Game News Empyre: Dukes of the Far Frontier Released

[Infinitron]

Tags: Coin Operated Games; Empyre: Dukes of the Far Frontier

Empyre: Dukes of the Far Frontier, the inexplicable sequel to 2017's shovelware steampunk RPG Empyre: Lords of the Sea Gates, was released today. There's no launch trailer so I'll just quote the developer's press release, which once again touts real time-with-pause combat as some brilliant new invention.

Auburn, New Hampshire – June 3, 2022 – Coin Operated Games announces today that its Neo-Victorian RPG Empyre: Dukes of the Far Frontier, has come to Steam. Developed by a team of industry veterans from such influential companies as Crytek, Codemasters, Gameloft and Creative Assembly, Empyre: Dukes of the Far Frontieris a top-down isometric RPG that takes place in a Neo-Victorian Wild West circa 1925.

Empyre: Dukes of the Far Frontier is set in a Neo-Victorian version of the Wild West where you've got a first-class ticket to explore a seemingly utopian city run by steam-powered robots that society has become increasingly reliant upon. In this mecca of machines and social revolution, a carefree life awaits, or so you've been led to believe. Discover the secrets of the robotic working class, and claw your way to the truth in this isometric alternate history RPG adventure!

Featuring a top-down isometric presentation, Empyre: Dukes of the Far Frontier will rekindle old-school PC RPG fans with feelings of some of the classic story-driven RPGs of the 90s.

While the combat should feel familiar to veteran players, there’s been a familiar modern twist added now that the game uses a hybrid Real Time/Turn-based System. Players can enter a “Planning Mode” where they choose actions for each character in their party while combat is paused, and when entering into the “Action Mode” all characters will perform simultaneously, giving players complete control over their party while presenting a streamlined combat system that eliminates waiting for each character to act in sequence.

“One of the things we strove for when designing Empyre was to project a believable vision of the future,” said John Randall, Creative Director of Empyre. “But not just any future. An Utopian vision of the future based on Gilded Age turn of the century technology. A future based on steam-powered contraptions and all manner of mechanical marvels. People and society exist and act as they did in the early 20th Century but live in an amazing city fashioned by wondrous machines. We feel this will give the players a one-of-a-kind experience that they haven’t seen anywhere before.”

Developed by Coin Operated Games, Empyre: Dukes of the Far Frontier is now available via Steam.

For more product information, visit www.empyrethegame.com, on Steam at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1935460/EMPYRE_Dukes_of_the_Far_Frontier/ on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Empyrethegame-272522026282358/, Twitter at https://twitter.com/EmpyreTheGame #nowatertodrink and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpyreTheGame
​

Empyre: Dukes of the Far Frontier is available on Steam for $20. Too bad Roqua isn't around anymore to tell us how it is!

 

[Saduj]

Their pricing strategy is as interesting as the decision to make a sequel to a game hardly anyone noticed. The original game released October 4, 2017. It has all of 12 Steam reviews (66% positive). They are still asking $30 for it but the new game is $20.

Trying to reverse engineer what they could possibly be thinking, this is what I've come up with: They know that they blew it with the original game but think they still have a winning idea overall. They always intended on making a sequel but also realized at some point that playing the 1st game would make people less likely to buy the 2nd. They've staunchly refused to heavily discount the original game because possibly turning someone away from their future products and getting $5 in return isn't worth it. They think the 2nd game will be better received so they give it a more accessible price hoping anyone still interested in their games will buy the cheaper, "better" one 1st. Then maybe if those people like the new game, they go back and buy the 1st one at full price.

Of course, the more obvious and likely explanation is that there is no rationale behind these decisions but I'm increasingly desperate to live in a world where people think and act somewhat rationally.

 

[luj1]

Dikes of the Far Frontier

 

[Azalin]

I read it as Dykes of the Far Frontier and thought that's an interesting title,too bad they didn't go down that route

 

[Contagium]

This dev is based out of Auburn, NH, a pretty stuck up town in my neck of the woods. Everything is so expensive out there this can't be their day job.

 

[Infinitron]

This dev is based out of Auburn, NH, a pretty stuck up town in my neck of the woods. Everything is so expensive out there this can't be their day job.

We discovered back in 2017 that the studio is just some guy who is outsourcing development to Eastern Europe: https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...d-neo-victorian-new-york.117029/#post-5203779

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Seems like a nice money laundering scheme

 

[thesheeep]

My theory is that whoever is developing this just doesn't care about financial viability - or even reception - at all.
Just wanted to develop a game (or pay others to do it) and has enough funds to throw at it and can afford being able to lose it all.

This review doesn't paint all that great of a picture (despite recommending it, uh...):
https://steamcommunity.com/id/svenevil/recommended/1935460/

I had high hopes, because I somehow enjoyed the older and rather obscure EMPYRE: Lords of the Sea Gates, and I assumed they must have improved on the sub-par user interface or at least written a better story. Unfortunately, they did not. You will suffer if you play Empyre, no matter if you play the older or the new one.

...

The visuals are not bad, but the world feels empty, buildings obstruct your view and the only reason you don't get lost all the time is the minimap. Handling the inventory is clunky, talking to NPCs cumbersome and when you die, I hope you have a manual save, the game doesn't save for you.

What a wonderfully mysterious thing.
But it really doesn't seem like something I'd want to play.

 

[Shin]

This dev is based out of Auburn, NH, a pretty stuck up town in my neck of the woods. Everything is so expensive out there this can't be their day job.

We discovered back in 2017 that the studio is just some guy who is outsourcing development to Eastern Europe: https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...d-neo-victorian-new-york.117029/#post-5203779

judging from the production quality i'd say the eastern europeans outsourced it to some vietnamese gaming jam
im not exactly a graphics whore but gosh good lord this looks like it was developed in the early 2000's and makes Kenshi look like Crysis in comparison

(but hey, might still be a solid game underneath, someone who just woke up from a coma in 1998 might just hop in and not be bothered by the lack of textures or the 200 polygon models)

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

the new game seems to have zero shadows etc..while the old game has shadows? very low effort..

 

[Taxnomore]

Could be better than Shroud of the Avatar and I played 100 hours of that.

 

[Lacrymas]

If you are going to launder money, developing a game to do it isn't the worst choice in the world. I've seen worse laundering schemes.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Anyway.... uh... what!?!




Them wheels look familiar.

 

[luj1]

Looks like absolute trash

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I kept falling asleep through that playthrough. What was it about?

 

[Trojan_generic]

Apparently you can name your company Coin Operated Games without knowing what that actually means.

 

[Morgoth]

Empire: Dykes of the Far Frontier?

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I hope Rosco is on top of his game.