Darkest Dungeon-Like Circus Electrique - tactical steampunk circus management RPG from Operencia devs

[cyborgboy95]

https://playcircuselectrique.com

Spoiler

From the studio that brought you Operencia: The Stolen Sun

Spoiler

ABOUT THIS GAME

Named for the greatest show in Victorian steampunk London, Circus Electrique is part story-driven RPG, part tactics, part circus management, and completely enthralling – all with a steampunk twist.

When everyday Londoners mysteriously turn into vicious killers, only the circus’ lineup of Strongmen, Fire Blowers, Clowns and other performers possess the unique talents necessary to save the city. Through tactical turn-based battles, these unlikely heroes face Bobbies, British Sailors gone bad, aggressive Posh Girls, and other Victorian-era archetypes stand in their way – not to mention the occasional menacing Mime or Robobear. The game’s innovative Devotion morale system affects characters’ performance not only in battles, but also for actual circus shows, dutifully managed between heroic jaunts through six sprawling districts.

Key Features:
Electrifying RPG Combat
Test the skills of Strongmen, Fire Blowers, Escape Artists, Clowns, and other classic circus performers – 14 playable archetypes total, each with deep tactical options in battle. Assemble the most ideal combination of acrobatic artists to fight against over-the-top enemies.

Manage the Greatest Show in Steampunk London
Despite the chaos, the show must go on! Rebuild the circus to its former greatness and beyond, recruiting and training the most talented performers coming in from all over the world. Performers’ skill, chemistry with one another, and overall Devotion combine to determine the monetary success of a single show – and you’ll need every single spare Shilling you can get both for Amelia’s quest and to keep everyone paid and happy.

A Circus Like No Other
Immerse yourself in a striking world based on vintage circus posters, Victorian-era archetypes and classic steampunk charm.

 

[Infinitron]

A Darkest Dungeon clone, eh?

It's got its own YouTube and Twitter accounts:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-ASjBsVNDF6NbOexfCbEAw/videos
https://twitter.com/CircusElectriq

 

[Reinhardt]

Part and parcel.

 

[Tyranicon]

Oh another Steampunk RPG. Will be following with interest.

 

[Infinitron]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1666250/view/3352382088608634393

Circus Electrique - Gameplay Overview Trailer
Watch the new Circus Electrique Gameplay Overview Trailer and get an in-depth look at how to utilize the right abilities, tactics, positioning and much more.

Named for the greatest show in Victorian steampunk London, Circus Electrique is part story-driven RPG, part tactics, part circus management, and completely enthralling – all with a steampunk twist.
When everyday Londoners mysteriously turn into vicious killers, only the circus’ lineup of Strongmen, Fire Blowers, Clowns and other performers possess the unique talents necessary to save the city.

Through tactical turn-based battles, these unlikely heroes face Bobbies, British Sailors gone bad, aggressive Posh Girls, and other Victorian-era archetypes stand in their way – not to mention the occasional menacing Mime or Robobear.

The game’s innovative Devotion morale system affects characters’ performance not only in battles, but also for actual circus shows, dutifully managed between heroic jaunts through six sprawling districts.

Wishist Today!

 

[Comte_II]

There was another darkest dungeon clone circus "rpg"

 

[motherfucker]

Looks pretty uninspired, graphics are ugly(not bad - ugly), and don't get me started on how flawed DD's core formula is. Hard yikes on this one

 

[Fedora Master]

Steampunk needs to die in a fire.

 

[Thac0]

That is fucking weird. I liked Operencia tho, otherwise I would have lost interest immediatly.

 

[J1M]

Looks like an HD remake of the first Penny Arcade game, lol.

 

[Abu Antar]

Release date is September 6.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.pcgamer.com/i-terrorize...cus-tactics-game-inspired-by-darkest-dungeon/

I terrorized London with a team of clowns in this upcoming circus tactics game inspired by Darkest Dungeon​

Circus Electrique is "part story-driven RPG, part tactics, part circus management."

In Circus Electrique(opens in new tab), you have two main tasks. Exploring the streets of London through Darkest Dungeon style turn-based battles, and putting on entertaining big top shows featuring the best performers you can find. Both require a surprising amount of strategy and planning. Chaining together synergistic combat moves across different character classes in battle can lead to destructive turns that leave enemies unable to move. Meanwhile, finding great chemistry between performers in your circus shows à la FIFA Ultimate Team will lead to better crowd reactions and more resources to work with.

But I threw almost all of that out of the window and decided my circus would be entirely made up of clowns.

The press preview build dropped me in at the start of the game and after being introduced to the world of Circus Electrique, where an electrical event called "The Maddening" turned everyday Londoners into vicious killers, it's time to build your team of performers. Some will accompany you as you take to the streets trying to figure out just what happened to this strange steampunk world that doesn't take itself too seriously but has many mysteries, while others hold the fort and keep the shows going.

Your initial squad features a single clown alongside a strong man, fire-breather, and escape artist, all of whom can fill different combat roles based on their abilities and where they are positioned in your team of four. That is, unless you do what I did. As soon as I'd raised some money by putting on shows and winning fights, I dismissed all the fighters who weren't clowns and hired every new clown I could from the train that brings in new talent. Hell yes.

