Ringlorn Saga - action RPG inspired by Japanese PC classics from zwanzig_zwoelf

[LESS T_T]

zwanzig_zwoelf now pours and blurs pixels instead of aligning lines on 3D.

Ringlorn Saga, "an adventure RPG inspired by the Japanese PC classics":

Ringlorn Saga is an adventure RPG inspired by the Japanese PC classics. Prince Gerhard the Brave embarks on a journey to the neighboring land to investigate the appearance of a magic barrier that surrounds it and his father's disappearance.

• A short-but-sweet Action RPG that won't hold your hand nor waste your time
• Explore the world, find new gear and valuable items, and get stronger while fighting a variety of enemies
• Stumble upon hidden events and quests
• Simple but nuanced mechanics and controls
• 8-bit style visuals and sound inspired by MSX
• CRT filter for an authentic retro experience
• If you ever get lost, have a drink with the bard

 

[Infinitron]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2135990/view/3284837515877893371

DevLog #1
Hi everyone!
In our first DevLog, we'd like to introduce our new project "Ringlorn Saga" and talk about the thought process behind this game.

What is Ringlorn Saga?
It is a top-down adventure RPG with an open world that wraps around itself and the bump combat system. As Prince Gerhard the Brave, you explore the world, crawl through dungeons, find useful items, talk to NPCs for additional information, and slay fiends to get stronger. Your goal is to find your father and investigate the appearance of a magical barrier.

It’s a simple concept, but effective for what we are aiming to do — an RPG that anyone can pick up and play, but spend quite some time finding everything it has to offer, and still wonder if they’ve found everything the game has to offer after finishing it.

Its main source of inspiration is the Hydlide series, a classic series in Japan that got poor reception in the West for a variety of reasons, but mostly due to poor timing — the NES port came out three years after the original, and by that time Legend of Zelda came out and surpassed it.

Why an 8-bit style Action RPG?
Our fans will notice that Ringlorn Saga is a bit of an oddball in our portfolio, as it’s our first project that doesn’t rely on vector / polygonal graphics. It’s also an Action RPG, which is another new thing for us, as prior to that the only action games we’ve developed were Phantom 3D and NeuroWorm.

To put it simply, we’ve decided to try something different. Despite having tons of ideas for the DG series and the DRPG genre, after dedicating 5 years to it with minor distractions, we felt that we were falling into the trap of incremental improvements between games as we didn’t have the resources to make huge leaps forward like we initially planned to.

There are so many games out there, what’s special about this one?
RPGs tend to focus on epic stories that can easily take up to 60+ hours of your time. Ringlorn Saga is aiming towards a short-but-sweet adventure that will keep you occupied for about 6 hours, without any meaningless padding.

And yet, Ringlorn Saga also aims to bring back the feeling of wonder that many of us have experienced while playing these old games. Like seeing a structure in the distance and working our way there, wondering what awaits us inside, wondering if this journey will bring us closer to our goals.

This is what, in our opinion, makes it special.

In future DevLogs, we'll discuss the game and world design. If there’s anything you want to see in the next DevLog, please let us know.

 

[lightbane]

From a japanese inspired dungeon rpg to a proper action jrpg. With actual colors even!
Will a FF-esque JRPG game with insufferable teenager protagonists be the next step?

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Will a FF-esque JRPG game with insufferable teenager protagonists be the next step?

FF-esque? Never.

SaGa-esque? Likely.

Unlimited SaGa-esque? Now THAT sounds like my jam.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

How come it doesn't have Cyberpunk 2077-level graphics? Stop slacking off Zooelf!

Just kidding, good luck with it, looks early Zelda-esque

 

[lightbane]

Careful that this doesn't get moved into the JRPG subforum without warning. It happened for less and even for gmaes that are not remotely Japanese at all.

 

[Chanel Oberlin]

Looks interesting!

Even though it's inspired on Hydlide, the graphics make it look like a Master System game. Visually it reminds me more of Golden Axe Warrior than Hydlilde games.

Any word on final pricing?

