Legena: Union Tides - Gay Main Protagonist

I mentioned the new turn-based RPG kickstarter game Legena: Union Tides yesterday. It seems the developer have decided to include a gay protagonist, and serious themes.

Here is the short press release.

Legena series confirmed to have a gay main protagonist

During an interview with GayGamer, Grandpa Pixel confirmed that one of the main protagonists, Atesan Turwin is gay. They also stated that they wanted to bring in more LGBT ideas for the storyline as they felt it was ideal to have it in a series that explores time travel which allows them to explore how equality evolves over the course of centuries.

It was also confirmed that Atesan would have a darker story than most protagonists are exposed to. The developers felt that while they wanted Tetiro to be the protagonist that grows with the player, they wanted another main protagonist who has already experienced the rough parts of being a hero and an outcast. Something they know happens in other countries just because of their sexuality.

Legena: Union Tides is currently running a KickStarter for £5,000. The KickStarter can be found at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/971843557/legena-union-tides

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More information.

*applause*

Well, not surprised over here. Since Gamer actually means gay-man ergo points to being gay.

I would be surprised if this even makes 5k pounds. The rpg community is already very small, generally people dont relate to gay men easily and it looks crappy. I have a feeling this is the ubisoft guy who said that they cant make an aaa game male lead just yet trying ot show that they cant make an indie game either.

Black Rune said:

Well, not surprised over here. Since Gamer actually means gay-man ergo points to being gay.

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I see what you did there.

Two things going against this game for me and they have nothing to do with sexual orientation.

1) Nintendo style graphics. Never liked the style and at the height of its popularity back in the day, I was begging for the time when graphics would move beyond them.

2) I have yet to pledge to a Kickstarter that uses pounds. I've missed a couple of nice games in Kickstarter but as our former prez said "aint ganna do it." If I like the game, I'll just "star" the game and wait until it's released.

Why gay ? Why not lesbian ?

Can't wait for the first game to have a crippled, black, bisexual, multigender protagonist.

That will certainly take gaming to a whole new level.

vurt said:

Can't wait for the first game to have a crippled, black, bisexual, multigender protagonist.

That will certainly take gaming to a whole new level.

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with ADHD

I wouldn't mind playing a guy in a wheelchair with a rocket launcher mount.

I want a game with a sterile albino geriatric. Oh wait, there is one

If I can play a game as a woman (which I sometimes do) I have no issues playing a game as a gay man unless it is overtly sexual in tone. The story/characters would have to be really good to overcome the dodgy visuals here though.

crpgnut said:

I want a game with a sterile albino geriatric. Oh wait, there is one

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What game is that? Commander blood?

And if anyone was wondering where this game is four years later, here is your answer:


And so, the Adventure concludes...



Posted by Grandpa Pixel (Creator)






It's been a very long time everyone!

I am so sorry to have kept you all waiting. I know it has been far too long. I expect you all are wondering how the project is coming along? You know Legena 2? Well for a long time it has been coming along great. Hence the silence for over a year.

But sadly I wish the news was on greater terms. In short, I am quitting Game Development for good. But I want to take the time to explain everything as I owe you and myself the reasons why. It's hard to explain (harder for me emotionally) but I hope you'll understand.

Ups and Downs

Ever since starting Legena all those years ago, it has remained a staple in my life. Whether it was this iteration or the one before. I loved doing it as it distracted me from the downs of my life.

In a way, you could say it was my way of coping with the bad parts of my life. But as my ambitions for the project got bigger, it took more and more time. Time which I should have spent in other places.

I ignored my friends, my family and even my own health at times just to focus on the project. After Legena 1, I immediately started working on Legena 2 to make it happen.

Now had there been no real change in my life I never expected to happen. Mainly because of my esteem issues.

I Met Somewhere Special

In August of 2015, I met a guy after one too many bad dates. I simply wanted a friend at this point. Little did I know that he would care for me so much that we became a couple and would still be dating to this day.

He is everything I wished for in my partner. A software programmer like me! We spent most of our weekends together having the best of times. But then...time is a limited factor.

Depression and Exhaustion

I couldn't give up on Legena 2. I guess it was an obsession. So I doubled down in my evenings making it work. I ignored my friends in the evenings even more to work on it. At the weekends if I wasn't with my partner I was working myself to the bone on it. Eventually, my body and mind decided it had enough.

November last year I was drained and exhausted. I was suffering what is commonly known as depression as well. It took a therapist to find out there was more to it.

It doesn't help the gaming community chews up and spits out games for every small "bad" detail. It sent my esteem-anxiety off the charts as it made me worry about my own game. It was a brain nightmare.

By this point, there was only two of us left working on Legena 2. 2 of our team would return eventually but by then the damage was done. But I kept on going.

Eventually I got a therapist and she helped me realize I have a "black-and-white" perspective. I can only see either as an indie or a family person.

It makes sense. The project had become an obsession which took over my life. And it would have done had the final nail not kicked in...

Game Development isn't for me

A couple of weeks before my birthday in May, I got word from my doctor I might have Lymphoma (cancer). It sent me over the edge. I became an emotional wreck. As I sat an entire weekend worrying about the results, I contemplated what my life will be known for. And surprisingly most of my achievements have been outside of the project.

Fortunately as of this moment, I don't have cancer. But my mind was no longer in a right state to work. So I told myself. Take a month off. See how you feel. Can you live without Legena and will you be happier? That was two months ago. I have never been better since. It is now I finally accept I am not cut out for Game Development.

What does this mean for Legena?

Unfortunately it is dead. I have decided to move on and live my life happy and joyful. It means giving up on a dream but the alternative is worse. I now spend so much time on myself. I have a fantastic relationship with my family. And my partner and I are now talking about a future together and are even closer.

It's time for me to focus on what I need not what I want. And that is to focus on my wellbeing. It's a shame about Legena 2 as looking back it would have been fantastic! But it is the right choice. A game with no heart isn't a game worth playing at all.

What does that mean to you?

Well the first thing is to shut down my business. I will need to shut down all the accounts (Steam, Bank, etc) and let the officials know I am no longer trading.

But after that I feel you, the supporters should not be out of pocket for this. It may take a while, but I plan on working overtime and saving up from my own personal funds to repay every single one of you.

That's right, regardless of whether or not your pledge was fulfilled, I want to repay you all.

I don't know how long it will take. Months. Years. Or even if it will happen. Legena 2 took a lot of costs and in terms of my own gains, I am at a financial lost as a result (games are expensive to make and Legena 1 did not return as much as I hoped). But I will try even if it takes me years. It's the right thing to do.

Without being forced to build Legena 2 and 3 for you all, I'd never have been pushed to a satisfying conclusion in my Game Development career.

Thank you everyone.

I really am sorry I could not finish the project. It would have been great. But I am sure considering all I have been through you'll agree it is the right choice.

Happy Gaming everyone! And thank you. Thank you.


Apologies for the ancient revival.

Oddly I didn't notice this thread before which is kinda not possible, I tend to peek inside all outside of P&R and ignore stuff that's of no interest to me.

The project was planned on these platforms:

Windows, Android and OUYA. The GameStick will be next on our list followed by iOS and then PS3, PS4 and PSVita!

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I'd never ever back something like that.
And now it's gone. Good riddance.

Note that I didn't even bother to analyze it's actual content seeing it follows other KS multiplatform cashgrabs blueprint.

Considering the utter lack of communication over the past four to five years, I'm guessing no one will be surprised. Honestly, I never expected to hear a conclusion on this hot mess, and was quite stunned to actually get an update.