1348 Ex Voto: How a Lesbian Knight Game Became 2026's Most Anticipated Historical Adventure

1348 Ex Voto didn't just announce a new game—it ignited a cultural conversation. Within hours of its reveal, social media platforms were alight, not merely with excitement for new gameplay, but with fervent discussion about representation, historical authenticity, and a bold new direction for a beloved genre. Dubbed "the Yuri Kingdom Come" by an eager fanbase, this title from developer Sun and Serpent Creations has positioned itself as 2026's most intriguing project by promising a brutal, historically-grounded 14th-century world where the central, driving force is an explicit LGBTQIA+ romance.

Scheduled for a March 2026 release on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, 1348 Ex Voto follows the quest of a female knight, Aeta, to save a nun named Bianca against the apocalyptic backdrop of the Black Death in Italy. It boasts a star-studded voice cast led by Jennifer English—fresh from her era-defining role in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33—and promises a combat system of meticulous depth. But beyond its features lies the pivotal question: Can this ambitious fusion of hardcore historical simulation and authentic, narrative-driven representation deliver on its viral promise, or will it buckle under the weight of expectation?

A Quest Forged in Pestilence and Passion

1348 Ex Voto does not choose a gentle setting. Its world is 14th-century Italy, ravaged by the Black Death, a time of profound societal collapse, religious fervor, and existential dread. The developers have emphasized a commitment to historical accuracy in depicting this world, from the architecture and attire to the pervasive atmosphere of decay and desperation. This isn't a romanticized medieval fantasy; it's a simulation of a world on the brink.

Into this chaos step the protagonists: Aeta, the player-controlled knight, and Bianca, the nun she is sworn to protect. Their relationship is not a subplot or optional romance—it is the narrative's core engine. In an era defined by rigid social hierarchies and powerful religious doctrine, a knight's vow to a nun would already be a complex narrative thread. 1348 Ex Voto intensifies this by making their bond explicitly romantic, a direct and dangerous challenge to the period's norms. This framing transforms a personal rescue mission into a profound act of rebellion. The story contrasts the intimate, character-driven drama of two women against the impersonal, massive scale of a historical pandemic, asking players to invest in human connection in a world seemingly bereft of it.

Steel and Stardom: Gameplay and Casting

The gameplay philosophy of 1348 Ex Voto is described as a focus on "narrative and setting" over complex RPG stat systems. The intent is clear: immersion through world-building and character, not spreadsheets. The developers promise a combat system of meticulous depth, which they illustrate with confirmed details like customizable sword-fighting stances, modular weapon parts that can be swapped and tuned, and a variety of combos learned from in-game books—a touch that reinforces the theme of knowledge and tradition in a crumbling world.

This narrative-first approach is powerfully amplified by its voice cast, a key driver of the game's pre-release hype. Bianca is voiced by Jennifer English, an actor whose star has ascended meteorically. Following her acclaimed performance as Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3, English anchored 2025's breakout hit Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a turn-based RPG that sold over 5 million units by October 2025 and swept Game of the Year awards. Her involvement lends immediate credibility and draws a massive, attentive audience.

Perhaps even more significant is the casting of nonbinary actor Alby Baldwin as the protagonist, Aeta. This decision aligns the game's production ethos directly with its thematic heart. It’s a statement that the authenticity of its central queer narrative extends beyond the writing room and into the very performance that will bring the knight to life. This casting doesn't just fill a role; it reinforces the game's identity as a project built with intention, contributing substantially to its credibility and the community's anticipation.

The "Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2" Comparison – With a Vital Difference

The comparison to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is inevitable and instructive. Both games share a DNA of historical realism: a commitment to period-accurate aesthetics, a grounded, often harsh setting, and a focus on methodical, weighty combat that favors skill and tactics over fantastical flourishes. For fans of that niche, 1348 Ex Voto appears to be a compelling new entry.

But the comparison exists to highlight a crucial, defining divergence. Where the Kingdom Come series has been celebrated for its historical immersion, it has also been critiqued for its lack of meaningful LGBTQIA+ perspectives and character roles within that history. 1348 Ex Voto places an explicit, central queer romance and perspective front and center. It is not a clone, but a thematic evolution—a counterpart that asks, "What does historical realism look like from a viewpoint its own era tried to silence?" The game aims to fill a cultural and narrative gap, offering the meticulous immersion fans of the genre crave while fundamentally challenging its traditional narrative boundaries.

A Perfect Storm of Hype: Timing, Trends, and a Bladesong Counterpoint

1348 Ex Voto’s announcement arrived during a perfect storm of industry trends. Player appetite for deep, narrative-driven experiences remains high, as evidenced by a recent Gamerant poll where 52% of respondents chose the fantasy RPG Fable as their most-anticipated game from a major showcase. Furthermore, Jennifer English's involvement connects the project directly to the red-hot success of Expedition 33, funneling that game's considerable fanbase toward this new adventure.

Interestingly, the announcement timeline reveals a broader trend in the genre. Sun and Serpent Creations also has Bladesong entering Steam Early Access on January 22, 2026. Described as the "ultimate swordmaking game," Bladesong features a hyper-detailed, freeform weapon-crafting system with realism compared to Kingdom Come, yet pairs it with a narrative and player-choice system reminiscent of Disco Elysium. The simultaneous development of these two titles—one a narrative-focused historical adventure, the other a deep-immersion crafting simulator—highlights a market increasingly receptive to niche, detailed, and passionately specific experiences. 1348 Ex Voto benefits from this ecosystem, riding a wave that values depth and authenticity, whether in storytelling or systems.

1348 Ex Voto stands at a rare intersection. It is a hardcore historical action-adventure that also seeks to be a milestone for inclusive storytelling. It carries the expectations of simulation enthusiasts scrutinizing its swordplay and world-building, and of a community yearning to see themselves reflected in genres from which they have often been absent. Its March 2026 release will be more than a test of gameplay mechanics; it will be a measure of whether the genre can successfully expand its definition of "historical authenticity" to encompass the full, complex spectrum of human experience. The journey of Aeta and Bianca promises not just a fight for survival in a plague-ridden world, but a fight for a new kind of story within gaming's oldest settings. When their journey begins, it won't just be a test of a game's mechanics, but of the genre's capacity for change—a fight to redefine history itself, one sword strike and stolen glance at a time.