Unearthed: Trail of IBN Battuta: Episode One now available on Steam

The first episode of Unearthed: Trail of IBN Battuta, an episodic third-person action adventure title set in the Middle East, is now available on Steam for $3.99.

Players take on the role of fortune hunter Faris Jawad and his sister Dania as they retrace the path of Muslim explorer Ibn Battuta. The adventure takes players through modern-day Morocco, old Damascus, Alexandria and Dubai, as they deal with a militia army leader, a weapons dealer and an antiquities smuggler.

Unearthed: Trail of IBN Battuta features cover-based shooting and melee combat, along with puzzles, exploration elements, platforming, stealth and driving sequences. Developed by Saudi Arabia-based studio Semaphore, the game is available in 21 languages for menus and subtitles and includes unlockable extras such as cutscenes, concept art and a survival mode.

Polygon previously chatted with Semaphore’s director of development, Ahmad Jadallah, where he explained that the studio aims to create culturally relevant games for the hardcore gaming market that will appeal to gamers around the world.

"That is what we are hard at work to achieve here at Semaphore with Unearthed," Jadallah told Polygon. "To present a locally-developed product with a global appeal in multiple languages and to break the mainstream conventions about the Middle East and the portrayal of women in gaming."

Episode one of the adventure title will be available for $3.99, 20 percent off its full amount, until Jan. 10.