KickStarter BioSynth: Rising - a turn-based sci-fi isometric RPG

[NeptuneGames]

Ok but can we also see her feet?

Enjoy

 

[JarlFrank]

Ok but can we also see her feet?

Enjoy

They're covered by clunky boots though

 

[NeptuneGames]

They're covered by clunky boots though

Working clothes could be a problem... well, I guess you'll have to find her and free her from such a burden.

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[Darth Canoli]

Yeah, I'll bake this project. Actually no.

Hi everyone, let me share some additional details about BioSynth: Rising (including some lore).

Here's a look at a bounty hunter:

Ok, enough for today If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

I kind of like the first 2D picture, dreadlocks aside, why every other game is using current dangerhair?
the simple, whatever you did with that afro was enough and quite nice actually.
I don't think the RPG players like that very much, a good part just don't mind or try not to look at it but i'm fairly certain there's at least 10x more players who don't like it can't stand it (the first time, it was annoying, the 100th time, it's a real nuisance) than players who won't play the game it there isn't current dangerhair in it, just think about it for your next game.

Also cool-downs, it tells me either your system is terrible or you're just dumbing it down, or both...

You can think we're edgy but after watching hundreds of trailers, you can tell which ones are made for the dumb masses and which ones will feature a deep system with a great encounter design and maps/dungeon design and which ones will just be mobile ports.

Your game leans toward the mobile port category, i'm afraid...

 

[NeptuneGames]

Hi everyone, wanted to share this article about the game on Lv1 Gaming: https://lv1gaming.com/biosynth-rising-sci-fi-turn-based-rpg/

Of course, if you have any question, feel free to ask.

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

>Robots are humans
Wow I guess people did like Detroit: Become human or Fallout 4's story :D.
I dunno, I'm not inspired by it. The 2d art of it doesn't really do it any favors for me. It looks really generic and sanitized, like every indie crap to come out of California.

 

[NeptuneGames]

like every indie crap to come out of California

Good thing we're from Europe!

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

like every indie crap to come out of California

Good thing we're from Europe!

I read down a little more and saw the art for the trash robot. That's more like it. The style is still clean, but the design is more interesting. It's decrepit and weird, and I prefer that.

Spoiler

What I don't quite understand though is that if robots have the same rights as humans, why is it in that state?
Is the implication that humans aren't that well off either?

What mechanical implants do you have access to? Since it's a cyberpunk game I'm assuming there are mechanical implants, yes? Do they alter your character's appearance?

 

[NeptuneGames]

I read down a little more and saw the art for the trash robot. That's more like it. The style is still clean, but the design is more interesting. It's decrepit and weird, and I prefer that.

Thank you! The poor robots are all messed up in a way or in another. We can't show everything yet, but I can say we have more. Of course, there are also wealthy robots... and some badass ones (we are still working on these, probably won't be ready for the Kickstarter, but we're doing our best).

What I don't quite understand though is that if robots have the same rights as humans, why is it in that state?
Is the implication that humans aren't that well off either?

The main implication is that robots are treated the same as humans. So they can work and get paid, go buy stuff, lead organizations, etc.
To be exact: this is true everywhere but on a certain continent - that we won't visit in the game... but the lore is important to us, so we worked on that story.
Consider that we're showing the slums of a huge city... so yes, everyone there, robot or human, is poor. In other areas of the city, the things are different.

What mechanical implants do you have access to? Since it's a cyberpunk game I'm assuming there are mechanical implants, yes? Do they alter your character's appearance?

Actually, it's a Sci-Fi game. There are cyberpunk elements... but at the same time there are other aspects - for example, the biopunk influence is evident in some areas. Just an example about it below:

We'll show the full art (and 3d model) on the Kickstarter. What do you think it is?

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.cshpicone.com/gaming/interviews/neptune-games

Interview by Chris Picone, 15 September 2021

Joining me today is Mauro D'Andrea from Neptune Games, a budding new developer working on their ambitious debut game, a CRPG called BioSynth: Rising. Both the developer and the game only appeared on my radar recently, so here we shed some light!

***

CSH: I only discovered Neptune Games and BioSynth: Rising very recently – and with a Twitter account less than a year old, I’m guessing there’s probably quite a few people out there who haven’t heard of either yet. So, introductions are in order. Who are Neptune Games?

