Igrasil Studio have announced the Kickstarter for tactical JRPG War of Ashird has less than two days left, raising over $160,000 USD.
We had previously reported how Kumiho Soft had cancelled their Kickstarter with the intention to relaunch it. The reason was not elaborated upon, other than “mistakes” being made early in the project, which would be difficult to fix while the crowdfunding progressed.
The Kickstarter was later relaunched, being fully funded within 12 hours. The campaign initially just had three stretch goals, with more to be revealed later. These included a bonus location, expanding the castle management system, and implementing a crafting system.
The game’s third stretch goal was reached alarmingly quick, with a total of seven stretch goals. Along with new events for the player’s personal maid, other achieved stretch goals include three new genetic units, two additional playable characters, and ten hidden items hidden in the world.
Future stretch goals are earned at $170,000 USD (a Demonic Route New Game+), and $190,000 USD (a prologue chapter set during the Reign of the Demon King). In a recent update, the developers discussed the New Game+ mode in more detail.
“As mentioned on the main page, this is a mode without much of a story to speak of—where your main objective is to become the next Demon King. In this mode, you will have four demon generals and an army of basic demon units at your disposal, and will have to crush the three nations’ combined forces. In other words, there is only one objective: kill everyone standing in the way of your conquest.
This game mode is more like a challenge for advanced players. If you complete it, you’ll be rewarded with a bit of story at the end!”
As of this time of writing, the Kickstarter has raised $164,117 USD ($930 USD via PayPal) out of its $31,500 USD goal. You can find the rundown on characters revealed during the Kickstarter [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] below.
Snow
A Prisean general who commands the city of Arca, Snow is a long-ranged unit, with aim as true as her heart; with her bow, she rains down death on the Empire’s enemies.
George – The Mysterious Mercenary.
George is traveling around Alliance towns and can be met in various places. Although he doesn’t want to take part in the war, you can still recruit him if you’re persistent enough! His character events are more comedic, and provide some levity from the game’s more serious moments.
Kumiho-chan – Our Magnificent Mascot.
Kumiho-chan is a mystery. Although no one knows where she comes from, ancient artwork in Ineserine is reminiscent of her. Some think she’s a goddess in exile because countless statues, poems, and paintings have been made of similar-looking women; others think she’s a monster – a seductress that caused young men to disappear without a trace.
Personality-wise, she comes across as fairly bored and distant at first – preferring to let others talk instead of doing so herself. Deep down, however, she’s kind, strong, and flirtatious; when she’s excited or upset, she turns into a chibi.
Eriu the Shieldmaiden
Eriu is Gaven’s protégée, and protects Prisea using her legendary Cradle Shield. She was raised to be a shieldmaiden and is considered the best—but she never really had much of a choice in the matter. Although one would expect her to be incredibly guarded, she is easily flustered sometimes… provided you can push past her defenses, of course!
Jaques, The Titan
Living up to your parents’ expectations is never easy—and it’s even harder when your father is a great hero. At a glance, Jaques looks like any other Prisean aristocrat: spoiled, lazy, and surrounded by women and wine; despite his flippant attitude, however, he’s actually one of the world’s greatest warriors—and is more than worthy of being called “The Titan.” When he gets serious, he’s strong and fast; he knows every trick and the book and isn’t afraid to use them.
All is fair in love and war, after all.
Luna, The Crimson Viper
As the last member of an ancient order of assassins, young Luna trained under Jaques until she became a tool to eliminate targets with quick, surgical stabs. She offers her skills to the highest bidder and kills without so much as a shred of remorse; even still, a spark of honor dwells within her—and is waiting the day she finds a war worth fighting…
Astar
Some follow the path of the warrior. Some follow the path of the wizard.
Astar, however, chose both.
Most people see swords and spells as worlds apart—but she views them as two sides of the same coin, able to cut through even the sturdiest armor. Although Astar joined the army as a footsoldier, Jaques discovered her unusual talents and she quickly became one of Prisea’s most valuable assets.
She bears the scars of many duels—not just on her body, but on her soul. To her, every day is a challenge to meet head-on.
You can find the full rundown (via press kit) below.
Introduction
War of Ashird is a new project by Kumiho Soft, in cooperation with the Igrasil Studio development team. Igrasil’s first project (financed with the help of Kickstarter backers), Bloody Chronicles: New Cycle of Death, garnered “Very Positive” reviews on Steam.
Description
War of Ashird is a unique game that combines all the elements of SRPG and the elements of managing your castle. The story focus on a young boy who, by a twist of fate, becomes a key player in the war between three powerful nations: the Prisean Empire, the Kingdom of Ceredia, and the Free Cities’ Alliance. From his humble beginnings, our hero will rise in rank through his mighty deeds on the battlefield—until he commands an army of his own.
Your choices will shape his destiny, and the future of the Ashird as well…
Features
A unique hybrid of grid-based and turn-based combat: We play quite a few RPGs ourselves, so we know how important it is that the battles are exciting and feel unique! To accomplish this, War of Ashird uses a combination of systems: Normal battles are grid-based, with up to 7 characters engaging an enemy army. When fighting a boss, laying siege to a castle, or conquering new territory, however, the game uses a turn-based battle system with three party members instead.
A world full of possibilities: You can visit 20 cities, each with their own story, character events, and guild quests. By exploring all of them, maybe you’ll uncover some mysteries…?
A wide cast of playable characters: Interact with over 20 unique characters, each with their own events, personalities, and skills.
Own land and become lord of a castle: Who wouldn’t want to be master of their own domain—and who wouldn’t want to expand it further? But wait… if you have a castle, you’ll need a helpful maid to take care of it! As your rank rises in Ceredia, you’ll get your own land, a castle, and one of four lovely servants.
Forge your own story: You can decide how to finish certain tasks and missions, which will shape your character as the game goes on. Are you going to protect your kingdom, or are you going to destroy it—along with everything else? The choice is yours.
War of Ashird launches 2021 on Windows PC (via Steam), and 2022 on Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4.
