Game News Paper Sorcerer: First-person turn-based RPG

[Ion Prothon II]

Reminds me a bit of the Codex-approved Dark Spire:

Guess that makes me an art fag. Pass the clove cigarettes.

Holy shit, this one must have been expensive. It has colors! And text!
And graphics that don't look like a bad drawing after binarization filter (at least it was colorized, hehe).

 

[DwarvenFood]

How edgy. 1/5. Also, know your platforms.

 

[Flatlander]

As someone who loves the style they are going after I have been experimenting with something similar and it didn't take too long to realize that this was not the way to do it. You really need to have some midtones and colors, good textures and shaders to make it work and it looks like they only have vectorized textures with baked shadow maps. It's fucking hard to get something like this right (actually, to get decent animated and fully automated results that don't give you a huge headache is just about impossible. To even get decent still images like this still requires some human touch.) and it doesn't look like they even tried.

 

[Mother Russia]

Sorry to break it to you but the game looks like utter shit.

Don't get me wrong, the art looks unique, but it won't a few hours in.

I respect and support creativity, and it should definitely be encouraged, but something that is obviously crap should NOT be encouraged. Take a look at the current gaming market and decide for yourself.

Lastly, combat is not animated. I'm sorry, this is 2012. I don't care if the game is indie, with today's tech it is possible for indies to make animated combat as well. See Grimrock, Eschalon, et al.

 

[DraQ]

dancingandharia.gif

 

[Sensuki]

Interview here: http://www.redbull.com/uk/en/stories/1331595941496/paper-sorcerer-video-game-drawn-by-hand

 

[Mrowak]

First, battle mechanics: There are no to-hit rolls [all attacks always hit, except for special abilities that give a chance to dodge], instead all characters have a defense bar, which reduces incoming damage by a static number, for example, if you have a defense of 6, it'll subtract 6 from every attack that hits you, and your defense meter will go down one.

I can't envision this being fun in a turn based game.

why not?

Sounds like battles will be all about outhealing damage and your damage per turn versus their damage per turn. Like certain HP-heavy JRPGs.

You mean, like Wizardry?

 

[rashiakas]

HP damage is the least useful thing in Wizardry.

 

[Luzur]

reminds me of Windows 3D maze...

 

[Stabwound]

What a bizarre choice in graphical style and I'm surprised he stuck with it. Looks like a fucking eyesore.

 

[Lady_Error]

Codex graphic whores: You are supposed to use your imagination and fill in the blanks. This is what made many of the classic RPG's so much fun, remember?

This game looks indeed a lot like Dark Spire, which is by far the best classic style RPG on the DS.

 

[Galdred]

Lastly, combat is not animated. I'm sorry, this is 2012. I don't care if the game is indie, with today's tech it is possible for indies to make animated combat as well. See Grimrock, Eschalon, et al.

Eador : Genesis combat was not animated either because sliding your guy towards the opponent cannot be qualified as a combat animation. Your point is?

 

[Mother Russia]

Wasn't this supposed to have been out by dec 2012?

Oh Kickstarter...

 

[Alchemist]

I backed this and have no regrets. The art style is perhaps not to everyone's taste, but I have huge respect for the guy making this. A one-man team doing all art and coding for an RPG / adventure in a little over a year is pretty damn impressive. Personally, I like the art style - it reminds me of old school pen & ink D&D art, Mike Mignola and Frank Miller, along with classic illustration as he mentions.

 

[tuluse]

Interview here: http://www.redbull.com/uk/en/stories/1331595941496/paper-sorcerer-video-game-drawn-by-hand

This game is looking pretty good. I didn't back it, but I'll strongly consider buying it when it comes out.

 

[Stabwound]

Codex graphic whores: You are supposed to use your imagination and fill in the blanks. This is what made many of the classic RPG's so much fun, remember?

This game looks indeed a lot like Dark Spire, which is by far the best classic style RPG on the DS.

The graphical style itself isn't bad, but it's killed by the two-tone thing. It's actually annoying t look at for me, and I'm by no means a graphic whore. It feels like playing a game on a monochrome monitor, and even Wizardry 1 had color.

I'll play the game, but even some simple color and not black/beige would have made it look much more appealing.

 

[Metro]

It's a small project done by one guy, right? Style is fine as is the lack of animations. He's not asking $50 or even $30 or even $15. Maybe $5? I think the KS game-tier was like $3.

