Arcadian Atlas, the Final Fantasy Tactics inspired 2D isometric tactical RPG by developer Twin Otters Studios, has been officially Greenlit on Steam today. Arcadian Atlas still has 23 days to go on its Kickstarter, but getting officially Greenlit on Steam is another step towards a full release. The Kickstarter's goal is $90,000 with a few stretch goals if they can exceed that initial goal.
The team at Twin Otters Studios is comprised of the sibling duo of Becca and Taylor Bair. Becca is the Creative Director for the game and Taylor is the Lead Writer and Cinematic Director. They are also getting help from Moritz P.G. Katz as Composer and Sound Designer, and Programmer Austin "Cozziekuns". This will be the Bair's first attempt at a game of this scale, but not first game altogether by any means having made smaller games for game jams and independently in the past.
Arcadian Atlas is very much inspired, gameplay-wise, by Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre, so fans of those games or tactical RPGs, in general, should give the game a look to get their fix. The game features a story in an unstable country on the brink of collapse and chaos with the two main protagonists, both soldiers in the Royal Guard, trying to hold on to their love through that adversity. From what has been revealed so far the game features a varied cast of characters, including a talking raccoon, for players to get to know and command on the battlefield.
If you're unfamiliar with Final Fantasy Tactics style combat, think Fire Emblem, but instead of going into a 3D animation of two units fighting you stay on the battlefield and watch the units use whatever skill, item, or attack that was chosen. So far five classes have been revealed: Ranger, Apothecary, Rogue, Warmancer, and the recently revealed Druid. In addition to the base classes they all have two advanced class options after you reach a certain level of the base class. The advanced classes provide big changes to the units appearance, skills, and strategies for victory. Not only will classes have branching skill trees for abilities, but also for weapons as well. In the case of the Ranger class you can specialize in Bows which provide better mobility, or Crossbows for more powerful attacks. The terrain also plays a big role in combat, because it can provide cover from enemy attacks, create barriers between you and your enemies so your units can attack without the enemy being able to retaliate.
The team put up a detailed Risks & Challenges section (unlike many Kickstarters) where they talk about how the team will need to stick to timelines, manage their resources, and try to anticipate potential problems that might come up during development as best they can. Also provided was a chart on how money will be allotted in general. They want to create a tactical RPG that will satisfy veterans of the genre, while also making sure the game is welcoming to players new to it. Quality assurance and balance testing will also be a big part of the process throughout all stages of development. They have also provided a breakdown of where the Kickstarter funds will be used on the game. As of right now the team's release goal is February 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RIIze_PhfM&feature=youtu.be
It's great when indie games can provide fans of a genre that has been a bit under served in recent memory a new experience that takes inspiration from classics while also pushing the genre forward with new ideas. The Kickstarter for Arcadian Atlas is at $39,234 with 23 days to go. There are stretch goals for the game for expanding the story and adding Private Actions (similar to Fire Emblem's Support Conversations). If you want to get a feel for how at least one of the team feels about making the game, Gameranx recently interviewed Becca Bair about the game and the Kickstarter campaign.
Update: Arcadian Atlas is in its final hours now with only 6 left to go and is at $86 309 of it's $90k goal. They recently announced that Bioshock Infinite characters Elizabeth and Booker DeWitt would have cameos.
Had you heard about Arcadian Atlas before now? Do you enjoy games like Final Fantasy Tactics? Are you excited about Arcadian Atlas? Let us know in the comments.