lets players equip different weapons for more traditional combat, giving fights two distinct rhythms depending on which form is active.
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