Henriquejr spotted a new update for the Early Access title Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

The Magocracy of Valestrum, companions reworked, hours of new content and more!

Hello Champions!

Chronicles is available now and we're thrilled to bring you the latest update for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms, marking significant strides since the release of Skylight in December. Your invaluable feedback and suggestions have been pivotal in shaping this update, and we're excited to introduce several new features and improvements that we believe will enhance your experience in the world of Plamen!

THE MAGOCRACY OF VALESTRUM

Prepare to embark on a new adventure in the southern region of Plamen with the introduction of The Magocracy of Valestrum. Nestled between The Luminous Triarchy, southern Edherest, and Dragonhold, this kingdom is governed by mages, marking the first step in our journey to improve magic into the game. Explore the grand Spellkeep, where the Elemental Council holds sway, and delve into a state built upon the intricate weave of magic. Not far from this towering palace lies Mellenath, an elven enclave steeped in ancient traditions and bound by oath to the mages. For centuries, the elves of Mellenath have served as guardians of arcane knowledge and defenders of the realm. Their bond with the locals runs deep, forged in the crucible of shared history. In Mellenath, the Everwatchers practice their ancient arts, honing their skills as both warriors and scholars. As guardians of the arcane, they stand ever vigilant, ready to defend Valestrum from any who would seek to threaten its people.

[...]

Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms will get an update soon:

The Magocracy of Valestrum, a new kingdom in Plamen, opens its gates in March!

Hello Champions!

It's been an exhilarating month of hard work here, fueled by your invaluable feedback. Thanks to your dedication, we've tackled a multitude of pesky bugs and implemented numerous community-suggested improvements, ensuring that your journey through Plamen is smoother and more immersive than ever before. And now, as the dust settles on our latest endeavors, we stand on the cusp of a new adventure: the Chronicles Update is dropping in March!. We are going to add a new kingdom, introducing the enchanting Magocracy of Valestrum in the southern expanse of Plamen, adjacent to The Luminous Triarchy. Here, the mysteries of magic await your exploration. Prepare to immerse yourself in a world of arcane wonders as you embark on new quests, form alliances with new factions, and encounter memorable characters. It's just the beginning of our ambitious plan to change spellcasting and spells in future updates. We've taken a fresh pass on the lore, meticulously combing through every tale and legend to ensure consistency and coherence. Texts have been refined, inconsistencies rectified.

Among the myriad of changes, companions take center stage with a fresh new approach. Reworked and revitalized, they will now heed your every command in combat, granting you unprecedented control over the battlefield. While companions are guaranteed to be 100% present in Chronicles, we're giving our all to bring you a new crafting system as well, but it is still in the work so we need more time to be sure to deliver on time. Last but certainly not least, prepare yourselves for the arrival of a massive new enemy looming on the horizon of Plamen...

Chronicles will be the sixth major update to be released, following Strongholds, Winterwrath, Dragonhold, Lorebound and Skylight! But our work is far from done. In the days to come, we'll reveal more about the mysteries of Valestrum, the intricacies of crafting, and the looming threat that awaits you!

Stay legendary, share the love!

Thanks Couchpotato!

The devs of Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms think their game is pretty unique:

Creating a new genre in RPG? Let's do it together!

Hello Champions!

As we stand on the cusp of a new year, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey we've undertaken together. This marks the second time since the letter celebrating Alaloth's first anniversary that I've taken a personal moment, but it feels like the right time once again. It's been a year of growth and challenges, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you personally.

I am thrilled to see how much our beloved game has flourished over the past year. Alaloth has evolved into something special, a unique RPG like no others currently on the market. I owe it all to the dedicated team that has poured their passion into the world of Plamen. It's hard to believe that we are now a team of just five strong individuals, and together we've accomplished so much.

Your feedback, suggestions, and support have played a key role in shaping the game into what it is today. We've soared to new heights, exceeding 75 patches with updates that have enriched the world through three major content drops: Dragonhold, Lorebound, and Skylight. Every feature, tweak, and addition was crafted with you in mind, and I take great pride in affirming that we've upheld our commitment to timely and meaningful updates. While the journey has been great, it hasn't been without its challenges. As many of you are aware, our situation could have been different if certain partners hadn't reneged on the support they were contractually obligated to provide. In response, we've taken a stand, and legal action has been initiated. We fervently believe in the game, and we are resolute in our determination to see it realize its full potential.

Every single dollar we've earned has been reinvested in the project. We've been here, even during Christmas, tirelessly patching and working. Every review, every post on this board, every comment on Discord and all around the web is answered almost in real time, reaffirming our dedication to this world and its community.

As we bid farewell to 2023, I want to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you. Your passion, dedication, and belief in the project have fueled our journey. Together, let's make 2024 the year of Alaloth, a year of epic adventures and new horizons.

Stay legendary, share the love!

See you all next year tomorrow!
Alberto

Thanks Couchpotato!

The action RPG Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms got a new update:

Introducing The Luminous Triarchy, a new kingdom to explore!

Hello Champions!

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Skylight, a new massive update that brings forth a radiant new chapter to the world of Plamen. The Luminous Triarchy has emerged, unveiling the majestic city of Gleamreach, ruled by the enlightened triumvirate known as The Radiant Council. The council, comprised of the clergy, the Shield Bearers, and noble houses, seeks to maintain the divine balance in the face of encroaching shadows from the ever-expanding influence of Alaloth. You can now visit the opulent capital city where the Temple of Light stands tall, emanating divine energies, or spend a few time in Greedstone, where you can find a renowned market, hiding political intrigues. However, with the disappearance of the High Priest, anxiety grips the land, and the people of the Triarchy fear the future...

Pair with newly introduced noble houses, each with its unique history, and influence and prepare to face new challenges in carefully crafted Fighting Areas, where you'll encounter new formidable mobs, embark on epic quests, and uncover hidden lore that adds depth to the narrative. We've surpassed the 400k words and 90% of this is about dialogues and lore-related stuff. But it's not over! We've introduced a plethora of new items to discover, revisited loots and made many other changes! Take a look here...

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted the next update for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

Updated world map, a new kingdom, localization and more!

Hello Champions!

We're excited to announce that Skylight is the next step in our journey, as one of the options originally detailed in our shared roadmap on Steam. The decision to go forward with Skylight was made after careful consideration of all aspects currently in progress. We appreciate your support and value your feedback, of courses. The scheduling of our updates is closely aligned with critical business discussions with publishers and new partners for the full release, the console version and many other things we hope to share in fulll as soon as possible. All of this will enable us to bring the Alaloth experience to a wider audience, ensuring that the game's growth remains aligned with the needs and desires of our community and with our long term vision.

THE LUMINOUS TRIARCHY

This update is set to illuminate a new chapter within the world of Alaloth, introducing The Luminous Triarchy, a theocratic kingdom, and delving deep into the lore of the Shield Bearers and the sacred religion of Plamen. During the summer we've been deep in the trenches, making some serious upgrades behind the scenes. Our coding wizards, Federico and Marco, have been working their magic on the game's foundations. We're talking about fine-tuning the nitty-gritty, from the internal pipeline to the codebase itself. This means a smoother, more epic experience for all of you. You might have noticed we've slowed down a bit on the patches [just 70 or such...]. No worries, though! It's all part of the plan. We're juggling a bunch of exciting tasks at once, so we've decided to go for bigger updates rather than a flood of small hotfixes. Trust us, it's going to be worth the wait.

[Picture: Gleamreach, where the clertgy and the old houses of Edherest rule with the help of the Shield Bearers!]

Prepare yourselves for an odyssey filled with new quests, formidable adversaries, and awe-inspiring locales waiting to be explored. The update promises to challenge even the most battle-hardened champions. Furthermore, the update will usher in various system enhancements to further refine your gaming experience. Stay tuned for more details as we venture forth into this new realm! No ETA yet but we can confirm that we are aiming to be out in November the latest!

[...]

The answers to the latest AMA-session for Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms can be found here.

Thanks Couchpotato!

Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms will get an XBox release, too:

The biggest indie RPG out now is going bigger!

Hello Champions!

