CryptRat
Arcane
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2014
- Messages
- 3,564
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pixel-noir/pixel-noir-ps4-ps-vita-pc-mac
https://www.swdtechgames.com
https://www.swdtechgames.com
Pixel Noir is a game I hope to be good. I assume it's easier to talk about the game in a new thread rather than directly in the Kickstarter thread.
So what's Pixel Noir?
The Kickstarter campaign :
Who can you trust when you can't trust yourself?
Living on the streets of a shithole like Pinnacle City, there’s only two things to keep you going: A pack of cigarettes and the feeling that there’s more than this.
There was something rotten in that rundown place. You were in over your head, but you were too proud to admit it. It was your pride that killed your partner. With the hospital burned to the ground and nothing to exonerate you, they threw you in jail.
For ten years you were haunted by unanswered questions and unspeakable horror, frightened by what you saw, what you did - and what you could still do. Now you’re scraping by as a private eye, running a business out of a crappy apartment. But a chance comes along to clear your name once and for all. With your sanity at stake, how can you afford not to take it?
Pixel Noir is a JRPG-inspired detective game set against a film noir backdrop. Think Earthbound meets Sin City!
Solve Pinnacle City’s darkest mysteries as the city's cheapest Private Eye!
Taking on jobs from your clientele will push you deeper into seedy Pinnacle City. From missing pets to murder investigations, your detective skills will earn you either fortune or face punches!
Heroes will have their own, personalized gestures! Subtle actions like these add to the sense of pixelated immersion you'll feel while playing Pixel Noir.
Fight enemies in turn-based combat!
When taking on the muggers and murderers of Pinnacle City, use timed attacks for extra damage and character-specific special abilities that give you the edge over your enemies. Pair up with your teammates and unleash devastating combos for serious damage!
Whether it be the Vanguard Militia, sewers monsters, or back alley thugs, beat'em down and level up!
Take on unique bosses with their own special skills!
A thriving, seedy underbelly has firmly planted itself in the heart of the city. From organized crime families to street gangs, Pinnacle City has much to offer would-be thugs & gangsters. With different sections of Pinnacle City under the control of different gangs, can you figure out how to reclaim your town?
Try out different strategies with gang bosses--you might find that there's more than one way to skin a cat!
Explore Pinnacle City!
Exploring the city can land you with some killer items, introduce you to characters you would've never met otherwise, and even lead you to stumble across secret passageways. Needless to say, exploring is highly encouraged!
Immersion is an important part of the Pixel Noir--there is a ton you will be able to interact with and examine as part of your investigation.
Investigate everything to find out what’s really happening!
Major cases have multiple outcomes based on how many clues you're able to find. As such, the Detective’s Investigation Skill is an invaluable tool in your arsenal. Use your investigation mode to reveal clues. Level it up over time to unearth new secrets and storylines!
Keep track of clues that help you to crack each case. Keep track of clues is essential. There could be additional clues that you find that could drastically alter the outcome of the case!
Upgrade and customize your weapons!
Weapons can be modified to not only suit your play style, but also exploit the weaknesses of your enemies. Some upgrades can even power up your characters' special abilities!
Changing rounds and modifying weapons allows players to get creative with battle strategies!
While, you can certainly brute force your way through Pinnacle City, it's often wise to switch ammunition and/or swap out weapon modifications before big battles!
The Pixel Noir soundtrack includes a combination of 16-bit chiptune emulation for most of the game and orchestral pieces for big, hulking boss fights. It's inspired by classic NES and SNES-era games as well as film noir classics such as "Chinatown".
We’re THRILLED to announce that the composer of Secret of Mana, Hiroki Kikuta will be joining SWDTech Audio Composer, Kunal Majmudar on the soundtrack :D
Basically it's a turn-based JRPG in a Noir/Investigation setting. Hopefully investigation will take an important place (or combat has to be very good). It seems to include horror monsters too.
The game seems to takes place entirely in one city which shouldn't be overly large, which is cool.
They talked about the investigation skills (which will be used outside combat but surprisingly inside combat too) :
About learning combat skills :
They also talked about guns and weapon customization :
They've got a demo :
In the last Kickstarter update they talked about the "pacifist" approach (they say you'll be able to kill or let your enemies live, with consequences) :
So what's Pixel Noir?
