With all of the commotion surround Underworld Ascendant and the closure of Seven Dragon Saga‘s Kickstarter, even the most rabid CRPG might have missed Whalenought Studios’ Serpent in the Staglands. If you haven’t (Or if you did, even), you’ll be happy to hear that a recent Kickstarter update has revealed the game’s official release date to be next month on May 18th.
Looking remarkably similar to Ultima 8 in its art style, the game is actually a bit more modern than its looks would imply, since it uses a combat system similar to the one used in Baldur’s Gate and, most recently, Pillars of Eternity. The only difference is, of course, the highly animated sprite work that gives it that DOS-era look even though its roots are firmly planted in the late 90s, gameplay-wise.
This combination seems to be exactly what the developers were going for, which is evident in their description of the soon-to-be-released CRPG:
The real time combat is frenetic and can often turn into an onslaught of magical assaults and frenzied attacks as soon as it starts, so the ability to pause the game at any time to issue out orders (or get a grip on your party’s situation) can be welcome relief. Though you become more powerful and earn more skills as you progress, the range of dice roll outcomes grows larger and more unpredictable. This creates variety and cultivates the need to strategize in order to survive. Our combat system is meant to be a challenge; death can always be around the corner.
The art process allows for us to keep our characters unique with lots of details, armor sets, and enough fabulous cloaks to keep warm and stylish in the coldest of blizzards. We love seeing small details, so every one of our animations, like our backgrounds, are hand-drawn frame by frame. We plan on having 8 main armor sets with color/cloak color variations, and plenty of unique weapons and equipment. We meticulously designed all the menus and art to be as interesting and thematic as possible for your viewing pleasure while playing.
The game will be released on PC, Mac and Linux platforms and has a Steam Greenlight Page as well as a GOG Wishlist for those who prefer the non-DRM path.
