BioWare has finally unveiled the project they’ve been teasing for the last few days. It’s called Shadow Realms, it’s developed by BioWare Austin, and it’s an urban fantasy action-RPG for PC that pits 4 co-operating players against a “Shadowlord” player that controls the map and tries to oppose them (a set-up comparable to Fable Legends). It doesn’t seem like BioWare has uplodaded the official trailer on YouTube yet, but a registration form for the alpha and a wealth of information are available on the official website.
Here’s on gameplay:
Shadow Realms is a multiplayer action RPG ‘˜dungeon crawler.’ Set in both modern day Earth and the parallel world of Embra, Heroes harness the most powerful abilities of both worlds to reach their greatest potential. Shadow Realms has flexible RPG style character progression and customization that allows the player to choose their Hero’s powers, whether that means shooting a gun, wielding an axe, or casting fireballs. Every match is comprised of four Hero player characters that can be any combination of six classes with countless combinations of abilities and equipment. Together, these Heroes fight their way through different Realms (both on Earth and Embra), finding treasure, dodging traps, opening secret doors, discovering lore, and completing story-driven objectives along the way. But all the while, a fifth player the Shadowlord is opposing them.
In tabletop RPG sessions, the Dungeon Master (DM) does not see the game world differently than the Hero players. While they do have perfect knowledge of the tactical situation, they still interact with the game world in the same way as the players with pens, papers, and imagination. And if they are a fair DM, they play by the rules. With Shadow Realms, we decided that the Shadowlord should interact with and see the gameplay world in a similar way to the Hero players albeit with better tactical knowledge.
Just like the Hero player characters, the Shadowlord character has broad progression and customization. However, their objective is to stop the group of Heroes by haunting them, setting traps, casting spells, summoning monsters, and controlling any monster in the level. And by controlling monsters, I don’t mean a top down clicking to direct monsters. The Shadowlord is not a disembodied character affecting the world from outside and (above) the game, so to speak. They are in the mix with the Hero player characters for the entire dungeon crawl sharing the same 3rd person over the shoulder camera and control scheme. The key difference is that the Shadowlord remains unseen until they possess a monster, cast certain spells, or choose to reveal themselves.
And some words from James Ohlen, a BioWare veteran:
Shadow Realms has its genesis in old school Dungeons & Dragons. When I first started designing BioWare RPGs back in the 90s, what drove me creatively was the desire to give players the experience I had while playing pen and paper games as a youth. The great storytelling, the feeling that anything could happen – these were experiences that you couldn’t find in any other game. And the great thing was that these adventures never had an end. A good Dungeon Master could keep a story going for months or even years.
BioWare RPGs have successfully replicated many of the things that made classic tabletop games fun: powerful storytelling, being able to create your own character, leveling-up that hero to achieve the heights of fantasy power, and tactical combat against a fantastic array of monsters. But the stories always come to an end and AI systems can’t replace the creativity of a human Dungeon Master.
Shadow Realms aims to change that.
It is a game that finally fulfills that fantasy of a never-ending RPG where the players meet up regularly to keep their epic adventures going for as long as they want. All the enemies, traps and challenges are squarely in the hands of another player, who controls them just like a Dungeon Master. The monsters and villains are smart and unpredictable, making every battle a test of strategy and power. Best of all, everyone gets to enjoy a story that plays out like their favorite TV series, but where they decide the fates of its world and characters.
Update: Here’s the official press release:
EA AND BIOWARE UNVEIL NEW ONLINE ACTION ROLE-PLAYING GAME SHADOW REALMS
Fans Can Sign Up For The Closed Alpha For A Chance to Experience Dynamic 4v1 Co-op Missions And Episodic Storytelling In A New BioWare World
AUSTIN, Texas August 13, 2014 BioWareâ„¢, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), today announced Shadow Realmsâ„¢, a new 4v1 story-driven online action RPG, set in a constantly evolving BioWare world where modern meets fantasy. Four heroes adventure against another player-controlled enemy, a malevolent force called The Shadowlord, in dynamic 4v1 co-op missions, ensuring that no two battles are ever the same. Players will have the choice to play either as or against The Shadowlord, building experience and progression whether they have chosen good or evil. The over-arching narrative will be released episodically, playing out over time like a great TV series, providing players the ability to experience story-driven adventures as a community.
(This game brings us back to our roots in the realm of classic Pen and Paper RPG, but also delivers something that’s completely new and innovative for our fans,) said Jeff Hickman, General Manager and Vice President at BioWare Austin. (Shadow Realms is a new BioWare RPG that has the hallmarks of all BioWare games with a rich story, a unique world setting and deep combat progression, but built as an interactive experience that evolves the genre and broadens the appeal to online gamers all over the world.)
In Shadow Realms, Modern Heroes on Earth are being awakened and recruited, because of magical powers they never knew they had, to fight in a new and dangerous war against the Shadow Legions of Embra. The Shadow Legions, who have been battling on Embra for years against the members of the Radiant Empires, have gained new strength with the coming of a powerful, unknown force that we call the Shadowlords. And, they have just figured out how to leave Embra and invade Earth.
Join the battle with three other modern-day Heroes to fight the demonic Shadow Legions and a player-controlled Shadowlord to save all of humanity. Build both a Hero and Shadowlord that are deeply customized to the way players want to play.
Visit www.ShadowRealms.com/play to sign up for a chance to get into the closed alpha. Become a fan of Shadow Realms on Facebook and follow us on Twitter via @shadowrealms.
Shadow Realms is in development at BioWare Austin and will be available for the PC from Originâ„¢ at www.origin.com. The game has not yet been rated the ESRB and PEGI; visit www.esrb.org and www.pegi.info for more information.
