Tides of Annihilation draws heavily from Arthurian legend but reinterprets it rather than retelling familiar stories. The game takes figures, locations, and concepts from the mythology and reshapes them to fit a modern-day action-adventure setting.
Key adaptations
Mordred is reimagined as a female demi-god and antagonist, departing from the traditional male knight/usurper
Niniane (the Lady of the Lake) becomes a shape-shifting companion who can transform into a bird, a girl, and Gwendolyn's sword
Avalon shifts from a place of healing and rest into the home base of hostile demi-gods who invaded London
The Knights of the Round Table appear as summonable spectral warriors rather than living characters
The Holy Grail is shattered into Grail Shards scattered across two realms
Setting: London, not Camelot
Most Arthurian adaptations are set in medieval Britain. Tides of Annihilation places the story in modern London, creating a collision between contemporary urban environments and medieval supernatural elements. Twisted versions of London landmarks sit alongside portals to Avalon, and the city's Underground appears in promotional footage.
The eight sisters
The primary antagonists are Morgan le Fay's eight sisters, collectively the demi-gods of Avalon. This draws from Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini, which names nine magical sisters ruling the Isle of Apples. The game casts them as the force behind London's destruction. Tyronoe is the most prominently featured sister so far.
Lesser-known figures
The developers intentionally feature obscure Arthurian characters. Sir Lamorak and Palamedes are deep cuts from the Prose Tristan and French romances. Tyronoe comes from a single passage in Geoffrey of Monmouth. This approach lets the game tell original stories without contradicting audiences' expectations about well-known figures like Lancelot or Guinevere.
Chinese studio, British mythology
Eclipse Glow Games is based in Chengdu, China, making their choice of Arthurian legend an interesting cross-cultural decision. The studio's international team, with veterans from Western studios like Ubisoft alongside Japanese and Chinese developers, brings multiple perspectives to the source material. Producer Kun Fu has described their vision as one where "themes of courage, loyalty, and heroism intertwine with an epic story."