Information Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny Remake Available for Preorder on Steam

[Crooked Bee]

Tags: Crafty Studios; Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny (Remake)

The Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny remake has been made available for pre-order on Steam. It's currently 20% off the normal price, and the release date is July 30. The supported languages are English and German.

A legend reborn as Realms of Arkania-Blade of Destiny returns!

Developed by Austrian developer Crafty Games, Realms of Arkania – Blade of Destiny is a one-to-one remake of the 1992 original, adored by a generation of Role Players and one of the most successful German RPG’s of the 1990’s.

Get ready to return to Thorwal, one of the oldest cities of Aventurien. Make sure your wits are sharpened before walking down the small alleys of Thorwal and Prem, and prepare to stop the Orcisch threat while creating a mighty alliance between nations. Featuring a complete visual reimagining along with a comprehensive overhaul of every aspect of the gameplay, Realms of Arkania – Blade of Destiny is set to captivate a 21st century audience of new and old fans alike.

Old school RPG at it‘s best – for the Fans of REAL RPG games.

Features:

• Remake of the first part of the Realms of Arkania
• Roleplaygame with roundbased tactical fights
• Cities and Dungeon in current real-time-3D
• Dozens of Talents, Fighting Skills and magical skills
• Authentic realization of the DSA basic rules
• Depending on gaming preferences – 20 to 80 hours game time.

Grab this "roleplaygame" here. Or wait for the possible GOG.com release if you're so inclined.

 

[Zed]

I'll await Codex opinions on this one before getting it...

 

[MicoSelva]

Me too, I haven't played the original yet, so I will need to know which version is the superior one before making a purchase.

Besides, I would prefer to buy the non-steam version, given a choice.

 

[HiddenX]

They have an English forum now:

Forum EN

Concerning the CE

 

[SuicideBunny]

Me too, I haven't played the original yet, so I will need to know which version is the superior one before making a purchase.

that's a no-brainer. the only reason to get the remake is if you are such a complete graphics whore that you can't stand playing the original trilogy.

 

[eric__s]

Me too, I haven't played the original yet, so I will need to know which version is the superior one before making a purchase.

that's a no-brainer. the only reason to get the remake is if you are such a complete graphics whore that you can't stand playing the original trilogy.

Nooo that's not true. I think we should give it the benefit of the doubt. This remake incorporates all the rule and mechanical updates of the later games plus adds a few other new rule improvements as well. They've talked about new content that's going to be in the game too, which should hopefully individualize the dozens of sparse, identical towns. At the very least, if the only thing that's different is town layouts, it will be an improvement.

Things are going to get real unproductive when this comes out.

 

[AbounI]

It is said the remake will also be available at GoG
http://forum.schicksalsklinge.com/index.php?page=Thread&postID=12749#post12749

Watch out for it. GOG doesn't do presales AFAIK, but we recently got confirmation that GOG will be one of our many online sales points

There's also a boxed CE, but beware, it is only for german, no english part (text+audio+book)
http://forum.schicksalsklinge.com/index.php?page=Thread&postID=12721#post12721

For now, they don't know if the publisher will launch an outernational english boxed version

edit: if the ranged combat mechanic does not obey to the straight lines rule of his parent, it will be a great improvement

 

[Ramireza]

The Developers are realy great guys. At first the planed to use a 3D Map with a ridiculous looking 3D Pupet that should represent the party while traveling :

http://bilder.buecher.de/zusatz/38/38053/38053091_deta_2.jpg

Many players didnt liked that aproach, so they startet a poll on their website.

The outcome of this vote leads this this new overland map, without a ugly 3D Figure :

http://forum.schicksalsklinge.com/index.php?page=Attachment&attachmentID=7

 

[SuicideBunny]

Nooo that's not true.

it is. no additional content or tweaking changes the fact that the original trilogy is how the game was meant to be played or that it costs less in its entirety than the hd remake.

or that supporting game remakes means supporting the cancer that destroys creativity in the entire entertainment business.

 

[eric__s]

Nooo that's not true.

it is. no additional content or tweaking changes the fact that the original trilogy is how the game was meant to be played or that it costs less in its entirety than the hd remake.

or that supporting game remakes means supporting the cancer that destroys creativity in the entire entertainment business.

What specifically are you referencing? What other RPGs have been remade and in what way is it influencing the industry? The only thing I can think of is Baldur's Gate being remade in Neverwinter Nights 2, which was free, made by a single person and thus far has not had an effect.

But I disagree that original releases are necessarily how things are meant to be played or that there is even a specific way things are "meant to be played". This is why we have patches, unofficial patches, mods, updated rereleases, sequels that use the same engine, why D.W. Bradley has been working on the same game for almost a decade. There is no such thing as a game that can't be improved upon. Blade of Destiny is one of my favorite games, but it also has a lot of stupid, arbitrary problems. Towns are mostly the same, except for Phexcaer which has incomplete content. You can't shoot diagonally. Mechanical information is not apparent or well-conveyed. There are a million stupid ways to die instantly that aren't foreshadowed. Rejecting something because it's a remake is an uncritical and rose-tinted way of thinking. It's better to do it because it's not well-made, which we don't know yet, and that's why we should give it the benefit of the doubt.