It's been an electrifying whirlwind since our return from the incredible journey that was Gamescom. Just imagine: a sea of eager faces, gamers like us, sharing in the excitement, the possibilities, and the sheer energy that only an event like this can bring. As a studio, we were in the thick of it, engaging in discussions, forging new bonds, and experiencing a tidal wave of positivity during the meetings we had. We have met old and new friends, and had a good time talking about what's coming-up next for the game. The enthusiasm, the passion, it was all so overwhelming and inspiring! Our time in Germany wasn't just about soaking in the excitement of the event: it was about rolling up our sleeves and delving deep into the future of Alaloth. Our business meetings were like forging steel, focused on our full release, a monumental step for us and the game. Here's where things get really interesting. As we march towards this, we're also setting our sights on a realm beyond our current borders. Yes, you guessed it, we're talking about the console release! It's a leap that's as thrilling as it is challenging, always considering our commitment to the PC version that stays as the priority of course.

We're gearing up for something special, something that has you written all over it. We're talking about an upcoming AMA session, a direct line to our development team. We want to hear your burning questions, your thoughts about our future plans, the roadmap ahead! We're opening the doors wide on Discord [direct link to the #ask-me-anything channel just clicking here] and Steam [thread at this link], giving you a chance to be a part of our journey, to shape things right alongside us.

We launched into Early Access with promises, and guys, have we delivered. In just six months, we've stayed true to our word, unleashing almost all the contents scheduled for 12 monts [no Arena yet but it's on the way!]. We said this many times but we have put it into an infographic to summarize the year together. Your support,it's what's kept us moving forward, driving us to create an ever-evolving world of adventure. Our development cauldron is bubbling with ideas. What's next? Well, that's where things get hot. We're in the workshop, working tirelessly to forge content that's yet to take its final shape. Could it be free updates, or perhaps daring DLCs? Nothing is set in stone now but the idea was to give you an overview of the project, including what's still in early stage [right now, is more about creating stuff we love and then find a connection to justify it in-game, lore-wise]. Your feedback, your voices, they're the compass guiding us forward, helping us decide what's next.

And speaking of the path ahead, we're exploring new horizons. What does that mean, you ask? Well, it means that we're considering different ways to ensure the ongoing journey of Alaloth. This could involve adjusting price point [we didn't yet but again, free updates cant' last forever], exploring fresh content offerings, and more. The thing is, whatever we do, we're doing it with the community firmly in our hearts. Your trust, is the foundation upon which all these grand plans are built. We're eagerly looking forward to the AMA, a chance to connect, share, and talk together. Our epic journey isn't ending; it's evolving, growing, expanding, much like Plamen itself.

Meanwhile, we have released two patches in the last two days. Take a look!

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The Lorebound update for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms has been released:

Dive into a world of legends, history, and mysteries!

Hello Champions!

We are thrilled to announce the much-anticipated Lorebound update for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms is finally available. This update is dedicated to enriching the game's lore, providing you with a deeper and more immersive experience in the world of Plamen. You can expect a tapestry of history unraveled before you. Ancient stories will be unveiled, allowing you to learn about the rise and fall of empires, legendary heroes, and the events that shaped the realms. Embark on thrilling new quests that focus on uncovering the secrets and mysteries of the kingdoms. Engage with new intriguing characters and face moral dilemmas that challenge your understanding of the lore. Let's take a look at the new features!

UNVEIL THE SECRETS OF PLAMEN

Depending on your reputation, completed quests, companions hired, and even the calendar date, narrative sequences will unlock when you step foot into a specific place, revealing previously undiscovered details of the story. Your actions in the kingdoms matter more than ever, as they directly influence the timelines you encounter. Embrace the consequences of your choices as you venture through the realm, shaping the narrative in profound ways. Witness the impact of your deeds, reflecting the unique path you have carved in the world.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

The next update called Lorebound is coming soon:

Before leaving for Gamescom, some fresh news for you all!

Hello Champions!

You might have noticed the silence in our communication over the past month. With the excitement of Gamescom drawing near, our halls have been abuzz with preparations and plans to create an unforgettable experience. Amidst this whirlwind, a familiar tale unfolds: what was intended as a mid-size update, akin to our quiet intentions, has transformed into a grand journey, as has been the case with each of our previous updates.

Lorebound is now almost ready, prompting us to share some fresh news before we depart for Germany once again. As you know, Lorebound will focus on the lore and RPG aspects of the game. It marks the first installment of a series, delving into the history, legends, characters, and heroes of Plamen. While our exploration into uncharted lore continues, we've also heeded the feedback from our community. Numerous quality of life improvements have been thoughtfully integrated to ensure that your time spent in the game is as smooth and enjoyable as possible. A new round of fixes and improvements will be added as well, following recent iterations we had, making items, weapons and armors way more balanced!

While we won't unveil all, prepare for a fresh look in our locations and a new dice game to ignite your adventure in the upcoming update!

Our initial goal was to release Lorebound in July. However, true to our tradition, we're delivering much more than initially planned, and after much effort, we're finally happpy with what we've achieved. Although there's no fixed release date yet, this week is pivotal for our scheduling. Don't be surprised if Lorebound goes live by the end of the following week. While we can't make promises due to Baldur's Gate ongoing testing, this update holds great significance for us. It serves as a foundational step towards preparing for the updates to come. If, by chance, we aren't able to release before Gamescom, we may shift the launch to the first week of September [busy with the event of course]. Rest assured, we'll present a comprehensive roadmap detailing our current endeavors: a plan brimming with the multitude of contents we're diligently working on.

As we prepare for Gamescom, discussions about the full release, console journey and future are on the horizon. Your support empowers us as we meticulously evaluate scenarios, working tirelessly to ensure the best outcomes. Stay tuned for these thrilling developments!

Back to Baldur's Gate work now!

Share the love and have a great weekend!

Thanks Henriquejr!

Couchpotato interviewed Alberto Belli, founder of Gamera Interactive and game director of Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms. Redglyph did the proofreading.

Link to article

Alaloth celebrates one year of Early Access with a discount:

A full year of adventures, combat, and exploration in Plamen!

Hello Champions!

Today marks a special day in the journey of Alaloth as we celebrate the one-year anniversary of our Early Access launch. We want to express once again our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you for your incredible support, feedback, and enthusiasm. Your dedication has been instrumental in shaping the game and driving us forward. In our previous open letter from our Game Director, we highlighted our commitment to delivering the best possible experience. Today, we want to share some exciting news regarding what lies ahead. We are diligently working on a new roadmap that will outline our plans for the upcoming months. You have been updated on the way about on-going discussions we are having right now with a bunch of new possible partners. You even know that after the happenings of the last year we've mentioned in the open letter, we are very cautios about next steps. For sure, we prefer to prioritize the quality of our game [and the quality of life of our team] over rushing its release. Also, taking into consideration the recent release of Diablo, the summer, Baldur's Gate on the way, as well as a crowded September window, we have made the decision to go on with the EA for a while more, sharing plans with you all in the next weeks.

Nothing is changing of course: you are going to receive a huge amount of new stuff as usual, patches and new features following your feed. We're focusing right now on proof reading and on rewriting part of the dialogues to facilitate the localization process later on, reducing a bit the word count and improving quality of the text. The team is fully committed to Lorebound, our next Major Update, filled with lore-related contents to make your RPG experience bigger and better. We are on this, yes, but we are even working on what's coming up next. Ehodran should be the next big thing along with itemization and a new rework of the leveling sys [up to 20!] but we are still defining how to move on with future updates, DLC and so on. More info to follow,

Once again, we extend our sincerest thanks to each and every one of you for your incredible support, loyalty, and trust in us. The community has been an invaluable source of inspiration, and we are honored to have you by our side. Together, we will continue to shape Plamen into a truly legendary experience.

Last but not least: Steam Summer Sale now and we have the biggest discount ever to celebrate the anniversary: 60% off, 9.99$/€. What else to start your journey in Plamen?

Share the love and have a great weekend!

Thanks Henriquejr!

The next update for Alaloth is called Lorebound:

Lorebound on its way!

Hello Champions!

As the sun shines brightly and the temperature rises, we wanted to take a moment to share some thrilling updates with you. We're gearing up for an absolutely amazing summer, packed with cool surprises that will make Alaloth bigger and better, following the recent release of Dragonhold, our biggest update so far. Can you believe it's been almost a whole year since we've launched the trailer announcing the EA release window, and 11 months in Early Access? We've come a long way, and we couldn't have done it without you, our fantastic community. If you are with us since a while, you know that we had to face many different challenges on the way [and it's not over yet], but looking back we are proud of what we achieved, despite all the difficulties. We'll have time to talk about this too later on this month btw, time has come. To celebrate this milestone, we're planning a series of community-driven initiatives that will put you in the spotlight. Get ready to participate in special events, engage in lively discussions, and show off your creativity. We want to thank you for your unwavering support and dedication throughout this incredible journey.

