Game News Sovereign Syndicate playtest available

[Infinitron]

Tags: Crimson Herring Studios; Sovereign Syndicate

In case you've forgotten, Sovereign Syndicate is an upcoming isometric steampunk fantasy RPG inspired by Disco Elysium and Shadowrun Returns. Development on the game has proceeded since we spotted it last summer, and in January developer Crimson Herring Studios managed to score $250,000 in funding from the Canadian government. In preparation for a full demo release later this year, a playtest build of Sovereign Syndicate is now available on Steam. Crimson Herring have also put together an updated trailer showcasing some of the game's new content and its new user interface. Here's the trailer and their announcement:

Hi Everyone!

It's been a couple of months since our last update. Lots of exciting changes, let's get to it.

You may have noticed we've done a Steam page refresh, adding new screenshots and a trailer that shows off more gameplay and the new UI. We're really excited about all the fresh content and feature changes.

To get some additional player feedback and show off all the latest content we've also launched a public playtest in preparation for our full demo release. If you're interested in playing please click on request access and you'll be immediately accepted in to the playtest.

We're looking forward to getting a lot of feedback to help make the game as good as possible so don't be shy about sharing your thoughts, or telling your friends about the playtest. Feedback can be submitted directly in game from the pause menu feedback option.

We've also applied to be in several game festivals this year, so hopefully you'll see us at some of your favourites. We're planning special content and some additional announcements for these, so keep an eye out for us.

As always you can catch us over on Discord if you want to chat and stay up to date on all the latest developments.

https://discord.gg/vrVrE3vBSx

Until next time, Take Care!​

It's not clear how long the playtest will be available, so check it out while you can. I assume the full demo will be ready for the next Steam Next Fest event, which will take in place in June.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Not an RPG.

 

[Late Bloomer]

I dunno. It looks pretty snazzy. The colour palette looks nice. The dev has some gray in his hair so thats a potential good sign. I just dont have time to playtest it as Elden Ring... just kidding Elden Ring is shit. But other games have my attention. Anyone going to take the plunge and give it a try?

 

[Luzur]

Funny how its always a big stronk guy who look dumb, a smaller stronk guy who look sassy and a stronk wombon who stomp on balls but yet wear painted on clothes on every modern AAA game

 

[underground nymph]

“Unique characters”
“tactical”
“inspired by…”
“wide range of solutions for every problem”

Spoiler

gonna be shit

 

[mediocrepoet]

Inspired by Shadowrun Returns and Disco Elysium while also having no combat!? That sounds amaz... shitty. It's funny that the games that they're name dropping as "inspirations" in the trailer tend to be combat heavy though. I guess they were inspired by the isometric perspective?

Art and setting are still cool though. I wish them all the best with their isometric adventure game.

 

[V_K]

In case you've forgotten

We did, and there was no need to remind us.

 

[CabbageHead]

That trailer sounds like a text-to-speech marketing buzzword generator.

 

[MicoSelva]

It's not clear how long the playtest will be available, so check it out while you can.

One of the game's creators (Tarmack the self-proclaimed gnome Youtuber) wrote this on his Discord:

This is basically an early look at the Steam demo that we will be pitching publishers and media with, so the playtest will probably be up for a few weeks and replaced with the final demo build based on the feedback we get.

 

[BlaineMono]

a game, heavily uninspired by [a list of the usual darlings]

 

[HeatEXTEND]

RPG inspired by Disco Elysium and Shadowrun Returns

 

[Tyranicon]

So..... how does combat in this game work? It's mentioned on the steam page that there will be combat, but the lack of anything showcasing said combat leads me to assume it's either very light, or highly abstracted.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

The dev talked about combat on Steam as well as in the thread on this game on RPG Codex - combat will be dialogue-based, much like in Disco Elysium.

 

[Darkozric]

The only acceptable dialogue based combat is Monkey Island's sword fights.

 

[felipepepe]

I feel bad for the team, but this feels like people just cramming together their favorite things, without actually understanding what made them special.

Like, it does a 1:1 copy of Disco Elysium's inner voices talking to the player, but has no idea of how to write them... the game literally goes "[PERCEPTION] You clear your throat and the barman looks at you". The systems are incredibly bloated & overcomplicated, while the writing simply isn't strong enough for such a text-heavy game.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Are the pigmen and minotaurs supposed to draw people in? The game looks like it might have a fair share of vices (drugs, smoking, alcohol, whores, slavery, bigotry, political issues, domestic issues and..... ???? Tarot and occultism maybe?

show the combat in detail....

 

[rusty_shackleford]

The dev talked about combat on Steam as well as in the thread on this game on RPG Codex - combat will be dialogue-based, much like in Disco Elysium.

dialogue trees are the biggest compromise cRPGs make due to limited technology and retarded designers insist on shoving more and more shit into them because it means they don't actually have to design a game

 

[lukaszek]

man its wordy and annoying to read. Pulling tarrot cards take too long. In disco your inner voices were taking a stand occasionally, when there was something useful/witty to be said. In here all of them appear to talk always? Also lack of distinct personality so they kind of blend together.

Played briefly and noticed that on default settings my fans were spinning wild. Is it another case of elex school of optimization?

 

[Kev Inkline]

But does it have romances?

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Surely a lovers card.

My inner voices are telling me don't get it.... but then the inner inner hidden voices mock the others telling me get it. Then God chimes in and says NO but Satan says yes. The angel keeps slapping me while the succubus sucks my dick....

Then i wake up in a pool of vomit staring into the eyes of a fucking huge rat gnawing on toast while a spider sits in a web next to the toilet. I tell the spider the flies are too damn fast lately and it just stares... or glares who the fuck knows it is a spider. I try to punch the rat but it escapes out the window. Why the fuck was it open? I'll kill that son of a bitch.

 

[Bastardchops]

Steampunk is gay.

 

[TheImplodingVoice]

this is gay

Infinitron is gay. Crispy used to be gay

 

[Kev Inkline]

Surely a lovers card.

My inner voices are telling me don't get it.... but then the inner inner hidden voices mock the others telling me get it. Then God chimes in and says NO but Satan says yes. The angel keeps slapping me while the succubus sucks my dick....

Then i wake up in a pool of vomit staring into the eyes of a fucking huge rat gnawing on toast while a spider sits in a web next to the toilet. I tell the spider the flies are too damn fast lately and it just stares... or glares who the fuck knows it is a spider. I try to punch the rat but it escapes out the window. Why the fuck was it open? I'll kill that son of a bitch.

Perhaps the spider was the succubus.

Generic-Giant-Spider, you got anything to add after wiping your face clean?

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

I forgot the "take their soul" part again, huh?

Heh... one of these days I'll get the hang of it. Just you wait, scumbag. I gotcha'.

 

[bionicman]

...RPG inspired by Disco Elysium and Shadowrun Returns.