In a bold move by indie studio, Pixelatto, they have revealed that their next project, Reventure: Orbtale, will be a board game on Kickstarter.
According to the press release, Orbtale is a game for up to four players trying to collect four orbs which can grant a wish when brought together. It will feature twelve playable heroes, over forty types of weapons and artifacts, and will utilize a simple, turn-based "rock-paper-scissors" combat system for accessibility and speed. The game will also feature a revised art style, rebuilding the look of the world into a more stylized cartoonish appearance.
We reached out to the director, Javi Capa of Orbtale for details, which he was happy to share. When asked why make a board game sequel to a videogame, it was because the team wanted to draw from their experiences both from Reventure as well as their own board game design app, Card Creator. Capa stated, "On one hand, it is a reinvention of Reventure’s universe, with a new look and the same funny soul that makes the original what it is. We want to expand the universe horizontally so that Reventure players may be interested in Orbtale, but also newcomers to Orbtale may be interested in Reventure."
As for the creative challenges that come with this shift, Capa was optimistic. Since the team's work on Card Creator, the team has been able to playtest and iterate on Orbtale reliably, as well as expand and improve on the application itself. Capa even stated that they managed to do five years' work of prototyping and refinement in just one year with the tools on hand.
The crowdfunding project itself has modest expectations. Getting a copy for yourself will cost about $24 plus shipping. If you're a fan of Reventure, there is a special tier where you can get a portable version of the game with pixelated versions of the characters. The Kickstarter itself will run for 25 days and aim to raise a modest $20k. It will only feature social stretch goals since they'd prefer the campaign focus be on word of mouth and community engagement rather than funding totals. There will even be a free demo of the game through Tabletop Simulator and a print and play version available down the line.
The Kickstarter for Orbtale goes live on April 29th. If you are interested in becoming a backer or sharing the project, you may do so here.