Still a great trailer, isn't it?

We're actively working on fine-tuning every aspect of the game as usual, from enhanced gameplay mechanics to stunning visual enhancements and we're putting our heart and soul into making the full release truly remarkable. It's not about this only, of course: as we speak, the next update looms on the horizon, bearing the name Lorebound. It's a fitting title, for this update is a deep dive into the very essence of Alaloth's world. With a laser focus on expanding the game's lore, Lorebound will immerse you in the rich history of Plamen. We're delving deep into hidden secrets and untold stories, allowing you to uncover the mysteries that have been shrouded in time. Brace yourself for epic adventures that will transport you through the eras, revealing legends and legends-to-be. You asked for more RPG-related stuff, we are here for you as usual!

So mark your calendars and prepare yourselves for an unforgettable summer of surprises and celebrations. We can't wait to share all the exciting details with you very soon. Stay tuned, stay engaged, and get ready for all of this. Meanwhile, a new build is available since yesterday, check it out!

Share the love and have a great weekend!

Thanks Couchpotato!

The devs of Alaloth released the Dragonhold update:

Dragons, reworked leveling sys, alchemy, new traits, new quests, and much more!

Hello Champions!

We're thrilled to announce the launch of Dragonhold, our latest and most ambitious update yet! We've been hard at work gathering your feedback, testing, and adding new content to the game, with a focus on both expanding the world and reworking existing systems. We've added new boss fights, areas, quests, and items, all designed to enhance and expand upon the rich world we've created, Plamen. But we've also taken the time to rework some of the game's systems, in order to improve balance and polish the overall gaming experience. We've listened to each and every one of your suggestions and our team has put in countless hours to make sure that every aspect of the game is optimized for your enjoyment.

We've packed in way more content than we initially planned, and we know that you'll appreciate the attention to details that we've put into every new element of the game. We can't wait for you to dive into Dragonhold and experience all the new stuff we've added! Time to go into detail about each new feature than! So gear up, fellow adventurers, because there's a whole new world of adventure waiting for you in Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms!

[...]

Thanks Henriquejr!

Here's the new roadmap for the action RPG Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

Our plans for the next coming months!

Hello Champions!

The latest from the team today, after a crazy week of meetings, chats, docs and cool people met! First of all, we are happy to confirm that we have succesfully updated Unity to the latest stable version, as already said in the latest post here on Steam. It has been painful but we had to do it and it was the right moment to move on. We had a bit of regression here and there, it is a standard in this case, and for this reason you are not going to get a new build for the next week.
We are sorry for this but we are testing everything properly to be able to release a new bug-free update [as usual], avoiding weird problems caused from the switch. The new version of Unity will make our work simpler and faster and it was necessary for the future console version. So the tech guys have been crazy busy with this and we took some time to think about the other stuff in progress [balancing, new features, quests and so on]. The work on dragons goes on, we are not still happy but we have some time for this.
At this stage, we are basically drafting the new roadmap that will be built around the next free updates that will be used as foundations for bigger things to come. We are splitting systems and contents and we are going to work on different modules to build on for the future.

The map is going to be expanded as well, we are adding new territories making it bigger. New territories will be available out of The Four Kingdoms and the most important thing is that we are going to test a complete different game flow through this, to be able to add other campaigns in the future. These campaigns will not be connected to the main quest and will be stand alone, allowing us to add more variety in terms of combat, quests and so on.
New traits and INT will be added as well, playing a bit with numbers right now to see if our idea work! These weeks have been important for other reasons as well. We can say we are seeding for the future and we are even focusing on all the important aspects of the work to approach the 1.0 at its best. You all know that we've basically had to squeeze months of PR work in a couple of weeks to release EA and we are not going to do the same for the full release.
This means taking care of many different aspects of the development that are not actually directly connected with development itself! We are at work on a shop for whoever would like to support our job, buying cool physical handmande physical goodies as well as [very] limited editions of the game! Retail has always been in our radars [collecting stuff is a must for a RPG lover] and many interesting biz opps are in place for this too.

Handcrafted goodies while waiting for a proper Limited Edition? Why not!

We are celebrating our 6th anniversary as a studio next week and we are going to start many community-related events so keep an eye on our board here and on our Discord server that stays as our main point of contact with the player base. And you know what? We are booking many different events all around the world for the next months, so you'll probably going to meet us both in US and Europe from March on! Details [and dates] to be shared soon but it will be great to meet you all around, finally in the B2C area, to chat about our adventures in the world of Plamen.

Share the love and have a great weekend!

Thanks Henriquejr!

The Early Access version of Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms got a major update:

New features, quests, mobs, locations and much more!

Hello Champions!

Here we are, Winter Update is live on Steam now! As we've already said here, plans have slightly changed on the way, so we are going to provide all the info you need to understand what's going on in the next weeks, leading to a glorious start for the new year! A massive changelog is available at the bottom but let's go step by step and let's begin with the latest news from Plamen!

HARDCORE MODE AND PERMADEATH
Here we are with two of the most requested features since a long time. We have set-up a survey to hear from you about this and, surprisingly, the vast majority of the players asked for these new options as in-game options instead than just tabs in a menu. So we tried to figure out a way in between what's already available in other games and something new as we like to do. We think to have found a good way to integrate both options at the best [nothing set in stone being in EA but still].
Both Hardcore Mode and Permadeath options will be available after a succesfull first run. Once you've done in Plamen for the first time, you can start a new character and you will be able to customize the experience. The initial flow has been changed so you are not going to end the tutorial and jump directly to the capital city. Since now on, you can take some time inside your stronghold before leaving for the capital city and with your second run, you'll have the chance to interact with a character in the training ground, allowing you to turn on Hardcore Mode. This means a few interesting things: all the mobs will increase their HP and PD by 75%, you and your party will start with -25% HP and PD and all the items equipped will be lost in case of death! The choice is not reversible, so it's something to be decided before leaving the stronghold for the first time. About Permadeath: a Martum Shrine is now available on the world map. Worth a visit if you want to bond yourself to the god of death: no resurrection if you die, game over!

[...]

The devs of Alaloth want to clarify a few things:

Read before buying!

"It looks like a blend of early Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook art, Baldur’s Gate, and Dark Souls" [PCGamesN]

Hello Champions!

We decided to open this new update with one of our fav quote ever for a reason. Autumn Sale started yesterday on Steam, and we were thinking it was a good moment to clarify a few things, as we already did talking about localization recently. It's nearly 5 months since we've released Alaloth in Early Access and we are super happy with the work done, with our amazing community, with the feed we've got day by day here and on Discord. Despite this, we had to deal with a few issues on the way, in regards of what Alaloth is and how we push it to the players. You know we've decided to adopt a very clear and straight forward approach to communication and PR. We always answer to people asking, we can easily say we can be considered one of the most active dev around and this time there is no exception. Since when we've got back our game publishing rights, we've tried to explain our vision, our approach to development, our long term plans. We've told everyone what to expect, what Alaloth is and what Alaloth is not [and will not ever be]. We've posted FAQ following AMA, we've gone through every single post here, answered almost every good and bad review and so on. Apparently, this is not enough. We thought a lot about posting an update like this, but here we are. Being a super small indie team, self publishing its game, putting personal money in, means that we have to carefully weight everything, including the way we handle PR but this doesn't mean that we follow the common habit of passively accepting criticism coming from people saying wrong things, just because "players are always right". We think this is not always true. Sometimes players happen to be not 100% right and if for big guns this means nothing, for a small studio getting bad reviews without a proper reason it's a huge problem instead, impacting sales, available resources and the team itself. Just to be clear: this doesn't mean that bad reviews are not accepted or bad feed are not correct. Everyone has the right to say whatever he/she wants about the game, destroying it the way he/she prefers but we've set just one rule internally, about this. Getting a very bad feed, insults or whatever is fine somehow, but all of this has to reflect reality and not to be just random words dropped through a keyboard. In these cases, we've always [politely] answered, trying to explain things at our best.

