Winding up what’s looking to be a really productive development cycle, here are six more videos from Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox, set to hit PC’s very soon. The promise of infinite play here is quite compelling and as you can see here, the game is looking quite excellent for what’s basically a fan-made project. Well, some VERY dedicated fans of classic PC role-playing games
More after the jump!
Here’s a longer look at Malevolence: Sword of Ahkranox along with some good news from the game’s blog. It looks as if we’ll be seeing a beta announcement pretty soon (once some kinks are worked out), which means I can hopefully play a small chunk of this game in preparation for the final build. It’s amazing how fast time flies under regular circumstances, but somehow it seems to be crawling along when it comes to this game winding down the development process and being as done as done can be. Then again, I’d bet that time is probably rushing by for the folks working hard on making this one of the better indie RPGs on the way. Oh yeah, the official game site is also supposed to get a redesign, so it looks as if the game is coming on schedule for that December 21 launch…
Two more impressive videos from Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox and a helpful post link to the official blog that answers some of the burning questions about how this game is getting done despite its creator also working full time. Every creative person needs a nice kick in the ass every so often, so this is a nice read that’s motivating, I say. Go check it out if you’re wondering or always stuck in low gear on whatever you’re working on (well, after you watch the game in progress in action above and below)…
Slowly but surely, Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox is shaping up to be an indie RPG well worth tracking down when it’s completed, no matter how it ends up being released. If I’m not mistaken, if you happen to have a Steam account (or want one) you can still vote for the game to get onto Valve’s download service as part of the Steam Greenlight project, and I’d say go for it if you like supporting indie games, 30+ hard working folks from all over the world and classic first-person PC RPGs of a super high quality for such a smallish team. I say they should be up there with the best of them, as the game is looking better and better each time I see a new video or set of screen shots.
OK, OK, I’ve been a bit swamped under other stuff, so I’ve been bad and not posting all the Malevolence updates I need to. Well, part of that is for some reason, YouTube hasn’t been informing me when a new video is uploaded and I’m way too occupied in some projects to keep poking around. Anyway, here’s a gameplay update from the 13th (above) and some not quite in sync audio to go with more gameplay.
I wish I was one of the lucky ones testing this game, but I can’t do that with my crappy connection, that’s for sure. Still, I’ll keep my paws crossed that the team does well enough to find a small publisher who can get this out on a disc at some point, as this is a game I really want to play (and has been for a while).
Sure, it’s not the Dr. Non-Evil millions that Double Fine or some of those other studios raked in for their projects (even though the team deserves a big chink of cash for all the work they’re doing here), but $7,365 for a 6K target and still two weeks left is not bad at all. The game is looking quite lovely so far and will definitely get better as that launch date approaches. I just saw on the Kickstarter page that an expansion is already in the works, but it will be based on where the donations head next. There are a few tiers based on 8K and 10K milestones, but a modest 20K plus is my wish for these guys and gals so they can do everything that they’ve planned and make lots of people happy.
OK, it’s only a few more in-progress buildings, and yes, the team is still hard at work, but hey – the game is looking better and better with each new video. I’m hoping these guys make their target and maybe even find a distributor like gog.com or even (eek) Origin (now that they threw out the offer to distribute any ready to go indie games). We shall see, I suppose. Anyway, keep an eyeball peeled for this one, as it’s going to be quite a nice throwback to the days of yore when it’s all done. And that’s a good thing, by the way!
Nice news from Down Under, as I just got the word that Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox is now a Kickstarter project. This great looking old-school turn-based RPG has gotten a few big pushes this past week or so thanks to a great and funny article that goes into game design and manages to bring Kevin Bacon into the mix without him actually being involved in the project. Er, go read it, as it makes more sense that me explaining it. Anyway, the new digs over at Kickstarter, plus the boost from Kevin Bacon (hee hee) has helped the game see a nice kick towards its goal, so go do the right thing and support these guys and gals! We need more Infinte RPGs like this, I say!
Hmmmm. While all that talk about indifference and snobbery amongst the hardcore crowd about supporting adventure games and indie games got a kick to the face thanks to crowdfunded Kickstarter projects such as Double Fine Adventure, Wasteland 2 and a few other excellent titles, it seems there’s some nose in the sky attitude from these supporters towards projects like this that deserve the same respect and attention. Hell, I wish I could give these guys what they need to complete their game and get it out to whomever wants to play it (which I’m sure would be a LOT more people if certain sites a great deal bigger than my lowly blog actually promoted the funding project). Clearly, this team has TALENT and is making a great game worth watching (and playing). But are they getting much love from the folks who SHOULD be waving the flag for games like this and sending money their way? Not enough, I say… (grrrr)… $6,000 to go. 11 days left.
I really love the gameplay speed in the video above, but it looks like that as well as the the bloom lighting effect have been sped all the way up for testing purposes. Don’t freak out over this, I say (as hopefully these will be adjustable in the final game). Anyway, check out what’s new to the game: more building types! Better water effects! Pigs! Sheep! OK, maybe I’m getting a wee bit too excited about such “mundane” stuff, but hey – I like it when a plan comes together, and this project is showing off some fine work by a very dedicated bunch of folks. Check out the new screenshots HERE and give ’til it hurts (a little) HERE.
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