Mauro: At the moment the team consists of 9 people, all from Italy. Everyone has at least a few years of experience in his/her specialty and a great passion for their job. When considering new team members we look at quite a few aspects, not just skills and experience! For example, passion, a sense of respect for the job and for others, and communication skills all play a big role. These attributes allow for a great work environment, which makes everyone give their best.

Most of the team has worked in the industry either for some companies or as a freelancer. I am an exception. When COVID arrived in the spring of 2020, I ended up jobless... after the initial horrible feelings, I started looking at the event as an opportunity... and in the summer I started BioSynth: Rising. While developing the game, I also started looking for teammates... and one year later here we are We have most of the development covered now but we plan on hiring outside help for localization and voice acting.

CSH: Sounds like the right team for the job. Now tell us all about BioSynth!

Mauro: BioSynth: Rising is a classic RPG in a Sci-Fi setting. Let me clarify that: Sci-Fi, not strictly cyberpunk. Sure, there are implants and many other cyberpunk elements... but the game doesn't stop there. For example, as we show more about the game, you'll notice many biopunk aspects. Genetics is a crucial science in BioSynth... a whole continent invested a huge amount of resources into it – and as a result they can do some incredible things.

There are also some post-apocalyptish environments. Most of the nations on the planet are gone, and robots are on par with people (same rights and a free will). The first fact means that the world is in chaos – the only two laws are money and power. The second fact means that are lots of cool robot characters. We have a big variety in BioSynth!

CSH: So we have synths, robots, and humans trying to survive in some sort of dystopian/apocalyptic environment. Who’s the main character?

Mauro: The main character is an ordinary person who notices something quite strange: someone is hunting him/her. The reason? Who knows? You'll have to find out what's going on and fight for your survival. Of course, this also means that you'll have to find who is responsible for your troubles.

CSH: Mysterious. I watched the trailer after we spoke last and I can see the game’s an isometric turn-based RPG. What else can you tell us? Any key gameplay features that sets BioSynth apart from all the other CRPGs out there?

Mauro: Yes, destructible objects. We have seen a comparison to Divinity Original Sin because we mentioned environmental interactions after we showed an exploding barrel. The reality is that the exploding barrels are the only type of interactions that we're sharing with DOS. I know it sounds bold, but we have some cooler destructible objects... but we can't talk about them yet.

CSH: Sounds great! Red Faction introduced me to destructible objects in gaming and – provided they’re implemented well – I’m a huge fan. What were the videogame inspirations behind BioSynth? Guessing Fallout & Wasteland – anything else?

Mauro: Yep, especially Fallout. Also Diablo 2, the Baldur's Gate saga, and Divinity Original Sin 2. I know the setting is totally different but they inspired many gameplay decisions.

CSH: Any non-videogame inspirations? Books, TV, film? Bladerunner’s a gimme but what else are we looking at?

Mauro: Actually, most of the inspiration for the setting has come from non-videogames. Did I mention that both me and other team members are into movies and manga? Lots of these influenced the development. Of course, Bladerunner is a must. Other than that, Mad Max, Alita: Battle Angel, Automata, and Star Wars are just a few of the movies that inspired us. We’ve also been inspired by manga like One Piece and even tabletop games like Warhammer 40K. Also, I love playing Magic the Gathering... and one of its worlds influenced the setting and story of BioSynth. But I can't talk about that, it's a big spoiler.

CSH: What state is the game in? When is release planned?

Mauro: It's in pre-alpha. We have a playable game, and the backbone is there... but we need to expand everything so we’ll be looking to Kickstarter so that we can completely fund the game while keeping the freedom to express our original idea – and without investors pushing for an incomplete release. It's also a great way to build a community around the game. The release is planned about a year and a half after the Kickstarter.

CSH: Here's to hoping the Kickstarter goes well! And since I’m sure it will, what sort of stretch goals can we expect?

Mauro: We have some cool ones. Do you want a spoiler? Ok, here it is one stretch goal: special bullets. Have you ever desired to charge your minigun with exploding bullets? Or maybe you'd like your bullets to bounce from an enemy to the next one... well, I think you got the idea.

CSH: Sounds very Judge Dredd, which I’m also a huge fan of. We’d better wrap this up but maybe we’ll chat again when the game’s a bit further along in development and you’re able to share some more details.