I put tanky clowns Emil and Timothy at the front of my questing team. Lodge backed them up with some useful ranged abilities such as Mock Throw where he smashes a ball with his mallet into the face of enemies dealing damage and possibly breaking any defensive stances. If needed he could also jump to the front with his Taunt ability and be my new tank. Finally, Pablo sat at the back, the least effective position for a clown, where only three of his six abilities would work. But his job was just to heal up whoever had taken the most damage and occasionally throw a small ball at enemies in what has to be the most pathetic-looking, but situationally effective, attack in any game ever.

As we reached the latter stages of the first London district, where you're free to choose your path and the battles you take but are always heading towards a final fight, it became clear that my team of clowns might not have been the best call. In combat, you either defeat your opponents by inflicting enough damage to kill them, or you drop their "devotion" to zero, causing them to flee the battle. This creates opportunities for clever plays that don't involve hitting people with a clown mallet until they die, and it works both ways. If one of your performers loses all their devotion to the circus they will run away, never to be seen again.

When I fielded a more varied team, I defeated enemies using both methods, and the fights were quick. But with clowns, who are tanks and healers, it became clear there was a lack of damage-dealing on my team, and only one ability that would reduce a small amount of devotion, the Ball Throw. It was hilarious to see a foe run away from battle after being gently struck with a small ball, but it wasn't exactly efficient. It took anywhere from three to 10 ball attacks to drop some foe’s devotion to zero, which is honestly impressive. If someone threw a ball at me more than three times in short succession I’d take the hint and move on pretty quickly...

Back home, the B-team of clowns, who might occasionally get a trip out onto the streets if another member needed healing up overnight, were consistently putting on average shows that got middle-of-the-road star ratings, giving me enough resources to continue my journey but not giving me the power spike that could have been possible had I varied the performers up to maximise chemistry. Philip, who was my main event clown, would have performed better if I had included a robot bear earlier on in the card, but would have been worse if there had been an acrobat before him.

Had the demo not ended just as it felt like the power of my clown posse was starting to fall off, it's likely my lack of resources would have further compounded this issue. Experiment result: a clown-only team is not recommended. There are 15 performer types planned for the full release, though. There's no date on it yet, but Circus Electrique is out September 6. You can find it on Steam.

 

[Skdursh]

I don't really get why this style of game is so popular. Ever since Darkest Dungeon there have been endless clones and none of them are even remotely interesting to me. Do people really like JRPG combat simulators so much that we need 100 new variations of this game each year?

 

[luj1]

Looks pretty uninspired, graphics are ugly(not bad - ugly), and don't get me started on how flawed DD's core formula is. Hard yikes on this one

yeah

DD was a shallow game with shit art

 

[luj1]

Steampunk needs to die in a fire.

Arcanum = good kind of steampunk

this infantile trash needs to die in a fire, yes

 

[Trithne]

Was wondering why we had a "Darkrst Dungeon Like" tag. Now I realise. This is the new hotness, isn't it.

Also at least DD had an art style. The 3d here is just unpleasant to look at.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

if you asked me to describe reddit as an RPG it would look a lot like this

 

[Echo Mirage]

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/circus-electrique-preview-brawling-eccentric-cyborg-londoners

Your troupe of brawling, eccentric performers packs a wallop in Circus Electrique​

Come one, come all

Instead of commanding a group of rugged, blood-soaked mercenaries on a turn-based death crawl through unimaginable horrors, how about a neo-Victorian circus troupe brawling with biomechatronic Londoners? That's Circus Electrique, a turn-based RPG that's much more lighthearted than its Darkest Dungeon counterpart (and seemingly main inspiration). But after playing a preview of the game’s first mission, there's more than meets the eye in this part steampunk RPG, part circus tycoon management sim.

You play as Amelia, a young, bold journalist returning to London to cover the grand re-opening of the Circus Electrique. A metaphorical spanner gets lobbed into the works, however, as the ceremony is interrupted with news that London’s citizens have started attacking each other (more than your average fisticuffs to get on the tube). Oddly, this doesn’t seem to have affected Amelia and your motley circus troupe, who venture out into London’s dangerous streets to find answers.

Each day is structured into two halves: going out into the city to brawl with some Londoners in turn-based battles, and putting on thrilling shows at the circus each evening in a management sim. Why people are still attending the circus through these stressful times is beyond me, but the show must go on, I guess.

Keen to sniff out a story, Amelia hits the streets of London accompanied by four chosen characters from your circus roster. In the preview, I was tasked with fighting my way across the city following a rumour that London Bridge had completely disappeared. You need to choose different paths across a map that can trigger loot drop story events, dialogue sequences where Amelia reveals more about the history of the circus, and fisticuffs with the locals.

Fights are a 4v4 brawl between your chosen characters and whatever Queen Vicky-era archetypes you run into. Circus Electrique is based in an alternative steampunk timeline, so everyone is kitted out in wacky biomechatronic outfits. A posh Victorian lady in all her finery might not seem that threatening, but a critical wallop from her mechanical umbrella and your characters will be seeing stars.

