What makes Grimshade’s unusual setting ‘unusual’ as Talerock Studio touts it to be? Well for one, that sniper is really a walking/talking badger called Charlie. Secondly, he maintains a journal, a canteen of booze and yet remains in denial that he’s a badger.
The synopsis also isn’t very telling; I mean Grimshade transpires within the world of Ree’Fah, whose Kingdom of Easeon was torn into three states in the aftermath of a Great Flood 80 years ago.
Tribes of ‘livs’ and ‘eleores’ wandered and settled across the Hardfore continent, subsequently losing touch with the technology, traditions and legacy of their ancestors. Now, 80 years later, said tribes have recovered their ambitions and garnered a few new enemies.
What then? I don’t know, but this is where the branching choice-based narrative is meant to twist/turn and make way for a tactics-based role playing adventure of Adventure and Combat modes. The first encourages you to explore the story/Ree’Fah at your own pace, make friends and trade.
Because while each area has its own perceivable culture, history and population, conflict is inevitable and so is never returning to the same place once you’ve completed all local quests.
Find out more about #Grimshade combat system that was inspired by classic JRPGs and games like #HoMM, #DarkestDungeon, #FinalFantasy, etc.https://t.co/t5eZjFFNXY#kickstarter #combat #gamedev #indiedev #indiegame pic.twitter.com/8iVgETpB1g
— Grimshade | Nintendo Switch — June 25 (@TalerockGS) June 18, 2018
The effectiveness of turn-based combat meanwhile is contingent on the relationships fostered between the game’s protagonists, their respective development of equipment/skill and pre-set personalities.
Battles take place within a ‘field’, is not divided into stages, and begin with players offered the chance to pick a squad of combatants from the rag-tag group of adventurers they’ll be leading on the main quest.
Mundane as that might personally sound to me, given how I’m nowhere near what you’d call a fan of the genre, I like how the trailer shows Grimshade’s turn-based system to be interspersed with cinematics that take you up close to the action.
Hey! We've finished a tavern's interior. Wanna have some drinks? 😉 #gamedev #indiedev #indiegame #gaming #games #art #grimshade pic.twitter.com/VGP4GIbjGz
— Grimshade | Nintendo Switch — June 25 (@TalerockGS) March 29, 2018
It also is rather pretty, having evolved from stylized 2D watercolors to planting 3D Characters within a largely hand-crafted world.
Grimshade is currently on Kickstarter with not many hours to go but has already reached its crowdfunding mark; this means that it will be in development with all its planned features coming to Windows, Mac and the Nintendo Switch.
Pledging a minimum of $45 of course grants you early access.