The Kickstarter campaign :
Who can you trust when you can't trust yourself?
Living on the streets of a shithole like Pinnacle City, there’s only two things to keep you going: A pack of cigarettes and the feeling that there’s more than this.
There was something rotten in that rundown place. You were in over your head, but you were too proud to admit it. It was your pride that killed your partner. With the hospital burned to the ground and nothing to exonerate you, they threw you in jail.
For ten years you were haunted by unanswered questions and unspeakable horror, frightened by what you saw, what you did - and what you could still do. Now you’re scraping by as a private eye, running a business out of a crappy apartment. But a chance comes along to clear your name once and for all. With your sanity at stake, how can you afford not to take it?
Pixel Noir is a JRPG-inspired detective game set against a film noir backdrop. Think Earthbound meets Sin City!
- Solve a variety of mysteries as Pinnacle City’s cheapest Private Eye! From missing pets to murder investigations, your detective skills will earn you either fortune or face punches.
- Fight enemies in turn-based combat. Unleash devastating combo attacks by teaming up with other heroes in your team!
- Explore Pinnacle City--a wretched hive of scum and villainy harboring black market trade & hawked by colorful characters.
- Use your investigation mode to reveal clues. Level it up over time to unearth new secrets and storylines!
Solve Pinnacle City’s darkest mysteries as the city's cheapest Private Eye!
Taking on jobs from your clientele will push you deeper into seedy Pinnacle City. From missing pets to murder investigations, your detective skills will earn you either fortune or face punches!
Heroes will have their own, personalized gestures! Subtle actions like these add to the sense of pixelated immersion you'll feel while playing Pixel Noir.
Fight enemies in turn-based combat!
When taking on the muggers and murderers of Pinnacle City, use timed attacks for extra damage and character-specific special abilities that give you the edge over your enemies. Pair up with your teammates and unleash devastating combos for serious damage!
Whether it be the Vanguard Militia, sewers monsters, or back alley thugs, beat'em down and level up!
Take on unique bosses with their own special skills!
A thriving, seedy underbelly has firmly planted itself in the heart of the city. From organized crime families to street gangs, Pinnacle City has much to offer would-be thugs & gangsters. With different sections of Pinnacle City under the control of different gangs, can you figure out how to reclaim your town?
Try out different strategies with gang bosses--you might find that there's more than one way to skin a cat!
Explore Pinnacle City!
Exploring the city can land you with some killer items, introduce you to characters you would've never met otherwise, and even lead you to stumble across secret passageways. Needless to say, exploring is highly encouraged!
Immersion is an important part of the Pixel Noir--there is a ton you will be able to interact with and examine as part of your investigation.
Investigate everything to find out what’s really happening!
Major cases have multiple outcomes based on how many clues you're able to find. As such, the Detective’s Investigation Skill is an invaluable tool in your arsenal. Use your investigation mode to reveal clues. Level it up over time to unearth new secrets and storylines!
Keep track of clues that help you to crack each case. Keep track of clues is essential. There could be additional clues that you find that could drastically alter the outcome of the case!
Upgrade and customize your weapons!
Weapons can be modified to not only suit your play style, but also exploit the weaknesses of your enemies. Some upgrades can even power up your characters' special abilities!
Changing rounds and modifying weapons allows players to get creative with battle strategies!
While, you can certainly brute force your way through Pinnacle City, it's often wise to switch ammunition and/or swap out weapon modifications before big battles!
The Pixel Noir soundtrack includes a combination of 16-bit chiptune emulation for most of the game and orchestral pieces for big, hulking boss fights. It's inspired by classic NES and SNES-era games as well as film noir classics such as "Chinatown".
We’re THRILLED to announce that the composer of Secret of Mana, Hiroki Kikuta will be joining SWDTech Audio Composer, Kunal Majmudar on the soundtrack :D
The game seems to takes place entirely in one city which shouldn't be overly large, which is cool.
They talked about the investigation skills (which will be used outside combat but surprisingly inside combat too) :
PartyPartyParty
Something we haven't had the opportunity to talk about much has been our party system. As with any traditional JRPG, you will have allies join you along the way. You can only have your party consist of three total people, but we have plans for multiple other characters that will offer their services to you, should you wish. These others you can swap in and out of your party depending on who you like or what situations you feel may suit them!