 

[Burning Bridges]

If we suppose this game is good, it would be much better without this annoying filter. If you are colorblind perhaps .. But playing on an amber screen was no fun in 1986 and it still isn't in 2013.

 

[Crooked Bee]

I dunno, personally I love the way this game looks, stylish and crisp at the same time. My gripe is actually not with the graphics, but the gameplay. I tried out the demo some time ago, and for a game so obviously inspired by Wizardry 4 the demo was incredibly, unbelievably dull and non-challenging. Which is a crime and a real shame if you ask me.

I can only hope the starting area isn't indicative of the full game, but if the demo is anything to go by I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[Dickie]

It's a small project done by one guy, right? Style is fine as is the lack of animations. He's not asking $50 or even $30 or even $15. Maybe $5? I think the KS game-tier was like $3.

Even if it were free and made by a dog, I wouldn't play a game that gave me a migraine after 30 minutes because it only uses one color.

 

[tuluse]

I think the game looks cool. It's like the old AD&D (and probably other system's) illustrations.

 

[Metro]

It's a small project done by one guy, right? Style is fine as is the lack of animations. He's not asking $50 or even $30 or even $15. Maybe $5? I think the KS game-tier was like $3.

Even if it were free and made by a dog, I wouldn't play a game that gave me a migraine after 30 minutes because it only uses one color.

Might want to see a neurologist. Ever read books? Not much color variation there, either.

 

[Modron]

If monochrome really bothers him, someone should introduce him to a virtual boy that shit would fry his brain.

 

[Dickie]

It's a small project done by one guy, right? Style is fine as is the lack of animations. He's not asking $50 or even $30 or even $15. Maybe $5? I think the KS game-tier was like $3.

Even if it were free and made by a dog, I wouldn't play a game that gave me a migraine after 30 minutes because it only uses one color.

Might want to see a neurologist. Ever read books? Not much color variation there, either.

Reading black words on a white page is a bit different from trying to pick out shapes that don't really stand out from the background or other images they're in front of. It'd be more like reading a book that was printed over the pages of another book.

If monochrome really bothers him, someone should introduce him to a virtual boy that shit would fry his brain.

Yeah, I tried using one once for a few minutes. I thought it was more of a torture device than a gaming device.

 

[Crooked Bee]

So there's been an update to this: http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22169 -- and apparently the game's scheduled for release really really soon.

The release has been announced for late October.

And to help spread the word around, Ultra Runaway Games is running a giveaway for free copies: bit.ly/16cYX0x

Free Web demo has been updated: www.ultrarunaway.com/web-demo.html

PC/Mac/Linux download on the same page if you prefer unzipping a folder and laying.

New screenshots: www.imgur.com/a/GTnYz

Description:
Fans of classic, western-style first-person role playing games are invited to discover Paper Sorcerer for PC/Mac/Linux/iOS/Android, a single player turn based RPG focused on strategy, party-building, and environmental puzzles. Fight with the skills and spells you've learned in a battle system that emphasizes strategy over grinding. Assemble a party of monsters and dark creatures to fight alongside you. Explore and solve environmental puzzles to unlock secret paths and find extra loot! A double-sided adventure, an RPG with adventure game elements.

Story:
A powerful sorcerer is on the cusp of dominating the land. A group of heroes bands together and seals him away inside a magical tome. Now as the sorcerer you must escape from this ancient prison and find a way to regain your magical powers using your wits and an array of summonable creatures to aid you. There may be more powerful forces at work as you navigate the dungeons and fight the heroes sent to subdue you…

Key Features:
-Play as a renegade sorcerer as he struggles to escape the book prison and regain his powers.
-Escape a magical prison filled with heroes hunting you down at every turn.
-Leave behind mana and to-hit rolls for an exciting new battle system that emphasizes strategy and tactics over grinding.
-Strategically manage an energy pool to unleash devastating special attacks in battle.
-Assemble a party of fiendish creatures to join you as allies in battle.
-Numerous different creatures and fiends to unlock, further customizing your party; including a healer Witch, a trickster Imp, assassin Troll, and a berserker Minotaur.
-Discover fiendish puzzles and solve them with a combinations of spells, items, and your wits.
-Hand-drawn high-resolution sprites
-DRM-free for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android
-All-inclusive game, promise to never make you pay for DLC content.​

I've already pre-ordered it; here's hoping I find some time to actually play it at length in November. As you can see in my post above, the demo didn't really appeal to me, but I just can't help preordering a Wiz4-inspired game.