Elysian Shadows - A New Indie 2D RPG

Couchpotato

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he developers of Elysian Shadows have sent out a new press release with information the games kickstarter is now live. Here are the details from the press release.

Discover A World Separated By Magic and Technology

Elysian Shadows is an indie 2D RPG being developed for Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iOS, Ouya and Sega Dreamcast. We fuse aspects of 16-bit classical RPGs such as Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, and Final Fantasy, with a highly stylized, modern vision by using dynamic lighting, physics, and audio engines along with swapping between 2D and 3D perspectives. Our goal is to create a "next-gen" 2D RPG in terms of gameplay, graphics, and audio while still remaining true to the games that inspired us to become developers.

We have been documenting the development of Elysian Shadows for nearly 7 years since 2007 and the videos have been uploaded to our YouTube channel in Chapters http://youtube.com/gyrovorbis

We have a Kickstarter campaign planned to launched this coming Summer. We have a dedicated page on our website at http://elysianshadows.com/kickstarter/

Story

Elysian Shadows takes place in a world caught in constant conflict between magic and technology. The gift of magic is bestowed upon loyal followers of The Creator, while the nonreligious sects of society are forced to rely upon technological advances in their daily lives. Upon uncovering a mysterious artifact deep within one of the ancient ruins scattered throughout the land, Julien and friends find themselves thrust into the middle of this mounting conflict, and they must now solve the mystery of the ancient civilizations to prevent the destruction of their own.

Visit our official website http://elysianshadows.com

What Makes Elysian Shadows The Next Generation of 2D RPG's?

With Elysian Shadows, we want to push the boundaries of pixel art by creating diverse, lush environments for players to explore with beautifully lit scenes and advanced rendering effects that could not have been possible on older hardware. Our goal is to create a gigantic, open world with a Zelda-style emphasis on exploration and environmental interaction while still retaining the rich storyline and combat mechanics of a full-fledged RPG. Combat is fast, fluid, and action-oriented, sporting particle effects, rigid-body physics, and advanced AI, while simultaneously offering tactical and strategic depth through character customization, unlockable abilities and techniques, and an advanced class system.

Let's take a look at some of the features of Elysian Shadows:

· 2D/3D Dynamic Camera
· Dynamic Lighting w/ Bump and Specular Mapping
· 3D Positional Sound Effects
· Dynamic Music, Influenced by Environment
· Dozens of Vast, Open Worlds to Explore
· Hundreds of Items, Weapons, Equipment and Armor
· Real-time Combat Engine
· Customizable Characters
· In-depth Class/Job System
· Full Rigid Body Physics
· 3D Particle Engine
· Day/Night System
· Transfer Save Files Between Platforms
· Full Controller Support for PC/Mac/Linux
· Supports Keyboard, VMU, Rumble Pack, VGA & SD Card for Dreamcast

Before you start wondering, Elysian Shadows is planned for release on PC, Mac, Linux, iOS & Android (smartphones and tablets), Ouya and Dreamcast. This project originally started as a Dreamcast exclusive but with the advancements of our proprietary game engine and toolkit it allowed us to build Elysian Shadows for other platforms.
More information.
 
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Another great win for Generic Fantasy Name Generator!
 
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Err, it actually says the Kickstarter will launch this summer... it isn't live yet.

Game concept sounds kinda interesting to me, but is definitely something I'd want to have a playable demo of before deciding to back. It's easy to say "this will be just the classic 16-bit RPGs like Chrono Trigger- only better!" but actually delivering on that won't be easy.
 
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Thanks for the coverage, rpgwatch! I'm the lead engine/toolkit developer for ES, Falco Girgis.

screeg said:
Another great win for Generic Fantasy Name Generator!
Actually the name is an oxymoron in reference to the "shadows of paradise," which is not only extremely relevant to our storyline, but it also emphasizes the over-arching themes of the game…

daveyd said:
It's easy to say "this will be just the classic 16-bit RPGs like Chrono Trigger- only better!" but actually delivering on that won't be easy.
You're absolutely right. We're a team of extremely passionate engineers, artists, and musicians, who all grew up playing these classic games… We're all committed to doing them justice with our own project. We spent several years developing an engine and development suite from the ground-up, capable of pushing the pixel-art medium to its limits. We want to evolve the genre. We are marrying traditional 2D pixeled sprites and advanced rendering techniques like dynamic lighting, omnidirectional dynamic shadows, bump mapping, and specular highlights.

julien_loren_tour.jpg

BumpyMuseum.png

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particle3DForce.png


If you have any questions (or doubts) about the project, feel free to let me know… Please check out our site and video series before passing judgement… This is a very serious and ambitious project, fueled by blood, sweat, and tears.
 
Hey guys,

We have a major update on the games development with details and examples of gameplay mechanics. We have released the latest chapter in our YouTube series "Adventures in Game Development" so if you have a spare hour then please watch it and let us know what you think.

Some of the things covered are:

Megaman X inspired dash with jumping ability.
Environment interaction mechanics.
3D area transitions
Dynamic camera
Scripting NPC's with dialogue relevant to the story.
Combat system.
Updated dynamic lighting engine.
Updated particle engine.

I will also include some fresh new screenshots:

Screen-Shot-2014-05-17-at-6.53.04-AM.png


10374870_737603499616631_6083791896817357667_n.png


Screen-Shot-2014-05-18-at-7.19.41-PM.png


Thank you for your continued support. Please check out our website at http://elysianshadows.com and let us know what you think of our beloved game :D
 
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