Woof likes to hang with the Detective, while Deuce tends to hang back.
This is not just us checking off a box for the JRPG style though. We wanted to do something unique with it that suited the gameplay of Pixel Noir, and that’s where the idea of Inherent Skills came into the mix.
Use Investigation in battle to uncover new options!
Every party member will have an Inherent Skill that will level up with them through the game. For the Detective, it’s "Investigation"; for Deuce, it’s "Interrogation"; and for Woof its "Scuffle". Switching out the lead party member will allow you to switch out which ability you want to use as you walk around!
This opens up more opportunities to let players go through Pinnacle City in a way that suits them. Different results can happen from using different techniques, and some will have permanent outcomes. The goal is to create situations where you have the opportunity to approach things from different angles and move through the story or sidequest in whatever way suits your gameplay style!
Something we haven't had the opportunity to talk about much has been our party system. As with any traditional JRPG, you will have allies join you along the way. You can only have your party consist of three total people, but we have plans for multiple other characters that will offer their services to you, should you wish. These others you can swap in and out of your party depending on who you like or what situations you feel may suit them!
Woof likes to hang with the Detective, while Deuce tends to hang back.
This is not just us checking off a box for the JRPG style though. We wanted to do something unique with it that suited the gameplay of Pixel Noir, and that’s where the idea of Inherent Skills came into the mix.
Use Investigation in battle to uncover new options!
Every party member will have an Inherent Skill that will level up with them through the game. For the Detective, it’s "Investigation"; for Deuce, it’s "Interrogation"; and for Woof its "Scuffle". Switching out the lead party member will allow you to switch out which ability you want to use as you walk around!
This opens up more opportunities to let players go through Pinnacle City in a way that suits them. Different results can happen from using different techniques, and some will have permanent outcomes. The goal is to create situations where you have the opportunity to approach things from different angles and move through the story or sidequest in whatever way suits your gameplay style!
Skills
Skills in Pixel Noir have their own unique system. Where an Inherent Skill will level up with players automatically, other Equipped Skills will be acquired differently. Equipped skills can be learned through skill-specific consumable items. These skill items can be acquired by completing cases, finding secrets, or buying them from certain shops.
Upon leveling up, the player will also earn a Skill Point. Normally, skills can only be used a certain amount of times in battle, but leveling them up will upgrade the number of times they can be used in a fight!
More powerful versions of skills can be found, like the above Coffee Break levels. Finding a new version will overwrite the old, allowing the player to begin leveling up the new version! True Detectives out there may even come across hidden ULTRA versions of skills to replace their normal counterparts. Be careful though! The cost of these skills may be rather… high.
(for dramatic effect)
Skills in Pixel Noir have their own unique system. Where an Inherent Skill will level up with players automatically, other Equipped Skills will be acquired differently. Equipped skills can be learned through skill-specific consumable items. These skill items can be acquired by completing cases, finding secrets, or buying them from certain shops.
Upon leveling up, the player will also earn a Skill Point. Normally, skills can only be used a certain amount of times in battle, but leveling them up will upgrade the number of times they can be used in a fight!
More powerful versions of skills can be found, like the above Coffee Break levels. Finding a new version will overwrite the old, allowing the player to begin leveling up the new version! True Detectives out there may even come across hidden ULTRA versions of skills to replace their normal counterparts. Be careful though! The cost of these skills may be rather… high.
(for dramatic effect)
They also talked about guns and weapon customization :
GUNS.
Weapons within Pixel Noir are customizable for your play style. The Detective's weapon of choice is the Pistol. Each pistol you come across will have a number of slots on it for new parts like barrels, rail attachments, grips, triggers, etc. Each modification will augment the weapon's ability--ranging from passive stats all the way to altering the way the gun fires entirely!
A work-in-progress of our upgrade system!
We are also building a system where you can change the ammo type mid-fight to adapt to what enemies you come across! For example, if you were to fight an enemy who has a riot shield, you might reload mid-battle to an acid round to weaken the shield before having another party member go for the finishing blow!
Left: Normal -- Middle: Acid Round -- Right: Armor Piercing
Ammunition types can get bonuses from weapon parts as well! A high heat resistance barrel might give a bonus to fire types of ammunition, allowing you to LIGHT PEOPLE ON FIRE MORE OFTEN!