Before I let you go: When’s the Kickstarter?

Mauro: We're launching the 21st of September, at 16:00 (or 4pm) UTC. By the way, we'll have an early bird offer, so it's worth to check the project right at launch

***

I’m already following the Kickstarter and will absolutely be backing it on launch. Thanks for your time Mauro, and good luck with everything!

 

[mkultra]

I'll be honest, i think most of the images/models/level design looks ok here, well done for a indie dev i would say. But the cover art looks like something a ~15 year old (who's only beginning to have some skills) threw together, it's a mess. The logo is nice up close (because you pay attention to some nice details in it) but when zoomed out it looks terrible. I've done plenty of logos and when i make them i always tend to zoom out a lot to make sure that part works too.

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://www.cshpicone.com/gaming/interviews/neptune-games

Interview by Chris Picone, 15 September 2021
​

Joining me today is Mauro D'Andrea from Neptune Games, a budding new developer working on their ambitious debut game, a CRPG called BioSynth: Rising. Both the developer and the game only appeared on my radar recently, so here we shed some light!


***


CSH: I only discovered Neptune Games and BioSynth: Rising very recently – and with a Twitter account less than a year old, I’m guessing there’s probably quite a few people out there who haven’t heard of either yet. So, introductions are in order. Who are Neptune Games?


Mauro: At the moment the team consists of 9 people, all from Italy. Everyone has at least a few years of experience in his/her specialty and a great passion for their job. When considering new team members we look at quite a few aspects, not just skills and experience! For example, passion, a sense of respect for the job and for others, and communication skills all play a big role. These attributes allow for a great work environment, which makes everyone give their best.


Most of the team has worked in the industry either for some companies or as a freelancer. I am an exception. When COVID arrived in the spring of 2020, I ended up jobless... after the initial horrible feelings, I started looking at the event as an opportunity... and in the summer I started BioSynth: Rising. While developing the game, I also started looking for teammates... and one year later here we are We have most of the development covered now but we plan on hiring outside help for localization and voice acting.


CSH: Sounds like the right team for the job. Now tell us all about BioSynth!


Mauro: BioSynth: Rising is a classic RPG in a Sci-Fi setting. Let me clarify that: Sci-Fi, not strictly cyberpunk. Sure, there are implants and many other cyberpunk elements... but the game doesn't stop there. For example, as we show more about the game, you'll notice many biopunk aspects. Genetics is a crucial science in BioSynth... a whole continent invested a huge amount of resources into it – and as a result they can do some incredible things.


There are also some post-apocalyptish environments. Most of the nations on the planet are gone, and robots are on par with people (same rights and a free will). The first fact means that the world is in chaos – the only two laws are money and power. The second fact means that are lots of cool robot characters. We have a big variety in BioSynth!


CSH: So we have synths, robots, and humans trying to survive in some sort of dystopian/apocalyptic environment. Who’s the main character?


Mauro: The main character is an ordinary person who notices something quite strange: someone is hunting him/her. The reason? Who knows? You'll have to find out what's going on and fight for your survival. Of course, this also means that you'll have to find who is responsible for your troubles.


CSH: Mysterious. I watched the trailer after we spoke last and I can see the game’s an isometric turn-based RPG. What else can you tell us? Any key gameplay features that sets BioSynth apart from all the other CRPGs out there?


Mauro: Yes, destructible objects. We have seen a comparison to Divinity Original Sin because we mentioned environmental interactions after we showed an exploding barrel. The reality is that the exploding barrels are the only type of interactions that we're sharing with DOS. I know it sounds bold, but we have some cooler destructible objects... but we can't talk about them yet.


CSH: Sounds great! Red Faction introduced me to destructible objects in gaming and – provided they’re implemented well – I’m a huge fan. What were the videogame inspirations behind BioSynth? Guessing Fallout & Wasteland – anything else?


Mauro: Yep, especially Fallout. Also Diablo 2, the Baldur's Gate saga, and Divinity Original Sin 2. I know the setting is totally different but they inspired many gameplay decisions.


CSH: Any non-videogame inspirations? Books, TV, film? Bladerunner’s a gimme but what else are we looking at?