So, just to recap a few things, we would like to tell you once again what the game is, what you should expect from the game and how things work in Alaloth, trying to avoid wrong feed based on the fact that devs have not been clear enough [even if we've been], as any kind of disappointment in players that decide to support us. We thought to quote a few sentences from reviews, refund notes, Discord posts and board topics:

"Devs said it was inspired by Baldur's Gate but it's not Baldur's Gate"

So true. This is not Baldur's Gate. This is Alaloth and it is in between old school classics and modern action RPG. This is how we've pitched the game and this is what comes out of a ton of reviews, good and bad. Point is that bad reviews focus on the sentence above because BG has been taken as an inspiration. Yes it is. The game is inspired by Baldur's Gate as it is inspired by The Lord of The Rings, Willow, Dragonlance, Shannara, Game of Thrones, The Wheel of Time, other games like Diablo, Mount & Blade, Dragon's Dogma, Ultima Online, Pillars of Eternity etc. Books, movies, games, TTRPG. Inspiration means exactly what it means. Inspired by Baldur's Gate does not mean it is Baldur's Gate. Inspiration is not doing the same thing 1:1. So, again: Alaloth is not a CRPG and is not Baldur's Gate as it is not a book, a TTRPG or a movie. Alaloth it's a unique game inspired by these experiences. And yes it is even inspired by Baldur's Gate and Infinity Engine games. That's why we use an iso camera, for example.

[...]

Thanks Henriquejr!

Henriquejr spotted the new dev update for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

Time for a new development update and celebrations!

Hello Champions!

As we already said in our Discord server, we are finally back in action after a crazy October! Last month has been full of meetings and we have been busy with a relocation in the UK [not moving the studio, just opening a new office here!]. The team in Italy worked hard during this week and we've just released a new patch, so check the latest changelog and download the latest version of the game which is full of quality of life fixes and some new cool stuff to check. We have to say that we are a bit late with the plan. It's not about contents, everything is almost ready, but we've realized on the way that splitting updates on the way is not the most convenient thing to do at the moment, considering what's happening around us. Time ago, we sat down and decided to go on with small updates adding locations, quests, chars almost on weekly bases.
We tried to work like this but we decided to revert and go big with a massive patch expanding the world map and including all the changes announced a few weeks ago. Again, nothing to be worried because nothing changes for the long term, but we really understimate what was happening around us and we already knew that development is not about coding stuff only and communicate things properly is pivotal. Even if we are looking for new people to join us, our team stays super small and business related stuff took 100% of the time of the people usually taking care of this [Alberto. Me]. We apologize for this but it is how it works. We literally didn't have time to sit and write down stuff: flights, trains and meetings in four different countries drained our energy. Not whining, all has been great but still a lot of work to do!
At some point we've announced that we were running for the Indie Development Awards at Game Connection and we are proud to announce that we've won Best Hardcore Game! Game Connection is one of the most important business event in the world and we love celebrating such an important achievement.

[...]

Here's the current roadmap of Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms:

We've just updated our plan for the next 90 days. Check it out!

Hello Champions

It has been a while since we've published our first development roadmap and it is time to update it! As we announced last week, we have done with mouse & keyboard and tested the new features for a while. We had a bit of regression on the way but it was pretty normal, considering that we had to rework the UI entirely. We don't expect major bugs but in case, poke us as usual and we'll try to fix everything at the speed of light.
In general, we have to say that we have been faster than what we've originally predicted and of course even if we have decided to stick with the original plan we've drafted, lot of new ideas have been discussed by the team, following your feed and new inputs from new partners willing to jump in and help us with the development. The result is that the contents that we are going to put in will be way more than the originally predicted ones and we hope this would be just one more proof of the effort we are putting in our work, to make Alaloth the great game we've always had in mind.
We spent some time data at hand in the last month, checking other games available on the market as well and putting together a few numbers. We can say that Alaloth is currently the biggest RPG game on the market in terms of contents, considering the size of the world, the number of locations and NPC we have and so on. Proud of this! Let's go with some more info for you all!

[...]

Henriquejr spotted a new development update for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

A new massive patch on its way!

Hello Champions!
Time for a new update, fall is coming and we can't wait to show you what we are working on! The good news is that we've been incredibly fast during the summer, so the stronghold update has been released before leaving for GamesCom and we had the chance to gain some extra time for the next features scheduled. Mouse & keyboard is the next big thing. We already explained why we had to release with partial support only, so we are not talking about this once again. We are testing right now and even if we were expecting a bit of regression and UI-related issues, everything seems to be fine now. We hope to be able to release the new patch next week, just let us check the last changes we did. We are running an extra week of testing on our internal branch.

No worries, mouse cursor will be bigger
September is even the month of the first world update. As we already said, we are going to add 4 new areas with new NPC and new quests and we are at work to dress each area the coolest way right now. We had a lot of meetings to discuss how to set things properly and we are thinking to split the upload of the new locations as soon as we'll have ready what we need, instead of sending out a massive patch. We'll probably be back on this in the next days because once again, we ended up in something bigger than expected [with the same time budgeted, kudos to the team]. We are going to update the roadmap soon, because we've already finished these areas, other new locations [arena anyone?] and we've just started working on new FA as well. Not talking about dragons, completely new FA with more puzzle elements, traps and so on, introducing new mobs and features that we thought would have been a great addition to the gameplay [more details in the next updates].

Rockstarn
To summarize: no secret that we had a great GamesCom and we were there to catch-up with new potential partners to help with the future of the game and the brand. After the issues we had in the past, we decided to set-up meetings with trusted people only, big guns and people we really feel could help to make Alaloth great. We have now data and info validating what we've always thought and what we've always said when pitching the game: we have something unique here and there is nothing else like this on the market, which is something that everyone knows, apparently [at least who knows about games, you know...]. No rushes on our side and again, we are not going to promise things that we can't deliver but we have a ton of options to consider now and many cool ideas to work on. Full coop campaign, multiplayer, online features, battlegrounds, sieges, new companions, new modes, DLCs... everything is constantly under discussion and be sure that we'll give 110% as usual to move on and be able to improve the game as much as possible.

[...]

Henriquejr spotted an article about the lore of Alaloth:

Hello Champions!!

A crazy busy week started yesterday for the team, because of GamesCom. The event is on its way end of August, and we decided to go back to Germany, after our last appearance in 2019. We’ll be attending the event to meet all the people in touch with us to know more about our future plans for Alaloth. It will be a good moment to meet press and creators as well and we are cooking something cool for them. We are going to say more about GamesCom in future updates, but we want to focus on something else right now.
We’ve been very active from May on, and we sent out 7 patches following the release.
We gathered tons of feeds and had the chance to talk about things going on, features, fixes, future updates, our roadmap and so on but it’s time to talk about the RPG stuff again. We spent time discussing options to improve the combat sys but there is a whole huge world we’ve worked on and that will be expanded in the next months. We are proof reading quests again right now, playing every single one again and again and iterating. We’ve put in many new quest rewards, polished dialogues, added timelines and tried to make quests more and more structured for players asking about this.
We read your feeds on writing of course and we are actively working on it. 99% of the games around must be considered player-centered: the whole story evolves around the player, his choices, his actions. We do have something like this, but quests are way more streamlined when compared to other big games of course. We did this choice to work on something different, trying to stay in between old and new, as we tried to do for the combat system.
The game is world-centered, player just live in Plamen, and things happen. Events could be missed, some chars encounters could be missed during a run, and so on. We thought it was cool to move on with something like this and this is something we really want to push in the future, adding many new different events to the calendar, to be able to give you all massive surprises we are going to discuss for sure, updating the roadmap later this summer.
Who said large scale battles? New mobs? New FA? We didn’t. Yet.
Anyway, it’s time to talk about Plamen again, sharing the chronology of events that led to the summon of the best champions of the Four Kingdoms to defeat Alaloth, the Great Betrayer. As you know, the world lore has been created by Chris Avellone [races, cities, pantheon, companions, special chars, legends] and our team started from his work to deliver the game as it is today. This is a timeline of events that you can read about in-game, through Lore Characters, quests, dialogues, and barks all around the world.

BLOOD & BIRTH: THE CHAOS OF CREATION

In the times before the calendars of the Four Kingdoms, there existed only chaos. Swirling raw, elemental matter at war with each other. From this chaos, a consciousness came into being. This conscious became the All-Father. All-Father achieves Consciousness Amidst the Chaos of Creation.
It is said in ancient holy texts that the All-Father existed for some time, unnamed, as a great power fueled only by instinct, but when the first drop of his blood was shed, a new act of creation resulted, and he gained the name All-Father.
From his blood, the gods, beasts, and the mortal races were born. The histories of this time are clouded, for language did not exist in the consciousness as a concept until the Mother-of-Betrayers came to be...and it grew from that moment on. It is believed that the precursor race to the Dwarves was also given form during this time.