Time Explosive Rounds JUST RIGHT for BIG damage!
Be sure to keep an eye out too. Some parts you come across may be special, named items. Named items come in sets and augment certain ammo types or upgrade specific special attacks. Seek out the rest of the set and you can take it to a gunsmith in town to build it into something entirely new! This is just one of many ways you will come across rare weapons!
Weapons within Pixel Noir are customizable for your play style. The Detective's weapon of choice is the Pistol. Each pistol you come across will have a number of slots on it for new parts like barrels, rail attachments, grips, triggers, etc. Each modification will augment the weapon's ability--ranging from passive stats all the way to altering the way the gun fires entirely!
A work-in-progress of our upgrade system!
We are also building a system where you can change the ammo type mid-fight to adapt to what enemies you come across! For example, if you were to fight an enemy who has a riot shield, you might reload mid-battle to an acid round to weaken the shield before having another party member go for the finishing blow!
Left: Normal -- Middle: Acid Round -- Right: Armor Piercing
Ammunition types can get bonuses from weapon parts as well! A high heat resistance barrel might give a bonus to fire types of ammunition, allowing you to LIGHT PEOPLE ON FIRE MORE OFTEN!
Time Explosive Rounds JUST RIGHT for BIG damage!
Be sure to keep an eye out too. Some parts you come across may be special, named items. Named items come in sets and augment certain ammo types or upgrade specific special attacks. Seek out the rest of the set and you can take it to a gunsmith in town to build it into something entirely new! This is just one of many ways you will come across rare weapons!
In the last Kickstarter update they talked about the "pacifist" approach (they say you'll be able to kill or let your enemies live, with consequences) :
Update #30: No Really, You Don't Have to be a Mass Murderer
More Choices
We talked about scope creep briefly and how we were being very careful about it in a previous update, but I do want to talk about something new we've added recently on the systems side we've been keeping under wraps.
One of the things fans found odd was the fact that every enemy you fight in Pixel Noir is usually being shot to hell by the Detective (we found it strangely entertaining). But it was something that bugged fans time and time again during reviews, Let's Plays, livestreams, and at events. We had planned this as a sort of tongue in cheek reference to how silly it can be in games for the hero to kill hundreds of enemies without ever really being labeled as a murderer.
Nathan Drake of the Uncharted series is sort of a Mass Murderer...
The Detective doesn't necessarily have any intention of hurting anyone, so one of the enhancements we're excited to roll out is that you will be able to choose whether or not you execute the thugs, monsters, and anyone else that gets in your way.
There will be consequences to your actions either way--whether you choose to go in guns blazing or whether you choose to play as a pacifist, but we don't plan on telling you just what those are. We hope that by providing this option, players will feel like they get to weigh choices the same way as the Detective would have to!
It's our choices that show us who we truly are
What do you guys think? Will you be executing the thugs you come across in cold blood or will you be giving them another chance at straightening out? Let us know in the comments!
More Choices
We talked about scope creep briefly and how we were being very careful about it in a previous update, but I do want to talk about something new we've added recently on the systems side we've been keeping under wraps.
One of the things fans found odd was the fact that every enemy you fight in Pixel Noir is usually being shot to hell by the Detective (we found it strangely entertaining). But it was something that bugged fans time and time again during reviews, Let's Plays, livestreams, and at events. We had planned this as a sort of tongue in cheek reference to how silly it can be in games for the hero to kill hundreds of enemies without ever really being labeled as a murderer.
Nathan Drake of the Uncharted series is sort of a Mass Murderer...
The Detective doesn't necessarily have any intention of hurting anyone, so one of the enhancements we're excited to roll out is that you will be able to choose whether or not you execute the thugs, monsters, and anyone else that gets in your way.
There will be consequences to your actions either way--whether you choose to go in guns blazing or whether you choose to play as a pacifist, but we don't plan on telling you just what those are. We hope that by providing this option, players will feel like they get to weigh choices the same way as the Detective would have to!
It's our choices that show us who we truly are
What do you guys think? Will you be executing the thugs you come across in cold blood or will you be giving them another chance at straightening out? Let us know in the comments!
Last edited by a moderator:
Hopefully it's a good balance for all!