Mauro: Actually, most of the inspiration for the setting has come from non-videogames. Did I mention that both me and other team members are into movies and manga? Lots of these influenced the development. Of course, Bladerunner is a must. Other than that, Mad Max, Alita: Battle Angel, Automata, and Star Wars are just a few of the movies that inspired us. We’ve also been inspired by manga like One Piece and even tabletop games like Warhammer 40K. Also, I love playing Magic the Gathering... and one of its worlds influenced the setting and story of BioSynth. But I can't talk about that, it's a big spoiler.


CSH: What state is the game in? When is release planned?


Mauro: It's in pre-alpha. We have a playable game, and the backbone is there... but we need to expand everything so we’ll be looking to Kickstarter so that we can completely fund the game while keeping the freedom to express our original idea – and without investors pushing for an incomplete release. It's also a great way to build a community around the game. The release is planned about a year and a half after the Kickstarter.


CSH: Here's to hoping the Kickstarter goes well! And since I’m sure it will, what sort of stretch goals can we expect?


Mauro: We have some cool ones. Do you want a spoiler? Ok, here it is one stretch goal: special bullets. Have you ever desired to charge your minigun with exploding bullets? Or maybe you'd like your bullets to bounce from an enemy to the next one... well, I think you got the idea.


CSH: Sounds very Judge Dredd, which I’m also a huge fan of. We’d better wrap this up but maybe we’ll chat again when the game’s a bit further along in development and you’re able to share some more details.


Before I let you go: When’s the Kickstarter?


Mauro: We're launching the 21st of September, at 16:00 (or 4pm) UTC. By the way, we'll have an early bird offer, so it's worth to check the project right at launch

 

[NeptuneGames]

I'll be honest, i think most of the images/models/level design looks ok here, well done for a indie dev i would say. But the cover art looks like something a ~15 year old (who's only beginning to have some skills) threw together, it's a mess. The logo is nice up close (because you pay attention to some nice details in it) but when zoomed out it looks terrible. I've done plenty of logos and when i make them i always tend to zoom out a lot to make sure that part works too.

Here's the link to the full resolution work, so that you can better think about what you just wrote: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KgMVfLz1DFZoPHnwutLh7JX4dD-F6ppc/view?usp=sharing

 

[mkultra]

I'll be honest, i think most of the images/models/level design looks ok here, well done for a indie dev i would say. But the cover art looks like something a ~15 year old (who's only beginning to have some skills) threw together, it's a mess. The logo is nice up close (because you pay attention to some nice details in it) but when zoomed out it looks terrible. I've done plenty of logos and when i make them i always tend to zoom out a lot to make sure that part works too.

Here's the link to the full resolution work, so that you can better think about what you just wrote: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KgMVfLz1DFZoPHnwutLh7JX4dD-F6ppc/view?usp=sharing

yeah, i'm still getting too many megaman cover art vibes :D (ok, its not this bad... but)

just something with the stance with the guy to the right (not a fan of anyone's stance on the right or the woman in the middle - does she have a severed hand, what's going on there?) + the coloring is just all over the place. Just like the the logo it does look much better if you look up close, but cover art must work when zoomed out too.

you'll do fine. most people don't care i bet.

 

[V_K]

not a fan of anyone's stance on the right or the woman in the middle

Interesting. I'm a lot more bothered about guys on the left - the guy with the mohawk seems like the two halves of his face are angled differently, and neither eye looks in the direction of where he fires his gun. And the other guy has a sever case of slouching, worse so on the left side, and a very flat chest - otherwise his right arm would have been at least somewhat obstructed.

 

[NeptuneGames]

-1

 

[NeptuneGames]

A little more than 1 hour and we start Super-excited!

 

[Infinitron]

This is live: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/neptunegames/biosynth

 

[toro]

This is live: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/neptunegames/biosynth

Pass. I cannot handle a three-dimensional villain.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Of course, if you have any question, feel free to ask.

How many people are there working on this game?

 

[NeptuneGames]

How many people are there working on this game?

The team is made of 10 people (the names you read on Kickstarter). Mostly working part-time because we didn't have the funds to fully support full-time work for the whole team.

Apart from characters and concept arts, what you see on Kickstarter has been basically made by one developer and one level artist.

 

[Darkozric]

Of course, if you have any question, feel free to ask.

Will you support W7 64bit?