KickStarter HellSign (formerly Hellhunter) - procedurally generated ghost hunting ARPG

[Infinitron]

Crooked Bee DarkUnderlord Plz give Svartberg a dev tag (Ballistic Interactive)

 

[Svartberg]

Can I ask you guys for an opinion on something ?
Based on the feedback so far, I wonder if we didn't explain one of the main core mechanics properly

While there are various entities in the level, the poltergeist for example IS infact a manifestation of the your target.
You're both essentially hunting each other at the same time, and the final showdown is when both sides reveal their cards

 

[hell bovine]

I know there's some sweet source material out there to draw from, what I meant was that it would require a good amount of handcrafted content, which seems at odds with the procedural generation that's going to be a core mechanic in the game.

The procedural bit is simply to prevent the player from knowing the outcome of the investigation right away, which would break the entire game loop.
That's especially important as there's a single persistent save (ala dark souls), accountability is a must for us.

The problematic question is: are you going to implement some backstory in each investigation? I'm not really sold on a ghost hunt that's just about slaying monsters and getting better armor & weapons, regardless of the innovative level generating mechanics. Ghost stories are about uncovering those dark secrets long buried; that's what makes them interesting. (for me)

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

Backed. Game looks fun, but I hope the story and encounter design will not be killed by RNG.

 

[WhiteGuts]

I know there's some sweet source material out there to draw from, what I meant was that it would require a good amount of handcrafted content, which seems at odds with the procedural generation that's going to be a core mechanic in the game.

The procedural bit is simply to prevent the player from knowing the outcome of the investigation right away, which would break the entire game loop.
That's especially important as there's a single persistent save (ala dark souls), accountability is a must for us.

The problematic question is: are you going to implement some backstory in each investigation? I'm not really sold on a ghost hunt that's just about slaying monsters and getting better armor & weapons, regardless of the innovative level generating mechanics. Ghost stories are about uncovering those dark secrets long buried; that's what makes them interesting. (for me)

And hopefully part of a larger overarching plot ? I like the "villain of the week" type of structure but it could get boring kinda quick if there no point to it other than what it is at face value.

 

[Svartberg]

The problematic question is: are you going to implement some backstory in each investigation? I'm not really sold on a ghost hunt that's just about slaying monsters and getting better armor & weapons, regardless of the innovative level generating mechanics. Ghost stories are about uncovering those dark secrets long buried; that's what makes them interesting. (for me)

And hopefully part of a larger overarching plot ? I like the "villain of the week" type of structure but it could get boring kinda quick if there no point to it other than what it is at face value.

Yap, that's why we'll be hiring a writing if the Kickstarter is successful, it's one of the reasons we launched the Kickstarter and is explained on the "why kickstarter" section
Whether or not it appeals to you, is of course up to you, I only hope I can clarify the game a bit better here

 

[Svartberg]

Backed. Game looks fun, but I hope the story and encounter design will not be killed by RNG.

Cheers mate! Ya that makes two of us, it's gonna be good fun to explore that

We recently made an update you might be interested at, improved the poltergeist telekinetic abilities, and a sneak peek into cursed artifacts ..

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Is there meleeing in this game or are all weapons guns?

 

[Siveon]

Is there meleeing in this game or are all weapons guns?

Bro, you want to punch a ghost?

Conventional guns is one thing (that I still think is awkward, but not everything is Ghostbusters), but seeing a dude pack a light saber or something is another level.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Bro, you want to punch a ghost?

No fun in shooting from a safe distance away.

 

[Svartberg]

Is there meleeing in this game or are all weapons guns?

No melee weapons planned at this point .. Though I'm getting the vibe one of the higher tier backers wants guts sword from Berserk hahah ^^

Conventional guns is one thing (that I still think is awkward, but not everything is Ghostbusters), but seeing a dude pack a light saber or something is another level.

Pretty much this, we specifically wanted to avoid going the ghostbuster sci-fi route, and go for a more grounded approach instead ...
Think 90s era but with ghosts, the best logical delivery method for say silver, would be firearms using silver tipped rounds.

