Celestian Tales: Old North announced

Cipto Adiguno of Indonesian indie studio Ekuator Games writes in to tell me about Celestian Tales: Old North, a jRPG they’re creating where the story spans three decades and your characters visibly age.

Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of this game; they actually first wrote to me last summer when they were attempting to kickstart Celestian Tales. At that time, the future of the game was somewhat in doubt; as of today, however, that is no longer so, as they’ve hit 100% funding on their Kickstarter with 21 days left to go.

So what’s it all about? Here’s the premise:

Begin your journey as a youth learning your steps into knighthood. Serve great and powerful heroes as their squires. Take part in campaigns of glory by their sides. Be there as time withers even the mightiest of mortals. When heroes of today replace the yesterday, will you stand to defend your ideals? Will you be steadfast as realities confront your naive thoughts? Will your dark secrets be kept hidden from even dearest ones?

As decades change and life throws its worst, many a people come out a different person. That face you’re looking at the mirror might not be a face you used to know. Flames once shining in your eyes might have turned to cold ashes. Sincere laughters might have vanished into fake smiles to please your peers. Or perhaps you will stay the same, as unrelenting as ever in your beliefs. The path of life has many branches; it is up to you to pick which to tread.

The trailer gives a pretty clear sense of what the narrative is about, at least thematically:

)

The developers state that combat is modeled on Grandia. Enemies will be visible while exploring, and battles will be more substantial and fewer in number than in most jRPGs.

Celestian Tales: Old North is coming out in three parts; the first part is due out for Windows, Mac and Linux in November 2014, and the third part should be coming out by May 2015.