https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/954260789/chronicle-of-ruin
Saw about this game on PC gamer, seems interesting.
Saw about this game on PC gamer, seems interesting.
Chronicle of Ruin is a real-time tactical Japanese-style RPG. A bit of a mouthful, isn't it? But, with roots in so many games and (sometimes long-neglected) sub-genres, hours upon hours of trying to fit Chronicle of Ruin neatly into a predefined genre has brought me to one conclusion: the usual classifications just fall short.
"RTTJRPG? Is it.. real-time Final Fantasy Tactics?"
Sort of, but the way it plays out is a bit more Fire Emblem-esque...
"So it's a real-time Fire Emblem clone!?"
Rude, but getting warmer. Imagine a Fire Emblem where you commanded your units in real-time, except your units weren't just individuals, but entire squads drawn from a wide range of classes. You then used them to not only complete objectives and engage in strategic traditional turn-based combat across the stage, but also to explore the world in an up close and personal fashion, same as you would in a classic JRPG.
"Oh! So it's like Ogre Battle meets Final Fantasy VI!"
Bingo! Close enough, anyway.
The only problem now is that we live in a world that hasn't had an Ogre Battle game in nearly 20 years. I can't really say "X meets Y!" when you might not know "X", can I? So, without further ado...
Hello, my name is Andrew Silverman, Chronicle of Ruin's (lone) developer, and I'll be your guide through the game today.
- TRPG meets JRPG, with a real-time twist - Experience a unique gameplay fusion of the large-scale army management of a TRPG in with the intimate elements of classic JRPGs, tied together with real-time map control.
- An Engrossing Narrative - Journey with a cast of memorable, complex characters through a vividly detailed and morally ambiguous world.
- An Army at Your Command - Lead an army that grows from a handful of unseasoned units to up to 50 veteran fighters.
- Nearly 40 Character Classes - Shape your army as you see fit by managing your units growth among 28 standard classes and 10 unique hero classes.
- A New Take on Strategic Turn-based Combat - Battle in a refined version of the classic combat system designed for creating engaging tactical encounters with a focus on class interplay, timing, and intelligent battle management.
- Dozens of Meticulously Crafted Stages - Adventure through detailed stages that combine the unique characters and compelling stories of JRPGs with the the strategic demands of TRPGs.
- Deep Character Customization - Customize each of your units so that no two are alike through a wide range of equipment options, hands-on stat growth, and flexible class design.
- An Expansive Crafting System - Outfit your army yourself by crafting everything from mundane consumables to legendary weapons and armor.
- Releasing for PC, Mac, and Linux summer 2017
Nothing escapes the ravages of time. Stone crumbles, metal rusts, people grow old and die. All things end in dust, crushed fine by the turning of the ages. The lone weapon against such an inexorable force is constant vigilance.
But even that can only hope to stave off the inevitable for a while longer.
Amidst countless generations of unbound war and reckless destruction, peace had always been a distant dream. Twenty years ago, that dream was violently realized when the Traitor King Weyrin unleashed his curse upon the land. In a matter of weeks, the entire kingdom of Galamonde fell under its shadow.
The remaining great nations of Valessia, Ondora, and Zaragos managed to broker a truce quickly enough to hold the curse at bay, but the land it blighted endures, a festering threat in the heart of the world.
In the ensuing decades, what was once open warfare has devolved into restrained hostility, as the powers that be struggle to hold themselves together under constant threat of outbreak, uprising, and the inevitable resurgence of total war.
In Chronicle of Ruin, vigilance is the distant memory of a world unknowingly on the brink of its end. Centuries of chaos and strife have hastened it to this decisive moment, wherein one final push against its cracked foundation will send it all plummeting into the abyss.
Your view over the precipice and into the blackness beyond is seen through the eyes of your party members, a diverse group of characters from all corners of the world, each a fully developed and integral part of the game's tale.
The Influences
'Story' is a hard thing to frame in a game like this without being harmfully reductive or giving everything away, especially when you're trying to keep things to a Kickstarter-appropriate length. Rest assured that more details will come in updates, but for the here and now, I think that the most important thing to convey isn't the precise specifics of what the story is, but how the story feels, and that's best done by talking about its influences.
Stylistically, the game's greatest influence has been the work of Yasumi Matsuno; namely, Ogre Battle, Tactics Ogre, and Final Fantasy Tactics. I have a deep and enduring love for their strong focus on their worlds' overarching high politics and the ways that characters exercise their beliefs and agency within the tide of massive geopolitical turmoil that's turned the world into one big moral morass. Hitting the balance of the political and personal that these games strike so finely is one my my highest aspirations for the story.
Structurally, the narrative's greatest influence is another timeless classic: Final Fantasy VI. Final Fantasy VI's story was one told through the lenses of multiple characters, and it was never afraid to swap them out and move forward through a new viewpoint. That feeling of each character having worth, purpose, and self-contained motivation, of a story with a unifying cause rather than a single obligatory protagonist, is a driving force behind Chronicle of Ruin's narrative and has shaped it on both the macro level of the world story and the micro level of the moment-to-moment interactions the characters have with each other and their surroundings.
This game does begin as the tale of one man's mission, but it quickly escalates into something much greater. This isn't a story that revolves around an individual's quest to fulfill his or her destiny. It's one that focuses on a disparate bunch of people working together through a hostile, unpredictable world, in which there are no promises of easy answers or happy endings.
Like most TRPGs, Chronicle of Ruin puts you in control of an army, starting with a scant few recruits and growing to eventually encompass up to fifty seasoned veterans. In this game, your units are grouped into squads of five, which you command at three basic levels:
The Tactical Map - In which you control all of your squads in real-time across a stage that illustrates a broad region of the world.
Battles - In which one of your squads faces off against an enemy squad in strategic class-focused turn-based combat.
Garrison Points - In which you assume control of a squad's leader to explore and interact with a location in traditional JRPG style.