Greetings backers, would-be backers, and silent gawkers!

News out of the crowdfunding dimension is unusually good this week: since we last visited, CivCraft: Legends of Ellaria, Exoplanet: First Contact, Overfall, Pauldron: Shield of the King, and Trial By Viking have all succeeded; none have failed!

Will this trend continue? Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh…probably not. There are a lot of projects that look like they’re going to succeed, but as we’ll see, a 100% success rate probably isn’t in the cards:

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Bruno Tiburcio writes in to announce that Jotun, the Norse mythological Zelda-alike we last covered here, is getting released in just over a week.

The finished game will be dropping on Steam on September 29, 2015 at a $14.99 price point.

As a bit of a bonus, the developers have also included a trailer teasing one of the game’s bosses, the fire jotun. Enjoy:

Sean Hayden writes in to announce Voidspire Tactics, a turn-based tactical RPG from one-man indie studio Rad Codex. Hayden has labored on Voidspire Tactics for the past 2 years; he describes the game as an indie tactics RPG with a focus on exploration, party creation and character development.

The premise:

Just after stepping off the boat from a long voyage, the player is mistakenly abducted – along with the entire dock of Solport – into the Spire, a towering fortress comprised of chunks from other realms. Now they must fight to survive and discover the secret of the Spire.

Here’s a trailer:

Planned features include:

• Open-ended exploration – traverse a nonlinear world full of secrets
• Refined tactical combat fit for beginners and veterans alike – easy to learn, hard to master
• Destructible terrain and elemental interactions – flood the battlefield, then shock everyone with lightning!
• Abilities are good for more than just combat – freeze a river to cross it, or grow seeds into vines to scale mountains!
• Choose from 4 playable races, unlock up to 17 classes, learn & upgrade 100+ abilities, and equip your choice of 50+ passive abilities
• Atypical fantasy setting – not one elf, orc or goblin in sight!

The graphics may look a wee bit rough, but VT’s feature set sounds quite appealing–I find myself looking forward to checking this one out.

Voidspire Tactics is being developed for Windows, and that’s actually mostly done; according to Hayden, the game should be out in the next month or so at a price yet to be determined.

Word reaches me that Skyshine’s Bedlam (previously known merely as Bedlam) has now been released into the world! Developed by 3-person studio Skyshine, Skyshine’s Bedlam is a squad-based roguelike set in the post-apocalypse.

The narrative premise:

As the technological marvel of Bysantine falls victim to overcrowding, class distinction, corporate conflict and organized crime, there comes word of a hopeful place beyond Bedlam, somehow unblemished by the Barren Age: a distant utopia called Aztec City!

You are the mysterious Mechanic, last of a once-thriving guild of intrepid explorers dedicated to charting the blasted wastes in their Dozers — massive metal titans specifically designed to traverse the hellscape. With the reconstructed Dozer called Boneshaker, it is now possible for people to travel from Bysantine… through the savage lands of Bedlam toward a new future!

This game looks a bit like what I would expect if Mad Max: Fury Road and Wasteland 2 got married, then produced a child by way of The Banner Saga. “The Banner Saga?” you ask. Yeah–this game actually uses The Banner Saga’s engine, and as you can see below, they’ve mostly stuck to the whole 2D rotoscoped animation paradigm (at least for the combat):

Speaking of combat: combat in Bedlam is chess-like, in the sense that it is both turn-based and lacking a set turn order–you and your opponent trade off making moves, but any unit can move at any time.

The game is a roguelike, so you can expect a procedurally generated world, random encounters, and (of course) permadeath. There are four enemy factions to contend with in the game world: marauders, cyborgs, mutants, and AI. (If this page is to be believed, it is possible to make allies of some of these groups, or at least individuals who come from them.)

You can snag Skyshine’s Bedlam on Steam (and seemingly nowhere else) for $19.99; Windows only.

Word has it that surreal jRPG UnderTale (previously covered here) has now been released. Created by solo developer Toby Fox, UnderTale is a bit of an odd bird, with loads of minigames governing various mechanics and the ability to eschew combat entirely, instead making friends with your enemies.

The narrative premise is pretty short:

In this RPG, you control a human who falls underground into the world of monsters. Now you must find your way out… or stay trapped forever.

The release trailer, however, is decidedly more informative:

According to the developer, UnderTale includes the following features:

• Killing is unnecessary: negotiate out of danger using the unique battle system.
• Time your attacks for extra damage, then dodge enemy attacks in a style reminiscent of top-down shooters.
• Original art and soundtrack brimming with personality.
• Soulful, character-rich story with an emphasis on humor.
• Created mostly by one person.
• Become friends with all of the bosses!
• At least 5 dogs.
• You can date a skeleton.

You can get UnderTale for $9.99 direct from the developer or on Steam; Windows and Mac. There’s also a free demo available if you want to try it out before purchasing.

Ibrahim Yildirim writes in to announce Overfall, an RPG with turn-based, hex-based combat and ocean-going exploration of a procedurally generated overworld. In development by Turkish indie studio Pera Games, Overfall takes place in the vast ocean world of Dys.

There doesn’t seem to be any sort of plot premise as of yet, but this comes close:

You will lead two heroes on a journey across the high seas in search of their lost king. You will encounter people of all breeds and all creeds; ally with them or crush them without mercy. You will face many dangers; survive them and you may unlock new characters, weapons and skills. In a world where death is permanent, you must return to the beginning and make a fresh start. The heroes you choose, the weapons you unlock and a world that is randomized mean that no two adventures will ever be the same.

