RPGWatch Feature - Tears of Avia Interview

Aubrielle talks to the Tears of Avia developers about this beautiful, skill-based tactical RPG that just won't die.

Aubrielle: "I was sorry to see that the Kickstarter didn't go like you hoped, but I was overjoyed to see that you swore not to give up on this project. How is development going for you? Where are you - currently - in developing the game?"

Andy: "At the time of our kickstarter campaign we simply had a single level playable. Since then we've been working on the very early game (if you're a member of my patreon page, you can see monthly updates to this effect). The first two levels are nearly complete with more to come.

In fact, making levels is not the time consuming aspect. Constructing all the dialogue possibilities is the main time sink for us, and there's a lot, even right from the start. That's a difficult thing for us to show without giving away major spoilers, though."


And of course, I was curious where the inspiration came from.

"We drew inspiration from quite a few different games," Andy says. "Disgaea for its turn based gameplay, guild wars for the incredible skill build crafting system as well as the Baldurs Gate series of games for dynamic story telling."


That started to make me wonder about combat.

More information.

Tears of Avia has an attractive GUI and a good combat system. Shame if this would have to die.

Tactical, skill based and turn based combat. This game could turn out as a very good tactical RPG.

I backed it and still follow it. Hopefully they will make it a reality.

Thanks for the interview Emma. I'm glad to see the developer is continuing development.

Yeah, and thanks everyone for reading it. I thought this was definitely a game deserving of attention, especially given RPGWatch's love for turn-based RPG's with a lot of tactical depth.

When they crowdfund again, I hope they hit their goal this time. This is definitely a game I would want.

This sounds pretty promising… Had I heard about it in time I may have considered backing it (although I'm being increasingly picky about what KS projects I back).

But looking at the KS, the digital copy tier was 15 GBP, which converts to about $21 USD. Since the typical KS tier for successful Kickstarters has been $15-$20, they're asking for too much… especially considering many credit cards charge foreign transaction fees. For an unknown developer they should have been asking for the equivalent of $10 - $12.

Also, someone give the poor archer girl an actual shirt / tunic. She must be cold.

Great interview, Aubrielle. The game looks pretty good.
Also, Baldur's Gate and Disgaea as inspiration is a plus

Unfortunately, I have to say that I read with interest as far down as the screenshot of the uncanny-valley anime child in lingerie, grimaced, and stopped reading.

Originally Posted by Hexprone
Unfortunately, I have to say that I read with interest as far down as the screenshot of the uncanny-valley anime child in lingerie, grimaced, and stopped reading.

(These are the screenshots right? Seems pretty tame to me.)

Maybe I should have talked about combat first.

Thanks for the interview and article. An interesting read and the combat sounds really good.
But…

Originally Posted by Hexprone
Unfortunately, I have to say that I read with interest as far down as the screenshot of the uncanny-valley anime child in lingerie, grimaced, and stopped reading.

Yeah me as well. The artwork puts me right off.

Me too. Some of these grab me until I see the artwork. I just can't get into it.

Thanks for the post though Aub.

Originally Posted by Aubrielle
Maybe I should have talked about combat first.

Nah the ones complaining have morality issues that's all. Nothing wrong with the screenshots as I said above, and I've seen much worse on older JRPGs on the PS2.

She is just wearing what is called a short tubetop.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Nah the ones complaining have morality issues that's all. Nothing wrong with the screenshots as I said above, and I've seen much worse on older JRPGs on the PS2.

She is just wearing what is called a short tubetop.

Maybe it's hot outside? xD I can't blame her…it's silly not to dress skimpy in hot weather - you avoid heat stroke that way!

Originally Posted by Aubrielle
Maybe it's hot outside? xD I can't blame her…it's silly not to dress skimpy in hot weather - you avoid heat stroke that way!

I'm sure some people "morally" object to female characters wearing this kind of attire on the grounds that it is rather sexist; the females are objectified / reduced to sex objects in a way that males rarely are (I'm guessing this game doesn't have men running around in loincloths…. unless there's a barbarian character, perhaps?). For them the fact that the scantily clad women arguably look like tween-age girls makes it creepier still. And while I can appreciate that perspective, and maybe agree with it to a certain extent, skimpy clothing or even gratuitous nudity is generally not a deal-breaker for me.*

What I dislike most about things like chainmail bikinis, boob armor, scantily clad female soldiers is the lack of realism. If a woman is fighting in battle, I doubt very much she would want to give her enemies a big fleshy target… At a minimum she'd want to wear some sort of padded armor to protect from scrapes and bruises. I know, I know I shouldn't expect realism in a fantasy game. I can accept the gigantic eyes, colorful hair, and virtually non-existent noses because that is part of the anime style. I suppose some would say scantily clad girls is also part of the anime style, but that is not nearly as universal.

*And some people just hate all things anime / manga. Whether it's too cartoony or an irrational fear of Japanese culture, I can't say… I'm a big fan of the Growlanser series and for the most part really like Satoshi Urushihara's character designs… While he does sometimes have scantily clad women, he also sometimes does scantily clad males, so he seems to be equal opportunity as far as that goes.

I just think soldiers and mercenaries should be depicted as if they are going into battle, not clubbing. Unless they're crazed barbarians, Amazon warriors, etc., it seems like lame fanservice for teenage boys… and detracts from immersion and the serious stories these games may have. I prefer the more practical clothing in Celestian Tales: Old North…

True, Daveyd, and don't let my cheek convince you that I don't agree with you. It's not seeing more of the female body I have a problem with (as some of you know…)…it's lack of realism, and I agree about chainmail bikinis/boob armor, totally. It's stupid. Armor is worn for one purpose, and that's to protect you and keep you alive in a fight. It's not there to emphasize a woman's boobs.

I guess I've just come to expect this from anime…even to the point where I don't even notice it anymore. Maybe that's a bad thing…

Regardless, I find myself not being bothered by Tears of Avia's character art - personally - so long as it's not absolutely ridiculously fanservice-y/skimpy, I'm oddly okay with it. o.o;

TL;DR - It's not the worst I've seen.