Like in Darkest Dungeon, positioning your group is key to getting the most out of their abilities. Eventually, there'll be a total of 15 different character classes to choose from, but during the preview I only had a chance to mess around with four: strongmen, clowns, escape artists, and fire breathers.


In this universe, police officers ride around on unicycles, mimes have mechanical arms, and London's prim and proper wield deadly mechanical umbrellas.

Strongmen are the tanks and should always be at the front of the group for hard-hitting attacks, whereas clowns act as the bards of the group, focusing on buffs for the troupe, so can be placed in the middle. Fire breathers are great for powerful ranged attacks and will sit happily at the back, and escape artists are nice and versatile with a mix of support and offensive attacks. As you progress, more performers with different classes will become available to hire, including acrobats, snake charmers, mechanical bears, and ventriloquists.

As you progress, more performers with different classes will become available to hire, including acrobats, snake charmers, mechanical bears, and ventriloquists.
There are lots of stats and numbers to get into, but the big one is devotion. If the morale of any of your characters gets too low they’ll flee the battle - but that also goes for your opponents. Smattering the opposition with a number of devotion de-buffs can sometimes be better strategically than whittling down their HP. After a successful fight, you’re wooshed back to the circus, meaning you don’t have to hold out for more encounters and can go all-out. If things are going south you can flee, but it involves selecting the flee action for each character instead of a whole group action, making it risky for those left behind. If all of your characters die, they're all gone for good, forever to perform in the great circus tent in the sky.

When you’re not out punching old Victorian ladies, the circus acts as your main hub. This central location has different buildings where you can heal your characters, craft items for battle, hire new performers, and organise circus performances for the day’s end. This is where the second role for your circus roster comes into play. Your performers not only need to be great at throwing down, but also have a talent for thrilling crowds at shows.


The red and orange connections indicate that the combination of this group isn't a good match. Emma doesn't like working with snake charmers, and Ikram doesn't like strongmen. Such a fussy bunch.

Putting on a circus show plays out as a puzzle-like management mini-game. You need to choose which characters will put on a spectacular show while also trying to stick to the performer’s own preferences. An audience expectation meter displays what the show's 'score' will be and is broken down into four categories: laughter, fun, amazement, and thrill. Character stats and their overall devotion to the circus will affect the meter, with different character combinations making it easier to hit audience expectations.

For example, my strongman Balthazar had an incredibly high devotion to the circus but refused to work alongside any fire breathers. Another member of my roster, Phoebe the escape artist, didn’t mind working in any of the show’s positions (opening act, main act, and closing act) but had low entertainment stats. Working out a group of performers who can cover each other's weaknesses, all work together, and put on a good show is a different kind of strategic brain flex than combat encounters. There's also an extra important factor to these shows. Whoever you put into that evening's performance can't venture out for the day's battle, since they're booked and busy. This means juggling your roster becomes a mental mind mapping of your characters and their abilities, making sure you have enough levelled-up talent to cover both.


A daily newspaper called ‘The Illuminated London Voice’ acts as a summary of your activities: how audiences found your circus performance, Amelia’s reports on the status of London's frenzied residents, and more snippets of background info on the game’s world. Details like the newspaper just add to the overall details of what is a very lavishly designed game. The 2D and 3D character models all burst with personality, every piece of dialogue is voice-acted, backgrounds for encounters are always set in different parts of London, and every character attack has a flourish of animation. Every time you put on a show, the game will generate a vintage circus poster with the characters you chose to perform that day. Even the smallest details like HP meters, status symbols and item descriptions, all have their own steampunk flair. I have a soft spot for mechanical and steampunk aesthetics, so after drinking up all the preview's lavish details I felt almost giddy.

I’ve been pretty bewitched by my time with Circus Electrique. There’s just so much to get into. The balancing act of circus performances and street fights forces you to think differently about building a team of fighters, and I'm keen to try out the new classes. The story seems interesting too; there’s mystery and intrigue behind why London suddenly went loopy, not to mention some rather sketchy details surrounding the death of Amelia’s mother and her involvement with the circus. Those mysteries won't remain secret for long, though, as Circus Electrique is out on PC through Steam and the Epic Game Store on September 6.

 

[Antigoon]

This one is out now. No launch discount, but pretty cheap anyways

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Comte_II]

This one is out now. No launch discount, but pretty cheap anyways

Still not worth it

 

[Tomas]

I don't get why after developing Opernecia you would develop Darkest Dungeon clone. It is a step backwards.

 

[1451]

Tried this, extremely cheaply made.
After having played the early access of darkest dungeon 2 I cannot stand this.
Some good ideas but the implementation is laughably low budgeted.
The 3d graphics are strikingly bad looking, the animations are the same.
The plot and the general atmosphere is cringe inducing.
And to think this was one of the games I was expecting to be playable.

 

[Antigoon]

Apparently they fucked up regional pricing. For some the price just increased by up to 4 times.