Overfall is planned to contain roguelike elements, such as character permadeath and the aforementioned procedural world generation, as well as story encounters where your choices determine the outcome.

Now, about that “two heroes” bit: the developers tell me that you’ll start off with just those two characters, and while you will be able to recruit up to 36 people to fight for you, your party size in any given battle will be capped at 4 characters.

Here’s a gameplay trailer showing off the game’s cutesie, Hero Academy-ish graphic style:

Per the developers, Overfall is planned to feature all of the following:

* A huge, dynamic world to explore, ruled by a number of races in constant conflict – it’s up to you to help or betray them

* Challenging and addictive turn-based combat – careful strategy and cunning skill combinations are the key to victory against your foes!

* Permanent hero death, procedural world generation, and high replay inspired by classic roguelikes

* Interactive story encounters where the choices you make and the allies you recruit ensure no two journeys are quite the same

* Unlock new classes, weapons, trinkets and skills as you progress in the game

* Beautiful hand-drawn art of of 9 player characters, 36 combat companions, 80+ enemies, 80+ NPCs, and 100+ locations.

Iron Tower Studio has just announced a final release date for the long-awaited indie wRPG The Age of Decadence: October 14, 2015.

If you’d like to know more about the game, you should have a look at our IndieRPGs.com Checks Out episode from last November.

Per the developers, The Age of Decadence will released on Steam, GOG, and Gamers Gate.

You may recall our prior coverage of CivCraft: Legends of Ellaria in Back to Back; now that it’s far surpassed its funding goal, this seems a good time to give CivCraft a proper announcement.

Arik Helman of developer Larkon Studio writes that CivCraft is a hybrid RTS / open-world action RPG; which is to say, you’re a sovereign in charge of building cities, raising armies, and fighting battles on behalf of your country, but you can always slip off and experience your country on foot as an adventurer.

The plot premise:

You are the king of a clan, that once belonged to a powerful empire… An old clan, who came from the decaying world of Marra in search for RiftStone, a special resource that is the base of all magic. For centuries, kingdoms on Marra have waged endless wars with each other for the rare and precious RiftStone. Ironically, the wars for that ultimate power have left the once glorious world of Marra as nothing but an empty, barren land. With the last RiftStone available and the finest wizards and researchers in Marra, you are determined to build a portal and travel through the rift to the source of the RiftStone, a world that is in the center of other worlds rift, a world which has more magical and rich resources that you could imagine: Ellaria.

Now, while you are a king and thus technically in charge of a whole country, you can choose to be a Bad King and run off on larks while off-loading your royal duties to a long-suffering adviser like a less sex-crazed version of Robert Baratheon. The developers state that your royal adviser will manage and expand your kingdom on your behalf while you run around going on quests, killing monsters and haphazardly looting–good to know.

I’m just going to quote the developers here:

Ellaria spans for over 450 square Km, containing many locations, houses and ancient dungeons. Each one – existing or built by you – has a complete interior, as well as items you can take and crafting areas you can use.

Your kingdom and its citizens are not just mindless workers. Each citizen in your kingdom has a name and a character. Your citizen will react to you, join you, give you quests and are a part of your story.

Pretty crazy! The developers have provided a lengthy (though clearly heavily edited) video showing the game in its current, pre-alpha state:

It’s all pretty absurdly ambitious–this should be interesting to watch, at a minimum.

CivCraft is still live on Kickstarter for a short period, where the “get the game” tier is $20. It will be getting a Windows / Mac Steam Early Access release in a few months (note that the game is reportedly 3 years into development already), with console ports to follow whenever CivCraft gets its final release.

Welcome back to Back to Back, would-be backers!

Looking back at the campaigns that ended since our last Back to Back, only You Are a Dark God: Desolation Road was adequately backed, while Fantasy Dimension, Mooncrest, The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Groves, Wind and Tide, and World Cubed were sent back to the drawing board.

But hark–what now hacks its way through the undergrowth in search of visibility and the life-giving, monetary essence of crowdfunding?

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Word reaches me that Aldorlea Games has recently released a follow-up to their popular RPG Maker jRPG The Tale of a Common Man (previously covered here). The name? A Timely Intervention.

Here’s the narrative premise:

“Those who control the present, control the past. And those who control the past control the future.”
That’s what they say, anyway, but maybe they are wrong. Who knows?
If you were able to go back in time and take the risk of changing everything you know, would you do it?

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For the first part of the game, play as 2 separate parties, as the story goes back and forth between them. Each party has its own hopes and goals; when they meet can those be reconciled as they join forces? And how can they know what their choices will bring? Delve into a brand new world full of characters, secrets and possibilities.

A Timely Intervention features redundant mouse and keyboard controls, customizable enemy visibility, customizable encounter rate, and customizable difficulty. In addition, the developers list the following features:

• 10 characters
• Five characters in the active party to add strategic depth
• Many skills level up with use – how strong they are depends on you
• 8-direction movement with mouse or keyboard
• 17 side quests
• 30 secret rooms to discover
• 30+ hours of addictive gameplay

 

You can buy A Timely Intervention for $19.99 direct from the developer here. Windows only.