[...]

Gamera Interactive posted an update on the roadmap for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

We have a plan!

Hello Champions

Following the latest update we published celebrating a week into Early Access, we are here again to give you an overview of what's going on with the development, sharing the roadmap we've drafted in these crazy busy days. We've already gathered tons of super amazing feeds about the game and gone through every single post with suggestions and critics. We are still overwhelmed by the incredible support you are giving us and all of this will help the team to build the game we've always wanted, since the beginning of this journey.
Looking at people playing hours and hours and reading reviews witnessing that our vision has been embraced by so many people is literally hearthwarming. Thank you for that! Before going on with the plan, we want just anticipate a few things you are going to see with the upcoming patch. We've already put in workbenches in Safe Zones and Repair Kits will be available all around the kingdoms. Workbenches will work as shrines, more or less. Buy a kit, use it on the workbench, done. All items equipped will gain +1 durability. We are thinking about adding new traits for crafting in the future but this is just a first step, following what a great number of players were asking for.
The same is for the new Legacy Mode, available for who defeated Alaloth already. It is a fancy mode that will let you create your house, customizing your banner, motto and starting city by lore. We are aiming to expand this in the future, making the world reactive to you wearing your colors. DualShock users will have now the right UI with correct inputs popping in-game when plugging their pad and last but not least, we've added 67 new achievements for hunters, bringing the total to 83. Other things have been fixed of course, all the details will be notified with the new changelog as usual. Time to move on with the hot stuff than!

First of all, we have to say this post is just to give you a general overview of what we are working on. We are not going to slow down with patches, so we've just put in the features that are going to take a bit more time, Bug fixing, new contents, balancing etc. will be on-going till the end, no need to underline this, hopefully. This means that plans may change moving on with the development and things listed Beyond
for example, could happen in a few days [or in months], according to development needs. The idea is to update the roadmap on monthly basis, given that you are going to get updates almost daily on our channels and the same updates will be posted here too as soon as we decide something.

[...]

Thanks Redglyph!

SplatterCatGaming checked out the Early Access title Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

Alaloth - Open World Medieval Fantasy Action RPG

Alaloth gameplay with Splat! Let's Play Alaloth and check out a game where you'll make a character and set out to destroy the ultimate evil which is chained down in a dungeon somewhere or something.

Couchpotato spotted an Early Access Review for Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms on Fextralife:

Alaloth Champions of the Four Kingdoms

Wizard Worm checked out Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms Review (Isometric Action RPG)

Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms will be released as Early Access version today:

Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms - Trailer

Set in a vibrant fantasy world, Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms offers fast paced action with a deep narrative, developed by a team of industry veterans. The game brings the Action-RPG dynamics to a new level with a skill based gameplay in a gritty, dark, mature environment filled with blood and magic!

GAME FEATURES

• The very first isometric souls-like game ever made: instant action, fun and a unique hardcore combat system to master. Intense combat and dungeon diving granted
• 4 playable races (Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs)
• 40+ houses and clans to fight for with their own background, alliances, intrigues. Finish the game once to start your own legacy to write your own history in The Four Kingdoms
• In-game editor to customize your character choosing different Ways of Power, classes and skills
• 12 memorable companions with their own backstories ready to join or fight you during your journey
• Local Multiplayer & Coop up to 4 players: group with other players or fight them to get access to the final battle. The glory awaits only the bravest!
• Explore, craft, gain reputation and unlock new quests in an ever-changing world that is different in each run
• World, lore and character backstories created in collaboration with RPG legend Chris Avellone, providing creative support and feedback on content design
• Beware the dragons

Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms will be released into Early Access on June 30 - here are the next steps:

Next steps and some useful info while waiting for June 30

Hello Champions!

What a great weekend with the Guerrilla Collective showcase, with the announcement of the Early Access release date for Alaloth – Champions of The Four Kingdoms! We had a few super crazy days to match the deadlines and be sure that everything was perfect for such an amazing moment for the whole team but, hey: June 30, 2022 is the day and we can’t wait to open the gates of Plamen to players from all around the world, being finally able to explore the huge world we’ve built. We took a short break on Sunday, checking confs and chilling but there are just few days left before the big one, so it’s time to speed-up things a bit and enter pre-release mood.

First of all, we want to thank all the people joining us, asking things, wishlisting the game [numbers are booming, lot of love for you all] and we want to give you an overview of what is going to happen before the launch. Being a small team, there are just two people taking care of community and PR-related topics, while dealing with the day by day activities of the studio, so forgive us for being a bit slow in answering. To make things easier, we invite you once again to join our official Discord server where we are going to set-up ad hoc channels to gather feeds about the EA, report bugs and to propose ideas and features to be put in-game. There will be topics on our board here on Steam too, but what we are trying to do is just to simplify the flow for both the team and the community. We are almost 24/7 on Discord and we can answer questions in real time there and this will be crucial especially after the launch, with people playing the game. We’ll do our best to be fast on both sides but still, give us a few time to organize the work properly [hiring!].

Considering the huge amount of questions we’ve received, we are going to run a new AMA session on Discord next Monday, June 20 9AM PST/6PM CEST. Please check this post here to know more about this and send us your questions as suggested, to help the team answering topic by topic, the proper way.

Anyway, the most important thing now is giving a bit of context about the Early Access choice we’ve made as we’ve anticipated on Saturday. We announced EA back on May 30, with a gameplay trailer following the long silence with almost no updates in months. We consider the end of April as a fresh restart for the project, but it has always been intended as a restart more on the marketing and PR side than on the development side. The development never stopped, even if we had to face many issues on the way.

[...]

Thanks Henriquejr!

A new gameplay video for Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms.

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Welcome to the world of Plamen!

Alaloth on Discord:https://www.discord.gg/gamerainteractive
Alaloth on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/91...
Alaloth on GOG: https://www.gog.com/game/alaloth_cham...

Learn more about the map and calendar of Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

Learn more about the events shaping the game world

Hello Champions!

Following what we said with the Spring 2022 Update and the latest post with a big summary of all the info available so far for Alaloth, we are here today to talk a bit about how the map and the calendar work in our game.

We are going to give you a taste of Plamen’s topography along a bit of gameplay-related info! As you know, there are four huge areas in Plamen [the kingdoms] with the end-game area in the middle [The Fifth Kingdom, the area where Alaloth is trapped, by lore]. It is really important to keep in mind that you can move wherever you want since the very beginning and different terrains mean different travel speed: don’t expect to cross a dwarven mountain chain as swiftly as you would with a small elven forest, and the more you get away from roads, the more trouble you shall find on your way. Monsters, wandering merchants, wandering units from other clans and houses and other champions are constantly moving on the map, so always plan your route to your destination to prevent dangerous encounters. Defeating brigands is surely a way to get some loot and some juicy bounty, yes, but without resting in some bed your wounds won’t certainly recover. You have the chance to set your camp on the way. You are constantly being notified by events happening anyway and you can access a log tracking all the key moments you should be aware of. You'll be able to use mounts and mounts will be crucial in many different ways: you can increase the size of your inventory and of course take advantages of riding many different beasts! We'll have horses of course but each race will have its own racial mount to use and specials will be unlocked with reputations and quests. Bears, wolves, battle goats but even a griffin could be an option for the best warriors! We'll go in details very soon wheh talking about vendors in one of the next updates!

The passing of time and the calendar are key elements of the gameplay too. We've built the world of Plamen with the idea of creating an ever-changing world and basically we've created different phases that are going to change things during the playthrough in many different ways. Alaloth becames stronger and stronger in each phase, mobs spawning on the map will be way more deadly and new dangers will pop-up from The Fifth Kingdom, making things very difficult. Night and day cycle is a thing: we'll have different spawns on map but even different layouts for each place you are going to visit. If you enter a city during the day, you'll have access to shops, you can enter the royal palace or meet NPC that are going to be somewhere else by night. Shops will be closed, few locations not accessible and so on. Even quests avaialble will be different of course. So don’t forget to visit cities and points of interest in different moments as there are many things happening only when the sun rises-up or goes down: you can find exotic merchants coming from other kingdoms sellinq unique items or weapons and remember that rogues and thieves feel better doing their stuff covered by the darkness...

Entering Westwall during the day...

