Today’s Spotlight is Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond, an Indonesian RPG inspired by old school JRPGs by Ekuator Games, Agate, and Digital Tribe.

Realms Beyond is the second game in the Celestian Tales series, which started with 2015’s Celestian Tales: Old North. While set in the same world, the story takes place nine years later, and is self-contained enough that you don’t need to play the first game to understand it.

The game follows a group of six knights tasked with protecting the heir to the throne. The story of Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond promises to be less about saving the world from some all-consuming evil force, and more about trying to survive the intrigue and backstabbing rife within the kingdom’s political establishment.

You can find the Coming Soon trailer, and almost 30 minutes of gameplay below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VagZ95ad0dA

Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond is available on Windows PC via Steam for $14.99. It is also slated to release on GOG today, but it is not currently available at this time of writing.

You can find a rundown of the game (via Steam) below:

Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond is a beautifully hand-painted RPG set in a world of questionable morals much like our own. Follow the journey of six Companions, knights sworn to serve and protect the heir of a noble house, as they rise and fall in their struggle to survive a world where one’s true enemies are often their closest allies.

A NEW ENTRY INTO THE REALM OF CELESTIAN TALES
Haven’t played the previous games? No problem! Although the characters and setting will be familiar, nine years have passed in the story and this game stands on its own.

Key Features
A TALE WITHOUT SIMPLE RIGHTS OR WRONGS
There is no world-eating evil to slay, no force of true good in play. Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond is a story of humanity taking shape in a fantasy world, of people pitted against people with clashing ideals and values.

• In a quest to stay by your liege, malicious intrigues and conflicting moral principles may stretch your trust in others
• A story of the natures of humanity in a world also inhabited by elves, faeries, and giants.
• Opposing points of view clash with no clear rights or wrongs, and you make your choice where it counts.

A BEAUTIFUL HAND DRAWN WORLD

Combining watercolor-inspired environmental art with pixel animations, the world of Celestian Tales elevates the tried and true painstakingly hand-drawn game-making to modern standards.

• Detailed sprites crafted pixel-by-pixel and frame-by-frame take classic methods to new heights.
• Illustrated character portraits with emotional facial expressions to immerse you in the thought-provoking dialogues.

PLAY IT HOW YOU WANT
Nobody plays alike. That’s why RPGs have parties, right? So whether you’re on the ‘kill it before it kills you’ train, or in the ‘slowly but surely’ camp, you can create your own perfect party and skill composition to get through difficult fights.

• Think two or three steps forward in Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond’s turn-based combat and utilize all the advantages you have.
• Six characters with unique skills and equipment to be mixed-and-matched to fit into your personal team strategy.
• Story plays into combat with new skills embodying each character’s personality unlocking as the story progresses.
• Difficulty settings that allow all to enjoy the game, lore-explorers and challenge-seekers alike.

A COMBAT SYSTEM THAT APPRECIATES YOUR TIME
We get it, you have a busy life and a lot of stuff competes for your time and attention. We’re simply not the kids we used to be, with loads of free time to splurge on grinding for levels or items. We know that feeling – and Celestian Tales is made for people like us.

• Skip the fight-just-too-damn-many-random-encounters! Slither away from them as you like as each encounter is yours to choose. Or just plow through everything in your path if you feel like it.
• Also skip the boring drink-some-potions-after-each-battle and heal-party-every-now-and-then part. Stats reset by the end of each battle, so you can hit the road right away fresh and dandy.
• Ever thought that encounters that end in two hits (sometimes one!) suck big time? In Celestian Tales each combat encounter is designed to make you think about your next steps. Even against common enemies, mindlessly whacking away can be a recipe for defeat.
• All three combinations above let us design battles that matter. So no more enemies soaking your time mashing the normal attack button because you want to save those mana points for the actually important fights.

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