Developed by Ontario’s Defiance Game Studio, Archmage Rises is being built as an “RPG inside a world simulation” and will give players near-absolute freedom to become whatever they want to be in a fully-simulated fantasy world.
Less than 48 hours into the Greenlight campaign, the game is already at #82 in the top 100 rankings.
WHAT MAKES ARCHMAGE RISES UNIQUE?
What would you do if a single wrong decision could subtly change your in-game life? Now, what if every decision could drastically change the world around you? In Archmage Rises, players are faced with countless decisions that greatly impact every playthrough in a number of different ways – from life and death to commodity prices and even in-game relationships. If death does come, however, it will be permanent: Archmage Rises’ permadeath system encourages experimentation (and a certain degree of caution!) to allow for endless replayability and short, streamlined play sessions free of travel time and repetitive random encounters.
Growing into a powerful Archmage, the player can explore dungeons, discover artifacts of ancient power, and visit arcane libraries to gain skill in five distinct schools of magic. It’s also possible to customize spells through research (appropriately, any gained knowledge is stored at the player’s very own Mage Tower), craft and enchant equipment – and specialize in fighting, politics, research, and more.
No one will have to go it alone, though: Players can swear fealty to nobles, gain land and estates, invest in town shops, move to a new home – and even start a family (or several!). They can also hire apprentices and minions useful for handling trading or research tasks. (It’s important to select apprentices wisely, though: some might prefer betrayal to chores!)
BACKSTORY
Early in life, you discover that you have an innate ability to use powerful magic. Born to humble farmers who sacrificed so that you could study at the renowned Magic Conclave, you end up unfairly expelled … and then cast out onto the streets. Alone and with nowhere to go, will you use what you’ve learned to help save this harsh world – or burn it down?
DEVELOPER QUOTE
Thomas Henshell (Game Designer & Owner, Defiance Game Studio):
“Dragonlance was a major inspiration for Archmage Rises. I always wondered what it would have been like to ‘play out’ the life of Dragonlance’s Raistlin Majere. We’re still in development, but Archmage Rises has already captured the feeling of absolute freedom we get from tabletop RPGs – of being in charge of your destiny from birth to burial, and being able to make meaningful choices in between. Fans of the classic ‘gold box’ RPGs will find much to love – starting with the awesome big box mockups we created for the game!”
CGDC & GENCON
Thomas Henshell will be attending CGDC (Christian Game Developers Conference), which takes place July 14-16 in Portland, OR. Thomas will be one of the speakers in the “Future of Game Dev Community” panel on Saturday, July 16th at 4:00 p.m.
In August, those interested in a hands-on demo of Archmage Rises should be sure to attend GenCon — where Defiance Game Studio will have a playable demo and will begin taking pre-orders!
Archmage Rises Key Features:
- Explore a true open world teeming with life, choice, and consequence
- Immerse yourself in a player-driven story that evolves based on your decisions
- Unleash dangerous spells that can have game-changing consequences
- Cast magic to overcome obstacles and explore challenging dungeons
- Enter a new procedurally-generated world every time you play
- Engage in deep political, economic, and military simulations
- Experience a never-before-seen religion/spirituality/worship system
Here is the Archmage Rises Steam Greenlight Trailer:
You can help vote for Archmage Rises on Steam Greenlight right now. Pre-orders will begin August 4th at GenCon. and the finished game is due Q1 2017.
I'm a published author and proud US Army veteran who happens to be a gamer, so I decided to combine the two and love every minute of it! Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments and I'll be sure to get back to you.
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