 

[WhiteGuts]

Would be fun if you could use some kind of "exorcism" to fight off the spirits and whatnot. You'd have a FAITH stat or something that would be checked after each major encounter, when your "faith is tested" so to speak.

 

[PrettyDeadman]

I am buying this anyway when it will be priced for CIS countries.

 

[LESS T_T]

Steam page:

 

[LESS T_T]

Now it's named HellSign due to trademark issue: http://steamcommunity.com/games/606500/announcements/detail/1662263004655142900

Name change to HellSign announcement

First of all a big thank you to all of our fans for their great support so far, which has pushed us onward. This has helped us improve the upcoming launch, and given us belief in what we are creating. Everything is falling into place, with the addition of 100+ hunting gadgets + weaponry, 90+ skills and countless fierce enemies to test them on!

So as the title suggests, we have big announcement to make, and without further ado, we present the new name for our Investigation Hunting RPG, HellSign!

Why we changed the name?
Hellhunter is becoming HellSign due to trademark issues. Given out limited indie budget, we had two choices, buy the trademark and cut large amounts of content from the game, or change the name. Needless to say, we chose to change the name as we want to deliver the best gaming experience possible for our loyal fans.

Why we chose HellSign?
As our new best seller writer, C. Michael McGannon is constructing the gritty game universe with a mouth droppingly shocking bloody story. HellSign has quickly become a central element in the world, a cursed tattooed brand which allows hunters to tap into the supernatural, but at a great cost.

With your support, we will continue to push forward and better the game to create the best possible experience, as well as a breath of fresh air in the world of gaming and beyond.

Thank you for reading, the HellSign Team

 

[Lhynn]

Thought this shit was dead, glad that isnt the case.

 

[anus_pounder]

This looks like some gud shit, brah. Wishlisted.

 

[aweigh]

HELLSIGN, PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION RPG ENTERS EARLY ACCESS NOVEMBER 7TH
Posted on September 13, 2018, 12:35 am By Billy D

(Last Updated On: September 12, 2018)
Ballistic Interactive’s HellSign underwent a name change and has been moving slowly towards its release this fall on November 7th when it enters into Early Access. The game was originally Kickstarted back in late 2016 and then gained support from Michael McGannon to pen the game’s main story at the end of 2017.

The game was supposed to be out during the second quarter of 2018, but as noted on the Steam community page, having to change the name from Hellhunter to HellSign caused unforeseen delays due to a trademark issue…

“We are very proud to announce that HellSign will be releasing on November 7th 2018! We know that this isn’t as soon as you all hoped, and we hate not delivering when we say we will. As many of you know, we recently had a major upset involving trademarking issues which resulted in a name change for the game. Dealing with this setback cost us valuable time being two indie devs.”

The game itself is a supernatural role-playing game where you take on the roles of various paranormal investigators who must hunt down and dispose of otherworldly creatures, specters, ghosts, and monsters.


The game plays out very similar to the old Hunter: The Reckoning tabletop board game, except you have to track down the ghosts using a number of investigative techniques. For instance, you’ll need ultra violet lights to pick up on traces of ectoplasm, or use night vision to watch for hidden movements in the dark.

HellSign is one of those slow-burn kind of hunting games where the monsters aren’t just flooding you like in Diablo or ready to give you jump-scares like in Resident Evil. Instead forcing players into the bumptious derivation of running-and-gunning, you’ll need to plan your investigations properly, bring along the right kind of tracking and trapping equipment, and use tactical deliberations in order to survive the encounters.

The game has a fixed story, though, and it will follow your hunter after they wake up from having presumably died, only to find that they’ve been branded by something. You’ll not only have to finish the standard hunts, but also uncover the mystery behind the branding and whatever it is that killed you and brought you back.

You can wishlist HellSign right now or learn more about the game by visiting the Steam store page.

 

[aweigh]

Not an RPG.

 

[Life of the Party]

 

[Life of the Party]

 

[agris]

Curious how this version differs from the KS pitch.

 

[WhiteGuts]

It plays a lot like This War of Mine.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

This War of Mine

What, that doesn't make sense. How?

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]