...and by night

We have 10 months, 30 days each and while you can imagine every race has its own holidays and festivities [which will bring unique NPC appearing as the aboive mentioned merchants for example], crossing the sky is one thing that everyone shares. Moon phases are indeed important and someone says that the biggest secrets will be unveiled only at full moon [Moonstone anyone?]. A few recently asked if the time passing should have an impact on the quality of runs, because thought about being forced of playing with a timer on top of his head, withouth a way to go at his pace and enyoy so let's clarify this one more time: the phases of the world are strictly connected to Alaloth and nothing more. So, simply, the world became more dangerous in each phase. There is a difference between the single player campaign and the competitive one but it's not related to these phases but to the presence of other champions competing for the same objectives. This makes each run unique, because when you play competitive, the other champions are randomically rolled at the beginning, they are 40 and they have different behaviors. So, someone could be more aggressive, some other could be more passive and this is the way the player will be affected in terms of gameplay. To enter the end-game artifacts have to be collected. If another champion has one of the artifact, at some point you'll have to hunt him/her in order to complete the game. If you have artifacts, any of them can decide to hunt you for the same reason. The world will go on on its own in the back so it's really about the strategy adopted, the other champions and the combination of both things while playing. But again: this is only when competitive mode is selected. Even these aspects will be detailed with the next updates!

We are going to speed-up things dropping some lore related content by Friday the latest, we still have to introcude the companions, the coop, items, crafting, enchanting, skills and other cool stuff!

If you have questions about the topic, post it in the comments!

Stay tuned!

Thanks Henriquejr!

Henriquejr spotted a new info page about Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

All the info you need in one place

Hello Champions!

As promised in the Spring 2022 Update, we are going to drop here a bunch of misc updates originally scheduled in a different moment of the last year. Before doing that, we thought that a bit of recap was necessary, considering the huge number of questions we’ve received in the last months. To avoid any possible confusion, we are going to summarize here all the info already shared, adding comments on what is changed and what’s happened in development lately. Almost 1 year ago we hosted an AMA session on our Discord channel and highlights were published in this topic. Looking back at it one year later, made us thinking about the huge work done since than but we are happy to have kept our vision alive, despite a few changes we did following feeds from QA and testers. This update should work as a sort of guide to understand in full what Alaloth is and what is not.

WHY YOU DIDN’T GIVE US NEWS FOR MONTHS? WHAT’S HAPPENED?

We are not going to comment this. We apologized for the lack of updates on our Steam page and always tried to do our best to inform the community of what was going on. The Spring 2022 Update contains all the info on what’s coming next. Past is behind, future ahead and we are doing 110% to recoup the time lost without interacting with people and players waiting for the game.

OK, GOT IT. SO, WHAT ABOUT THE GAME? AN ISOMETRIC SOULS-LIKE? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

The idea has always been trying to put a few cool 3D mechanics in a isometric game. We thought there is nothing like this on the market. Souls-like ref has always been about a combat sys that will be hard to master but very satisfying once you’re done with it.

SO WHAT? IT IS A SOULS-LIKE, IT IS DIABLO, IT IS A CRPG?

It is Alaloth, we are trying to stay in between old school classics and modern action RPG. When you see the game running, mind flies to good old times but there is no tactical pause so you have to be good with the pad to kill stuff. And staying in between past and present, is something we’ve tried to reflect in any aspect of the game. We have two kind of players we’re talking with here: the first one, is the one skipping every single line of text and caring about his build only, skills and fights. The second one is the one taking his time enjoying every single dialogue around, trying to pick up lore details to connect all dots. We are trying to make both of them happy, leaving the freedom to play the game both ways. Anyway, to take 100% from it, hardcore players should play a bit with quest and lore related stuff around and old school players will have to master combat anyway. We are just trying to “force” this in a funny way for both .

YOUR MAIN GOAL IN ALALOTH?

In Alaloth, you embody a champion who is willing to set free the continent of Plamen by the evil and overwhelming presence of Alaloth himself, a mighty demigod trapped in a limbo and willing to come back to the mortal realms to rule them all. To do so, you will be required to recover four light shards that open the gates of The Fifth Kingdom, his domain. These shards pop in a random way each run and can be found in many locations spread around the world [Fighting Areas].

CAN YOU FREE ROAM IN THE GAME WORLD AND DECIDE TO WHAT TO DO AND WHEN?

Yes, you are completely free to do whatever you want since the very beginning. The Main Quest is just Alaloth-related. You need to kill him to complete the game. Anyway, there is nothing set for you to do so. You can just decide to explore Plamen, do your stuff, meet NPC, do other quests or starts claiming Fighting Areas looking for shards to access the endgame. The player is free to navigate and explore Plamen the way he likes most since the start of the journey, choosing to prioritize the main quest, secondary ones or to just see what’s next. At the beginning of the development, Alaloth was supposed to be played one way only, facing 3 other champions coming from the kingdoms the player didn’t choose running after shards as you, fighting you. We have 40 different champions representing each house and clan in the game, rolled every time a new session starts. Everyone with unique skills, drops and behavior. Anyway, while testing the game and collecting feeds, we decided to work on a brand new mode introducing a full single player campaign to be enjoyed the classic way. We are talking about two different ways to play. In both cases the more the time pass the more Alaloth’s rage and power increases. Spawns became way more dangerous with each of this phases.

[...]

Henriquejr and Couchpotato spotted that Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms is still alive:

 Alive & kicking!

Hello Champions!

Not a massive update for you today but for sure the most important one since a long time: Gamera Interactive took back publishing rights for Alaloth – Champions of The Four Kingdoms, its own in-house developed IP. We can’t go into details about the process that led to this [don’t ask] but hey, that’s a big news, isn’t it? Hands shaking while posting this, we are over the moon now, after a very long silence since the latest Steam update back in November. We can’t wait to show you what we were working on and disavow all those who believed the worst about the future of Alaloth.

On one hand, we’ve suffered the pain of not being able to answer to everyone in real time, we offer our apologies for this. On the other hand, the huge support we’ve received, fueled us and gave us all the strength to move forward as a team, even in the darkest moments, facing the pandemic first and many other issues out of our control then. As any “respected studio” outside, we’ve got trolls jumping in here and in our social channels sharing “the truth” about the development: the upcoming cancellation of the project, the redesign of 99% of the game, the shady explanations of the problems we had and so on. Nothing true of course but legit, we can say, considering the above-mentioned silence that luckily ends today with this fresh restart. This time for real.

The development never stopped. Never. We now have the chance to think about next steps, pushing our vision in full, taking care of everything we consider pivotal in the long term: the community, the players. Participative design anyone?

Before writing down this update we were so much excited we even thought about the option to fully reveal future plans and next steps but going all in is definitely not a thing in game dev. We carefully have to evaluate what’s the best path to follow to release the game at its best and truth is that we’ve a business running here, so we can’t just throw our cards on the table without weighting all the opps popping-up here and there. It could be a new partner jumping in, old friends rejoining or such. We are dealing with all of this now putting pieces together.

[...]

Gamera Interactive posted an update.

Alaloth Brand Update

Alaloth gets a new look

Following up on September’s Production Update that brought you the latest info about the development of Alaloth - Champions of the Four Kingdoms, we’d like to bring you some news about Alaloth as a brand. We’ve been working on a new logo for the game and have been excited to unveil the new look to you all. We couldn’t wait any longer to tell you all about it, so without further ado, we present to you the new logo for Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms!

We’ve come a long way since Gamera Interactive was founded in 2017 (it will be 5 years in February! Yay!) and a lot has changed within our company and around the game. We also feel grateful to be working on such a cool IP that has so much potential. Given all that, we felt that it was time to give the logo a new look.

Our company was founded around the idea of delivering our dream RPG, inspired by the old classics but with a modern twist, so when making the new Alaloth logo, we used references from the 80s and 90s. We pulled strongly on our nostalgia of the golden era of RPGs and we feel that the new logo reflects our fond memories of that time. We hope that you like it too.

Another reason that we wanted to give the Alaloth brand a fresh new look, with a logo that was more readable and modern is because of the other Alaloth goodies we’ve been working on. Under the umbrella of Alaloth there’s more than just a video game, there’s also Alaloth - The Tempest, a comic book that serves as a prequel to Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms as well as a novel in the works.

Alaloth - The Tempest is ready for print and will hit shelves in bookstores and comic shops by the end of the year (it will be available in major online stores too). We’re pretty excited as it’s not often that you get to physically see and touch the product of your work in the mostly digital world we operate in! We’ve also signed a deal for a novel, which will be a collection of stories (codename Alaloth - Legends) from our narrative team. That project is in progress but is almost ready for publication as well. Be sure to follow our channels to stay updated on these extra goodies from the realms of Alaloth. Even if we can’t say too much now, it is just the beginning talking about retail.

