The War of Ashird Kickstarter is now live, with the campaign revealing more information about Igdrasil Studio’s and Kumiho Soft’s JRPG.

Originally teased back in October 2019 by publisher Igrasil Studio, and finally getting new information via a new website last week, the game had already listed a release date for Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4. Yesterday developer Kumiho Soft announced the game would undertake a Kickstarter campaign.

That campaign is now live, seeking $82,000 over the next 29 days. While we knew some information on the game thanks the recently launched official website, we have learned more thanks to the Kickstarter campaign.

The Game

Normal battles will take place on a grid, with up to seven characters fighting against enemy armies. Turns alternate between you and the AI, allowing you to move all your characters in one turn.

However, boss battles, laying siege to a castle, or conquering new territory will use a turn-based battle system “similar to Final Fantasy or Persona.” These battles feature only three party members, and presumably have no movement.

Each nation you play as or oppose will also have their own mechanics to make their armies and cultures stand apart.

“The Kingdom of Ceredia doesn’t use magic, so their soldiers don’t have MP (Mana Points), instead, they use AP (Action Points) to deal more damage! However, certain characters have demonic weapons with mighty skills. The Free Cities’ Alliance—as a union of several smaller settlements—does not have a real army and instead uses mercenaries. Some of them are mages, who use MP to unleash powerful spells and summon familiars in battle. The Prisean Empire is the oldest nation on the continent, so their combat system mixes both AP and MP. In addition, their main characters can use unique powers from certain artifacts”.

As players own their own land and castle, they will also acquire one of four maids to help look after the place. More information about the maids will become apparent as the Kickstarter campaign progresses. Certain missions are also implied to have different endings, which in turn “shape your character as the game goes on.”

Players can visit 20 cities (as well as hidden locations), and interact with over 20 playable characters. Each day of the Kickstarter campaign will reveal a new character. The Prisea Empire only has one member revealed as of this time of writing, for example. During the backer rewards, it is also revealed that “every character in the game” will have a character quest.

The game is being developed in the Unity engine (and has been for three years at this point), with the soundtrack by Japanese composer Andy Hiroyuki. The game’s OST will feature 50 tracks, and you can find four samples of the soundtrack on the Kickstarter page.

Each character will also have partial Japanese voice acting. You can find the voice lines of Shimazu Mayumi (of the Kingdom of Ceredia) below.

The Kickstarter campaign also reveals the development team aim to “make demos available to our backers by the end of this year, and Early Access versions in early 2021.” The game will support English, Japanese, and Chinese languages.

The Stretch Goals

So far, there are only a handful of stretch goals, with the implication that more will be revealed as goals are reached. At $120,000, the Ancient Dungeon will be added, a “bonus location” that promises an additional 10 hours of gameplay. $150,000 will expand the castle management system “so you’ll feel like a true king.”

The $180,000 stretch goal is currently unknown. However, the Kickstarter implies when it is reached, “we’ll be able to discover it (and additional goals) together?”

Rewards

Rewards include the following:

• HD wallpapers
• A digital version of the game’s soundtrack (in FLAC and MP3 formats)
• All additional DLCs for free
• Access to a backer-Exclusive demo.
• A 15-page Wonderland of Ashird digital artbook by Satchely (featuring the characters “in their daily lives,” and in a state of partial undress)- available digitally
• Your name being added to the Hall of Fame (where warriors who died fighting the Demon King in the game’s lore are recorded)
• The Backer’s Adventure Pack (exclusive DLC containing the Backer’s Sword, Backer Armor, and Backer Rune). “By pledging to certain tiers, you can obtain one item ($100), 2 items ($150), or even all three ($200) alongside your other rewards.”
• Naming a Soldier (be it an NPC, or enemy)
• Hero of Ashird – Create your own NPC complete and its own character quest. This character could also offer services to the player, such as a shop or character upgrades.
• An autographed digital image drawn by Satchely (the game’s artist, and artist for Doki Doki Literature Club)

Other rewards include official Discord server access with exclusive titles and a private chat with the developers, and a copy of the game.

As of this time of writing, the Kickstarter has raised $14,813 USD out of its $82,000 USD goal, with 29 days remaining.

War of Ashird launches 2021 on Windows PC (via Steam), and 2022 on Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4.