Grimshade Nintendo Switch Version Announced, Game Details Revealed

Talerock’s story-driven RPG Grimshade that’s currently sitting at $46,886 pledged on Kickstarter will be getting a Nintendo Switch release sometime in 2019, we learn from a press release that also shares some details about the game’s character development system. Have a look:

June 8, 2018. The developer Talerock and publisher Asterion Games are happy to share the latest news about the recently announced RPG Grimshade. This year the game will be released on several platforms. Beyond the standard Mac and PC, the project will be available for Nintendo Switch as well. All the fans of this console will be able to set off on a journey through the world of Ree’Fah in the first quarter of 2019.

On the backdrop of this good news, we want to tell you a little more about our project.Today, we are going to talk about the character development system.

In the first season of Grimshade, the player controls up to seven characters. Each one is unique, and has their own story and role (or roles) on the battlefield. In the heroes’ equipment, there are slots for all the items you find. Every set belongs to just one of the characters. The slots are divided into five rows: two active slots, one passive, one cumulative, and one for consumables.

Each slot creates character abilities. By changing the item in the slot, you modify the skill, changing what it can do, and how it works—like with runes in Diablo 3. For example, a character changes out a rifle for a new one, the damage isn’t higher, but the new rifle fires an explosive round that, while slightly weaker, is perfect for attacking groups of weak monsters.

Along with modifications, skills have several stats:

• Speed, which determines how characters and enemies move using their CTB meter, creating a turn order like in Heroes of Might and Magic 5.
• Position on the player’s side of the battlefield from which the player can use the skill and which determines the enemy positions that can be attacked.

The player’s role is to assemble a combination of characters and skills that work in concert to oppose the enemies’ items and skills.

This system allows us to guarantee that the game will remain interesting over many hours of play, because players have to change tactics. The equipment you find and monsters you encounter will have you constantly rethinking your strategies.

By the way, at the beginning of next week, we are going to have a livestream with our developers to demonstrate the battle system in action. Anyone who wants to is welcome to watch the gameplay and ask questions.

The last piece of good news for today is that our Kickstarter has already reached 49%, and we are making steady progress toward our goal.

And while you’re here, you may also be interested in a couple of Grimshade’s recent Kickstarter updates. Update #9 introduces us to Durandell Amaranth, one of the playable characters, while Update #14 brings word of the upcoming backer alpha and shares a status update. Check it out:

Hello, dear friends! The campaign is in full swing, and the number of backers is growing every day. Speaking of which, we have some great news for you today. You have said many times how cool it would be to play the game. Well, your wish is our command.

In the near future, the alpha version of the game will be available to all of our backers who have invested $75 or more.

For you to better understand the process of our work on the game, which we are very busy with at the moment, we have decided to introduce our team of 25 developers.

Over the last couple of weeks, everyone in the studio—and we mean everyone—including the CEO, has been concentrating on the Kickstarter campaign! We are putting together all kinds of materials, working with the community, and telling everyone everything there is to know about the project. And we’re doing all of that while continuing to work on developing the game. To sum it up: we are working 24/7 for you.

Art

Our 2D artists are working on creating the city of Brann. They have finalized their search for the perfect atmosphere of the city (you can see a few of their sketches in update 2), and they are now working on the location’s design. A few different kinds of half-timber buildings, street staircases, and sidewalks are in the works, as well as many elements of the environment: plants, street lanterns, and everyday items for residents of the city.

Meanwhile, the 3D art team is busy making special effects for the main characters on the battlefield. Of course, they will keep working on and improving them until the final version of the game is ready, but we want to give players the chance to get the full feel of the game’s atmosphere even in the alpha test.

Plot

The writers are also working on Brann by writing the dialogues for the main and side quests. They need to make sure that the quests can be completed, that the right items are in all the right locations, that the dialogues run smoothly, and that the rest of the texts are top-notch.

Game Design

The designers, in particular, have their hands full. Right now, they are working on a few crucial tasks, but two tasks take precedence.

The first is, of course, the alpha version of the game. They are working together with the artists on the game’s interface, which needs to be finished and added to the game. The combat system of the game is also in the works. The designers are collecting combat scenes, working on the balance of battles and the game mechanics, and testing the performance of the game as a whole.

The second crucial task is to assemble the city of Branna. It is a big city with a history going back centuries. It is composed of several neighborhoods, each of which has a separate location to search.

Testing

To make sure that preparations for the alpha version of the game do not conflict with the main build of the game, our QA specialists are actively involved in the work. They divided the build of the game into two versions and are carrying out the first internal alpha test, checking every part of the game, including the added features and game mechanics, step by step. It is important work because even an early alpha version of the game should leave the users that play it stunned and wanting more!