We appreciate your support and patience as we work on Alaloth -Champions of The Four Kingdoms and other Alaloth projects. Do you like the new logo? Let us know here on Steam or on our Discord.

Until next time!

Gamera Interactive have posted a long dev update on what they have been working on. Thanks @henriquejr!

Latest Massive Alaloth Update

We have something special for you. We felt that this was a good moment to give you a general overview of the Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms development situation.

After the release of our last gameplay trailer, a little over a year ago now, we started to post regular updates on Steam, focused on the game’s lore and development. We hope that you’ve enjoyed the content we’ve shared across our channels throughout our development journey, it's been great to see your support along the way.

We’ve had a few delays and hurdles to overcome due to Covid-19 and some other last minute, unpredictable events, but we feel that we’re heading in the right direction now. Although we haven’t been able to get back to Gamera HQ since March 2020, our team has grown to 18 people (!) and we’re hoping to adapt to a hybrid work model soon that will allow our team to develop a closer bond. 2021 has felt like a fresh start and we feel like we’re approaching another great milestone.

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[...]

Henriquejr spotted development update #7 for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

Development Update #7 - Sound Design and Music Creation

Forging the Soundtrack of a High Fantasy World

In our previous Development Updates, we’ve had the chance to talk about many different topics such as animation, VFX, narrative, and more, explaining our approach to Alaloth’s development so far. Now it’s time to talk about music and sound design! A variety of epic games and movies inspired us in many different ways so we wanted to share how our audio team approached the challenge of bringing our huge RPG world to life.

The Blessed Kingdom of Edherest

To create the loops for areas in Edherest, we found inspiration from the lore description of each city, their aspects and inhabitants, as well as from other great video game soundtracks. We started with the main theme, improvising a melody with the idea that this was for the ‘capital city’. Then, we added some basic harmony, following the root key. What came next was the tricky part. In fact, it was not easy to create six different variations (based on the city lore and appearance) because it could be easy to fall into repetitions resulting in the tracks being a bit boring. Therefore, while staying faithful to the theme, we decided to use different rhythms and changed instruments’ timbre to get around the problem.

• Goldport [Main Theme]: Solemn and epic music, with a dark and medieval melody. All variations must follow the melody. It starts with theme presentation (string section only), and goes through to the climax with percussion and brass sections.
• Winterleaf: A very dark track with only a string section and viola. The first part of the theme is with a cello; the second part is with the string section.
• Baystone: Creates a shady and mysterious mood using only a dulcimer. Very rhythmic with bass; melody goes “crescendo”.
• Coldwood: Similar to the main theme. The brass section introduces the melody, then percussion and string sections in “crescendo”.
• Mayfalls: A soft mood, due to the presence of nature sounds and the presence of a waterfall. String and expressive flute.
• Westwall: A “military” mood, ready for war. Great importance to the brass and percussion sections.
  Whitewind: Similar to the mood of Winterleaf. String section and two cellos that overlap each other.

The Republic of Larastir

In composing the main theme of Larastir and its variation cycles, we mostly read the description of the introductory lore for inspiration, trying to understand what kind of melody, harmony, and mood could fit its stories. The main external reference and inspiration came from The Lord of the Rings and elven music in general, although in this case, we preferred to improvise more. This led us to experience some challenges, especially with creating the variations, but by changing timbres, rhythm, and mood, we were able to come up with something we were pleased with.

• Thilaris [Main Theme]: Solemn music but creating a very magical atmosphere: horn and string sections and an emphasis on the choir, which fills the background. The string section dominates in the first part while the horn section dominates in the second
• Lindorwin: A sad and melancholy mood, but still solemn. Rhythm and harmony with the string section, while the melody is carried by the horn section. A choir in the background maintains a magical mood.
  Edhenen: A darker mood. The harp and horn section carry the melody with the "magic" choir in the background.
• Tirothas: Very rhythmic due to the connection between the elvish and dwarven races. Short violins and the horn section carry the melody with the ever-present choir in the background .
  Val’Rhain: An expressive flute and horn section symbolize a bow and arrow. Rhythm is carried by the string section and choir.
• Forlariath: A battle-ready mood, supported by the horn section. The string section and choir fill the background.
• Nir-Lathias: A secret and mysterious mood, with the harp and string section carrying the rhythm, and the choir singing a sort of melody.

[...]

Estilress the Mad is another campanion in Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

Companions Update #2 - Estilress the Mad

A well of hidden wisdom and knowledge

In our first Companions update we introduced the brave champion of the light, Lileah the Last Light of Vaizmil, who aims to bring Alaloth to his knees for the betterment of all the mortal races. Your next potential companion hails from the Republic of Larastir, a kingdom of many champions, some looking for redemption, some looking for justice, and some, like Estilress, looking to put the world back in order.

Estilress the Mad

Born closer to the surface, an unusual thing in dwarven society, Estilress was always considered to be a very peculiar dwarf due to his love for the outdoors and his incorporation of other cultures’ fighting styles into his own. Estilress has spent his life traveling across the continent from a young age, never content to stay in one place for too long. From his journeys he’s gathered many tales to share with his people back home. The dwarves call him “Estilress the Mad” because of all the extreme and exotic adventures he’s gone on, but still love listening to his stories each time he returns.

Estilress was topside when the worst Tempest hit. He lost consciousness during the disaster and when he opened his eyes afterwards, he could see that everything as he knew it was going to change. The new reality was one where the world he loved would slowly but surely deteriorate. He knew that now, the places he’d visit would be plagued by monsters, nature would begin to rot, and ancient ruins that had stood for centuries would crumble into dust.

Now, Estilress spends his days trying to save whatever he can, but the destruction he sees everywhere weighs him down with bitterness and depression. He dreams of the world he knew, and wishes to see it once more. Estilress is looking for a champion that will protect all lives as well as the history of The Split Kingdoms. Someone who will help him restore the world to the one he knew before.

Thanks Henriquejr!

Henriquejr spotted lore update #9 for Alaloth:

Lore Update #9 - Ways of Power: The Way of Nature

Let nature guide your hands

Champions!

You’ll need power and skills to survive in the world of Alaloth. To possess them however, you will first have to choose a Way of Power and a Profession. Today we’ll take a deeper look into the Way of Nature, one of the three Ways of Power you’ll be able to choose from.

In the beginning there was only the All-Father’s chaos and Jaiha’s earth. The only power to be harnessed was the raw energy of nature. It was the elves of old that learned that if one nourished their connection to the nature around them, they would reap great rewards. A champion who chooses the Way of Nature will gain elemental magical skills that can be used at a long range against their enemies. This way draws on the power of the nature gods to help a champion manipulate the flora and fauna that surrounds them.

[...]

Henriquejr spotted lore update #8 for Alaloth:

Lore Update #8 - Ways of Power: The Way of Gods

May the All-Father bless your soul

Champions!

You’ll need power and skills to survive in the world of Alaloth. To possess them however, you will first have to choose a Way of Power and a Profession. Today we’ll take a deeper look into the Way of Gods, one of the three Ways of Power you’ll be able to choose from.

In the world of Plamen, you are never alone. A god or two is always watching over you, guiding you, giving you strength, or cursing your enemies. Following the Way of Gods, a champion will have the power to gain boons and abilities from a plethora of deities; some good, some evil—depending on a champion’s wishes. The gods channel their power through champions that they feel are worthy of possessing it, channeling spells that heal or kill as needed.

[...]

Henriquejr spotted development update #5 for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

Development Update #5 - The Importance of Characterization and Narrative

How to tell good stories in RPGs

Nearly every game, from shooters to RPGs, has a narrative. It can be hidden in the background or carry the player from beginning to end, but it's always there. It has been our job to create that narrative in Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms, and embed it into every aspect of the game, be it in combat, quests, or the characters that you’ll interact with.

The world of our game has been in the works for quite some time, with different visions and building blocks laid out during the first years of development. It was during this stage that the core ideas of the game; the villain, kingdoms, gods, and overall style took hold and still influence every subsequent addition to the game. With the lore and world of the game already in place, new narrative designers didn’t have to invent the wheel, but rather expand upon it.

