Originally Kickstarted in February 2013 for a February 2014 release, today Himalaya Studios has announced the release date for Mage's Initiation: Reign of the Elements, an old-school adventure/RPG that has been ten years in the making.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKW-32Qki_k
The game will let players choose between four classes: Fire Mage, Air Mage, Water Mage, or Earth Mage, with each class offering unique magical spells and puzzle solutions. There are also three separate point & click interfaces: a Sierra-style icon bar, a LucasArts-style verb coin, or a streamlined compact UI.
Players can also play through the combat for a more RPG-flavored experience, or strictly play it as a point-and-click title. This also means that strengths, spells, and abilities will be automatically earned, so there will be no need for stat grinding.
The in-game storyline will offer a branching storyline and optional side-quests for those who like to either re-run through games or explore them fully. For those who want to just follow the main story, they will be able to do so with a fully voiced and lip-synced story.
Mage's Initiation: Reign of the Elements will be available January 31 on Steam.
Quick Take:
While I've always loved the idea of point-and-click titles, there are only a couple that I've actually liked. This title looks intriguing, and could perhaps be one of the few that I like, if only for the awkward voice acting of the main protagonist. I also think that adding in optional RPG elements is pretty cool. Titles like Quest for Glory or Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption, while good, don't exactly constitute a crowded genre. At a glance, nearly ten years of development time bodes ill for this title, but hopefully, that just means it'll be an absurdly polished release, but we'll see.What do you think of this announcement? Are you a backer of the Kickstarter? Let us know in the comments!