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Any word on final pricing?

$7.99 for the base game, $4.99 for the soundtrack.

 

[Infinitron]

Exploring the dungeon to find better gear and putting it to good use.

Prince Gerhard the Brave embarks on a journey to the neighboring land to investigate the appearance of a magic barrier and his father's disappearance.

 

[lightbane]

I'm still surprised Infiejew is letting this Action JRPG stay in the RPG subforum (not that you lose much anyway).

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Out now.

 

[lightbane]

Wow, that was fast! A bit too fast, as I have a lot in my plate currently. Congrats either way! Now you can do full VGA colors and a soundtrack that doesn't sound like an angry cat stuck into a blender! For good and bad.

 

[Grauken]

Really addictive gameplay. I never liked the Ys/Hydlide combat system of bumping-into-enemies but here it works for me.

 

[Bad Sector]

Out now.

Neat, bought it. Nice to see it doesn't need Steam to work and there is a Linux version (though i did backup both the Linux and the Windows versions since i trust Wine to work in 10 years more than whatever Linux libraries Unity relies on :-P).

I only checked it out for a bit to see how it feels, i am in the middle of a few other games so i'll play it properly later.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Nice to see it doesn't need Steam to work and there is a Linux version

I tend to avoid tying games to any DRM/storefront, NeuroWorm was the only exception 'cause I didn't direct it and wanted to experiment with Steam features a bit.

Linux has always had a not-insignificant % of sales and a nice community to justify the work put into the port.

 

[CryptRat]

Spoiler

I completed the game, the game gives exactly what's promised, an open overworld with some caves and NPCs accessible from the start or so, and some main dungeons you must gain access to in chronological order. Combat is slow bump, with different enemies weak to a different attack type from the 3 available, no need for action reflexes and difficulty is how you make it, rushing through enemies or killing everything on sight for experience which will allow some mistakes and prevent you from dying in some rare case of sorcerers stunning you on the wrong spot. The music is pretty good.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Spoiler

I completed the game, the game gives exactly what's promised, an open overworld with some caves and NPCs accessible from the start or so, and some main dungeons you must gain access to in chronological order. Combat is slow bump, with different enemies weak to a different attack type from the 3 available, no need for action reflexes and difficulty is how you make it, rushing through enemies or killing everything on sight for experience which will allow some mistakes and prevent you from dying in some rare case of sorcerers stunning you on the wrong spot. The music is pretty good.

Congratulations!

I strongly suggest playing through the bonus dungeon if you want more. It's not too long (~30 minutes or so), but it changes the rules quite a bit.

 

[Grauken]

what I mapped of the world so far (I assume its 5x5 screens like the original Hydlide)

Spoiler

 

[CryptRat]

Hehe, here was mine :

Spoiler

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

If you have something to say about the game, consider writing a review on Steam.

That'll help a ton.

what I mapped of the world so far (I assume its 5x5 screens like the original Hydline)

Spoiler

Hehe, here was mine :

Spoiler

Nice maps! The world is 5x5 indeed, like in the original Hydlide.

 

[Nutmeg]

Congrats on the release zwanzig_zwoelf

 

[EyesOnYou]

Oh, that's from Geisterschiff crawler author.
Congratulations with relelease!

 

[Grauken]

here's the full world map (wraps around the corners like Hydlide)

Spoiler

 

[Grauken]

Spoiler

I completed the game, the game gives exactly what's promised, an open overworld with some caves and NPCs accessible from the start or so, and some main dungeons you must gain access to in chronological order. Combat is slow bump, with different enemies weak to a different attack type from the 3 available, no need for action reflexes and difficulty is how you make it, rushing through enemies or killing everything on sight for experience which will allow some mistakes and prevent you from dying in some rare case of sorcerers stunning you on the wrong spot. The music is pretty good.

I think I may have been a bit over-leveled at the end

Spoiler

 

[Grauken]

I strongly suggest playing through the bonus dungeon if you want more. It's not too long (~30 minutes or so), but it changes the rules quite a bit.

Spoiler