The Developers are realy great guys. At first the planed to use a 3D Map with a ridiculous looking 3D Pupet that should represent the party while traveling :

http://bilder.buecher.de/zusatz/38/38053/38053091_deta_2.jpg

Many players didnt liked that aproach, so they startet a poll on their website.

The outcome of this vote leads this this new overland map, without a ugly 3D Figure :

http://forum.schicksalsklinge.com/index.php?page=Attachment&attachmentID=7

Awesome. I saw footage of the old 3D map system and thought it was really ugly. This is a huge improvement.

 

[mindx2]

or that supporting game remakes means supporting the cancer that destroys creativity in the entire entertainment business.

My biggest argument against this is... Ultima V: Lazarus... 'nuff said.

 

[Untermensch]

or that supporting game remakes means supporting the cancer that destroys creativity in the entire entertainment business.

So.... if someone were to remake Baldur's Gate with proper turn-based combat, supporting it would somehow be bad?

Because, according to you the awful RTwP combat is how the game was supposed to be played.

 

[sithren]

The Developers are realy great guys. At first the planed to use a 3D Map with a ridiculous looking 3D Pupet that should represent the party while traveling :

http://bilder.buecher.de/zusatz/38/38053/38053091_deta_2.jpg

Many players didnt liked that aproach, so they startet a poll on their website.

The outcome of this vote leads this this new overland map, without a ugly 3D Figure :

http://forum.schicksalsklinge.com/index.php?page=Attachment&attachmentID=7

Huh, the steam trailer shows the old configuration. I like the new one, though.

I've never played Realms of Arkania. Anyone recommend this new version to a scrubcore like me?

 

[Bulba]

Let's hope it does not end up like bg ee.

 

[LundB]

Realms of Arcania

 

[mindx2]

Realms of Arcania

Oh Wow! Didn't catch that at first. Must be a Steam mistake....?

 

[LundB]

Nope, Steam doesn't make the logos or boxart. Don't even try to blame Gabe for this (boxart from trailer):

Not the best sign for something claiming to be a loyal remake made by people who really know the original. Not as much that one of the artists made it as the fact that apaprently NOBODY caught it before it went up on steam and in a trailer.

 

[Sacred82]

Realms of Skyrim Arcania

 

[mindx2]

Nope, Steam doesn't make the logos or boxart. Don't even try to blame Gabe for this (boxart from trailer):

Not the best sign for something claiming to be a loyal remake made by people who really know the original. Not as much that one of the artists made it as the fact that apaprently NOBODY caught it before it went up on steam and in a trailer.

Not registered on their forums but can anyone post this there to point this glaring mistake out.

 

[Duraframe300]

Nope, Steam doesn't make the logos or boxart. Don't even try to blame Gabe for this (boxart from trailer):

Not the best sign for something claiming to be a loyal remake made by people who really know the original. Not as much that one of the artists made it as the fact that apaprently NOBODY caught it before it went up on steam and in a trailer.

?

Maybe the guy who made it/the people who went through it didn't have much contact with the english version?

Its original name isn't Realms of Arkania (Even translated back into german, that title was sir-techs own creation) in the first place, so under rulez of the hardcore I don't really see that as any indication that they aren't loyal.

 

[Dorateen]

Still wish they would have channeled their effort into making a new Realms of Arkania adventure. I support this project on the theory that it might bring a new generation of players around to appreciate this kind of game. But still...

 

[Country_Gravy]

I've always wondered about that. How did sirtech come up with "realms of arkania" anyway? Is it part of the TDEverse?

From Wikipedia for The Dark Eye:

The Dark Eye is set in the fantasy realm of Aventuria. During the 1990s, it was first translated as "Arkania", but the name was later changed to one closer to the original German name. Aventuria is a continent of the planet Ethra (an anagram of "Earth", as the planet's name in the German edition, Dere, is an anagram of "Erde", the German word for "Earth"). The other continents of Ethra are Myranor (also called "Gyldenland" in Aventuria), Uthuria and Vaestenland.

 

[HiddenX]

The first design version of the box cover was better IMHO.

 

[commie]

Nooo that's not true.

it is. no additional content or tweaking changes the fact that the original trilogy is how the game was meant to be played or that it costs less in its entirety than the hd remake.

or that supporting game remakes means supporting the cancer that destroys creativity in the entire entertainment business.

Bullshit. If "how de gaem is meent 2 b plaid" or "the price to make it is less than new one" are the only reasons for preferring the old game and dissing the new one then they are no reasons at all. I loved Midwinter back in the day, but I'd break the screen throwing money at a remake that took everything in that game and made it for today's machines(at the very least I'd love to take on more than one vehicle at a time) or a remake of SWOTL or Tie Fighter.

What exactly is the problem of updating an old game with modern graphics and a better interface if the ruleset and basic gameplay are going to be faithfully reproduced? Don't you think the original Arcania devs would make their game in 32 bit color and high res if they were making it for the first time right now? Or would they use 256 color VGA and 320x200 res? Would they make a modern interface or use a clunky one?

Of course if they do a JA:BiA then obviously there's a reason to raeg, but not if the only arguments against the remake are cost and better graphics.

 

[Lexx]

Indeed, looks a lot more pretty. Wish they would have sticked to it.

Also @ new travel map: Looks great. I hated the 3d thingy.