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Game News Islands of the Caliph is an upcoming Arabian Nights-themed single character dungeon crawler

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Tags: Islands of the Caliph; Schmidt Workshops

The latest Codex-relevant title to show up on Steam is a a single-character grid-based dungeon crawler called Islands of the Caliph. It's the latest creation of Chicago-based indie developer Michael Schmidt, who appears to have begun working on it sometime last year. The game is inspired by the classic RPGs of the 1980s and as the title suggests is set in an Arabian Nights-themed seafaring island civilization. Here's its announcement trailer and description:



Islands of the Caliph imagines an ancient, seafaring Middle Eastern empire, spanning several islands to which the player may venture and explore.

Set in a fictional Island civilization, Islands of the Caliph is a unique mash-up of the old school RPGs the developer played in the 1980s, and Middle Eastern folklore and religion.

Numerous mythical and dangerous beasts lurk in waiting as you explore and discover new lands. From giant spiders and scorpions, to more supernatural beings like ghouls and jinn, Islands of the Caliph will introduce players to some of the creatures of folklore of Arab, Persian and African cultures among others.

Weapons are an important tool you will need to overcome adversaries. Find new weapons while adventuring or buy them from a merchant. Each weapon has different stats, so paying careful attention will help you to equip the best items.

As you explore, your map with be updated automatically. Use it to keep track of your location and to discover new routes of exploration. A small mini map appears in the corner of the screen while exploring, but you can open it to view the whole area when needed.

Many hidden treasures are waiting to be discovered by a brave adventurer. Some chests have coins, while others may have items to take. You may also use treasure chests to store items you don't need, but are not quite ready to sell.

The player must explore this open world and discover the game's primary quest for themselves. The game seeks to capture some of the open-endedness of classic RPGs like Might & Magic, Ultima and Bards Tale, with some modern conveniences. The player will be offered quests by some of the game's NPCs. Some of these quests will be required to make progress in the game's main story, while others will be optional. It is up to the player to figure out which is which, though often it will be obvious in the context given.​

According to its Steam page, Islands of the Caliph is releasing on February 1st next year. I'm not sure about an ancient Middle Eastern setting with Greek music and cornfields, but it seems colorful and interesting enough.
 

Nazrim Eldrak

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"...Islands of the Caliph will introduce players to some of the creatures of folklore of Arab, Persian and African cultures among others."
I would like that in other games.

I watched movies like e.g. "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad" or "Thief of Baghdad" in the late 80's as a child.
Another arabic example is the game "Prince of Persia", which was introduced to me as a child by an older non-gamer.

There are many nostalgic feelings that can be turned into money if done right.
I say "done right", because the majority of the audience are no longer children and probably mostly full-fledged experienced gamers.
 

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"...Islands of the Caliph will introduce players to some of the creatures of folklore of Arab, Persian and African cultures among others."
I would like that in other games.

I watched movies like e.g. "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad" or "Thief of Baghdad" in the late 80's as a child.
Another arabic example is the game "Prince of Persia", which was introduced to me as a child by an older non-gamer.

There are many nostalgic feelings that can be turned into money if done right.
I say "done right", because the majority of the audience are no longer children and probably mostly full-fledged experienced gamers.

I'm just happy to see fantasy done in any setting but magical medieval Europe.

I'd also love to see some (good) fantasy RPGs set in ancient greek mythology or celtic mythology.
 

Nazrim Eldrak

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I'm just happy to see fantasy done in any setting but magical medieval Europe.

I'd also love to see some (good) fantasy RPGs set in ancient greek mythology or celtic mythology.

Right, there are many magical medieval Europe RPGs on the market and it can be boring because of already known settings.
 

Lady Error

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Looks Legend of Amberland inspired, but RT combat and single character is a big meh.
 

baud

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I'm just happy to see fantasy done in any setting but magical medieval Europe.

I'd also love to see some (good) fantasy RPGs set in ancient greek mythology or celtic mythology.

Right, there are many magical medieval Europe RPGs on the market and it can be boring because of already known settings.

I'd like actual medieval Europe instead of the usual 13 to 17 th century mish mash mixed with historical revisionism we're usually getting. Going earlier in Medieval Europe (like early Middle Age) could also be interesting.
 
Last edited:

Rincewind

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Got excited for a minute, but:
  • not party based
  • too pixelated and very average gfx; it's a far cry from the still awesome art in DM, EoB, LoL, etc.
  • maps look like Legend of Amberland level of uninspiredness
 

oscar

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A shame. I'd love a early Caliphate/1001 Nights inspired RPG

Golden-Voyage-of-Sinbad-01-1_0.jpg

eye3.jpg

latest

EoVjqaIXYAIhEb2.jpg
 

Hag

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WHY THE BLAND DARK STONE WALLS ?
WHY THE MEDFAN LOOKING PROPS ?
IS IT SO VERY HARD IN OUR DAY AND AGE TO SEARCH FOR ISLAMIC CHEST OR CASTLES ON THE WEB TO REALIZE THAT SOME SHIT MAY LOOK DIFFERENT ?
FOR FUCKS SAKE.
 

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