Good news for backers of Arkship Syndicate’s crowdsourced effort Battle Chasers: Nightwar. The project has been killing its stretch goals and is well beyond the initial target of $500,000. Billed by the developer as a traditional, turn based RPG with stylized graphics, isometric environmental navigation, puzzle solving and filled with tons and tons of lore to help flesh out the world and entice players to unearth every secret, this indie project is looking more like a winner with every reveal. The production values have been top notch so far, with amazing artwork and animations for the characters and a vividly detailed and colorful world to explore. Fans of RPGs from Japan will even recognize the familiar character dialogue screens making a much welcome appearance here. As of right now, the projected release date is by December of 2016 and one look at the rewards for the unlocked stretch goals is rather impressive. Taken directly from the Battle Chasers: Nightwar Kickstarter page:
While one could look upon stretch goals with a cynical eye, most of these rewards are good, providing game enhancements and adding extra features that should further liven up what is already turning out to be a stellar looking game!
Battle Chasers, for those not in the know, was originally a comic book created by fan favorite comic artist Joe Madureira back in 1998 that ran for nine issues over a span of three years and ended on a cliffhanger. The series was often delayed and never came close to its monthly publication goal but one could not deny that every issue was of the highest caliber and well worth the wait. The reason for the series ending early? Well, MAD! (as he is known by his fans for how he signs all his artwork) went off to work in the video game industry, eventually cofounding Vigil Studios. who developed the popular Darksiders and Darksiders II action games. Key members of Vigil have combined to form Arkship Syndicate, the devs for Battle Chasers: Nightwar. The comic was an anime style techno-fantasy that told the story of a girl named Gully who inherits a pair of magical gauntlets from her father that bestow unearthly strength to the wearer. The main thrust of the series’ narrative revolves around Gully and her allies fighting their enemies, who are not only plotting general nastiness for the land but also want the gauntlets to use as their own. That summary only scratches the surface of the plot, which is a lot more nuance and detail than I’m describing here, and the series remains deeply entrenched in its fans’ hearts as evidenced by the continued love they have for Battle Chasers 14 years after the fact. Madureira has been asked many times about the fate of Battle Chasers, and he’s decided that it’s finally time for the series to make its long awaited return. The best part? Not only is Battle Chasers: Nightwar funded, but MAD! is also going to be working on the comic again!
In case you’re wondering how it’s all turning out and why this is something to get hyped about, take a look at their gameplay preview video:
Battle Chasers: Nightwar has been successfully funded on Kickstarter and is slated to debut on PC and Mac via Steam and GoG, Xbox One and Playstation 4. The tentative release date is December 2016 but based on what they’ve shown us so far, it would not at all surprise me to see this street early. As we learn more, we’ll be sure to let you know. Oh, and by the way, there’s still time to back the project if you’re interested.
