Everything We Learnt about Silver Palace at gamescom

Following the conclusion of its recent beta test, and with over 10-million pre registrations made globally in the run-up to gamescom, developer and publisher Elementa debuted a new trailer for open-world action RPG, Silver Palace, at gamescom’s prestigious Opening Night Live.

In development for PC, mobile and⁠ – in a surprising reveal⁠ – the official announcement that it’s coming to PlayStation 5, IGN was on the ground at gamescom to check out the Silver Palace booth. If you’ve not seen the trailer yet, you can watch it now, below:

The trailer opens with a spooky looking operating room as a doctor examines a corpse made of Silverium, before shifting to a sprawling city filled with winding streets ⁠– and our first look at the protagonist of Silver Palace, the Detective. The trailer then follows the Detective as they carry out their investigation, engage in combat and explore the city. Glimpses of characters Ashley, Gratia and Red Rose, boss encounters and the operating room showcase the game’s mix of dynamic combat and tension. After the corpse suddenly fractures and sends shimmering silver droplets everywhere, the trailer unveils the brand-new multiplayer combat experience called “House of Greed”.

At the booth, as you’d expect, we had the obligatory photo spot and merchandise zones, but there was also a playable demo area where we got to get our hands on Silver Palace proper. With support for DLSS 4.5 and Raytracing at launch, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 PCs they had on-site gave them a chance to show off just how immersive the world of Silvernia will be.

During our hands-on with the demo we were introduced to a mystical world filled with flying silver whales, ornate buildings and fantastical enemies. After a failed assassination attempt on the Queen, the protagonist ⁠– the Detective ⁠– is quickly forced into a boss battle between two huge humanoids emerging from a portal. Combat flowed between light, ranged and ultimate attacks, with dodges and parries helping you avoid damage while keeping the pressure on the enemy. After a spot of exploration in the city of Silvernia on a silverwork horse, we were thrust into another boss encounter, this time against ‘Cinderella’ ⁠– except this version used her horse-drawn pumpkin carriage as a weapon rather than a means to travel to a royal ball. Here we got a taste of the other playable characters who seamlessly switch in and out of combat, each providing a unique moveset and extravagant ultimate ability.

Multiple live stage performances, cosplayer meet and greets and influencer sessions with iCrimax, HoneyPuu and more gave fans plenty of immersive opportunities where they engaged not only with the game but significant figures in the scene. Characters portrayed included the Detective, Alf, Red Rose amongst several other significant figures, and the game’s pumpkin carriage from the Cinderella Boss Battle was brought to life in stunning fashion with an impressive sculpture. Live band performances and dance showcases at the booth brought the energy to Hall 6 and, for those who took part in activities surrounding their presence, there was a healthy host of rewards such as art cards, blind-box coaster sets, and a very nicely put together “Detective set”.

We also spent some time with the game’s development team at their booth in Cologne, to have a chat about things in a bit more detail. Here’s what they had to say:

IGN: Your ONL trailer has a noticeably darker, more horror-inspired tone, and some viewers may even be reminded of franchises like Resident Evil. This feels quite different from the main tone of Silver Palace. Was that contrast intentional?

Yes. For this trailer, we intentionally adopted a light horror-inspired editing style, so we understand why some viewers may draw comparisons to well-known horror titles. What we really wanted to highlight, however, was the contrast between Silver Palace’s elegant, fairy-tale-inspired characters and the distorted, unsettling creatures featured in the trailer. That contrast creates a very different atmosphere while still remaining rooted in the world of Silver Palace.

The ONL trailer also teased what looks like a new gameplay mode. Can you tell us more about it?

Yes. The mode, titled House of Greed, is still in an early stage of development and is planned as part of the main game experience. It is designed as a multiplayer mode and uses a classic over-the-shoulder camera and related character-control systems, with a stronger focus on room-based exploration and third-person shooting. The experience is quite different from the main game’s action combat, which centers around a four-character squad and real-time character switching.

You recently passed the huge milestone of 10 million pre-registrations. Is there anything you would like to say to the many players out there who are patiently waiting for Silver Palace?

We received a great deal of valuable feedback from players during both CBT1 and CBT2, and those comments have been extremely important to the entire Silver Palace development team. We’re very grateful to everyone who has been following the game and waiting patiently for its release.

Following its gamescom debut, Silver Palace has been nominated for the gamescom Best Mobile Game Award. Vote for your favourite games from the show here and check out IGN’s gamescom stream on Friday to see the winners announced.

With a third closed beta test coming soon, even those who missed the event will soon have a chance to see more of what’s in store for this promising new title. For now, there’s plenty to get your teeth into at