Interview: Kristala Dev Discusses Episodic Structure, Sekiro Inspirations, and Journey to Release
In an interview with Game Rant, Astral Clocktower Studios teased the Early Access date announcement for their Sekiro-like cat adventure Kristala.
Metalheads, cat lovers, and fans of punishing ARPGs should all keep a feline ear to the ground in May, as developer Astral Clockwork Studios will be announcing when players can get their hands on the upcoming Sekirolike Kristala.
Fighting against an enigmatic curse, bosses voiced by deathcore metal vocalists, and five other Raksakkars, players will engage in a less-than-peaceful pilgrimage to join the illustrious ranks of the Raksaka and unravel the mysteries of Ailur. Game Rant spoke to Astral Clocktower Studios' founder and Kristala producer Alexis Brutman as the company prepares to announce an Early Access launch date. Brutman explained the game's episodic structure, the vast world, and the language Astral Clocktower created for its game. The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: So... why cats?
Brutman: Well, there's a couple of reasons. I've two partners at Astral Clocktower, but when Tiffany [Gomez] and I originally started, it was just her and I. We were bouncing ideas off of what kind of each other about what kind of game we wanted to make: my idea was a soulslike kind of idea, her idea was a cutesy adventure game about a cat. So we thought, okay, that makes the most sense. Let's do that.
Then instead, we did a hybrid of the two games, and made a cat soulslike.
Part of the reason why we did that was because it allowed for more interesting mechanics. There's a million soulslikes out there, but only one where you can be a cat. And that gives us all sorts of verticality and traversal. It opened the door to some more interesting kinds of things you could do with your character.
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