The first step when starting on a new project, particularly in the creative field, is to study the material meticulously. Every page, character, tree, and ant that was already created by previous writers needs a thorough examination. Every god and kingdom needs to be understood. In our role as designers, we need to first read everything that exists, then fully comprehend it, and finally memorize each and every small detail. Then we can create our own original stories, but set in an already pre-existing world and with a similar style.

After becoming familiar with the source, one can add to it, creating quests, characters, and in-game items that complement the existing lore. Sometimes a pre-existing aspect of the world needs to be reworked to fit the in-game content. It’s fun to create the intricate details of a kingdom and how each noble house behaves, but we need to be careful what we create is reflected in the dialogues, the random barks a player can hear on the streets of a city, or when meeting face to face with a king. Everything needs to mesh together seamlessly.

Narrative Design is similar to writing a novel or a movie, the components are all there. Every narrative has to have its structure, highs and lows, and its relation and inspiration to human life as we know it. But game narratives add an extra layer to the job. As a game writer, you need to consider the core gameplay and game design with every line of dialogue you write. You need to verify if a game can do what you want it to do, can the engine handle these complications for the sake of a narrative? But also, does the dialogue complement the style of the game? How do you convey your information in third person, or in an isometric view? All these have a deep effect on how you write and what you write, because while you can get sucked into the world and let your imagination run wild, nothing of what you write will ever see the light of day if the game is not considered first.

Another aspect of Narrative Design, once you look past your own imagination, is inspiration. The world of Plamen is one that takes the medieval style and combines it with magic and supernatural forces, leading to a lot of sources of inspiration when trying to create and expand these concepts into something original. One could look at old fantasy books or at the direction of similar games, but it’s important that these inspirations do not consume your product. You can be inspired by another game, like a concept, but at the end of the day, your world and story have to be your own creation and not depend completely on another.

Alternatively, a designer can look to real life for inspiration. When deciding on the names and traditions of races in the game, we looked to the different cultures of Earth for sources of inspiration. Irish festivals, Jewish holidays, and African dress are just a few examples of cultural aspects that can be studied for inspiration. Looking to Earth cultures for inspiration also has the added benefit of creating a sense of belonging in the characters of the different races, giving them some commonality in the world.
This commonality also applies to the religious structure of Alaloth. Looking at ancient mythologies and the Bible itself, one can see the natural progression of a creation story, a tale of a god, prophecy, and prayer. It’s only with great knowledge of the world that surrounds us that we can create new and exciting worlds just like Tolkien did for Lord of the Rings.

In Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms, we’ve strived to bring you an engaging world full of mystery, chaos, and challenges. That all seeps into the core of our narrative, from the quest at hand to defeat a fallen God, to the many characters you’ll encounter along the path to that goal. Each companion will offer a new perspective on the world, and each character has their own internal motive for you to discover. At the end of the day, we can only hope that you, the player, will fall in love with the cast of misfits we’ve assembled and the world we created for your enjoyment.

Learn more about companion Lileah in this update:

Companions Update #1 - Lileah, The Last Light of Vaizmil

Let Her Light Shine Upon Your Shield

In the lands of Plamen you’ll find many who will want to join in your crusade against Alaloth—if your interests align. Some will come from far and wide, from distant lands or from their own home in Plamen, but all have the same goal in mind—defeating the great demon. These characters are potential Companions who would join you on your quest. The first you may choose to add to your band of heroes is Lileah. She is someone who cherishes the light of Vaizmil and wants to protect all that is innocent and good, especially now, that corruption that is slowly but surely taking over Edherest.

Lileah, The Last light of Vaizmil

Hailing from Altar City, Lileah was orphaned when the city was destroyed by Alaloth’s Tempests. Now the city is known as the God Graves. As a child, she was always aggressive and looking for a fight. No caretaker or family had the patience to bear with the wild child and she often found herself on the streets of Edherest. As she matured, she formed a bond with the Shield-Bearers of Vaizmil, eventually becoming a member, and used her aggression and violent nature for good. But as the priesthood lost its hold over Edherest and magic users became more powerful than ever in the service of the great houses, Lileah found herself disillusioned by her position in life. She worked tirelessly to save persecuted priests from the hands of the houses and now, she seeks a way to restore balance to the kingdom. As the last sentinel of Vaizmil, Lileah has taken it upon herself to fight against the enemies of the Goddess and slay the ultimate monster, Alaloth. She will seek a champion to join forces with who will protect the innocent and do what’s good, even at the cost of self-sacrifice.

[...]

Thanks Henriquejr!

Lore Update #7 for Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms focuses on the wanderers of Plamen.

In the world of Plamen there are many who wander. There are those who’ve lost it all—their homes, loved ones, and purpose and then there those who by choice or curse are forced to be distant from the rest of the mortal world, until their goal is finally achieved. These latter beings are mortals of great power, either of the body, the mind, or of magic, waiting for someone to come and gain their favor by succeeding where they could not. Though found in the lands of The Four Kingdoms, they are not bound to them, nor do their kingdoms care for them or wish to aid them in their quests. The wanders’ only goal is their own, and whether that’s good or bad for the kingdoms they dwell in remains to be seen.

The Red Mage

The Red Mage is an unknown and mysterious sorcerer who dwells in Edherest by a lake overlooking a derelict magical tower, a Beacon Tower. He is known as a healer to some, a heretic to others, and evil incarnate to those that fear him. Rumors about his heritage and appearance circulate the streets of the kingdom but each story contradicts the last. What is certain to those that know him well enough, is that he does not bear ill-will against Edherest, on the contrary, he wishes to save it from the ever present corruption that has been seeped in from Alaloth and from unchecked magic. He wants to restore the Beacon Towers, colleges, and human society to the days of peace. The Red Mage is waiting for a champion to arrive at the doorstep to his tower and take on a task that will benefit them both, only after completing it will he know if the champion is ready to face Alaloth.

Kellis of the Zephyrs

Once just a powerful mage among the Elven high class, Kellis of the Zephyrs is just a mythical prisoner now, locked in the woods he once loved. He is a depressed and doomed soul who tried to embark on the Retreat, to venture the sea to the next life, but instead found himself trapped within the forest, unable to leave and unable to die. He has attempted to escape countless times but has always failed. Despite all this, Kellis is compassionate and never judges a creature or mortal on their nature, even if they do things he does not approve of. He watches the forest in defeat, and assists those who become lost. He seeks a champion to bring to him what he cannot get himself, to prove their mettle in the face of danger.

Forgeback

Forgeback is a legendary figure in dwarven history, the great dragon slayer of Karak-Hohn, known for his brutality in combat and the mastery of his craft. He is and always was a great smith, who could forge any weapon to kill a dragon. His hatred for dragons made him violent and unpleasant, with outbursts of anger over his loss that all of Karak-Hohn could hear him from miles away. Forgeback is only interested in seeing the dragon race extinct, not in their stolen gold or the glory of the hunt. He holds a personal vendetta and nothing but the death of all dragons will satisfy that need. In his old age he’s become unable to hunt the dragons himself, so he seeks a champion to aid him in his quest. In return they will gain the honor of wielding his work.

Nohrged-Kin

A sinister mystery, guardian of the oasis, exile, blasphemer, saint... These are but some of the words used to describe Nohrged-Kin, the shadowy figure lurking by the waters of the Thirst. He goads pilgrims and the lost to drink from it and watches as the consequences unfold. Nohrged-Kin is seen as vicious and cruel, but he cares not for the suffering of mortals, nor does he wish them ill. He merely wishes to test them in their hour of need.
If there is something he truly detests, it’s the gods that the mortals of The Four Kingdoms worship, especially Maraika and the Mother of Betrayers, who hold favor in Baga. His obsession is directed towards rare idols of gods, which he desecrates for his entertainment. He will surely test the champion in his own way, and determine if they are truly the hero that has a chance set the world to rights. 

[...]

Thanks henriquejr!

Henriquejr spotted development update #4 for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

Development Update #4 - Creating Real Time VFX in Alaloth

Let it burn!

The role of VFX is very important in every video game, because they communicate a lot about the things that are happening within a game’s world, from simple rain to a pool of acid, creating and saying what can be good or dangerous, alive or static. Our VFX, are generally divided into two macro categories, environments and gameplay effects.
Environments were introduced in Dev Update #2, which explains how, in order to create a live and realistic environment, VFX such as fire, fog, and particles are added. After the bake phase, every single VFX is moved to the final scene in order to have a living scene with fire, water, dust, lava, all weather events, and much more rather than just a static texture.
All environmental VFX derive from a common base: for example, each type of dust or flame starts from a base VFX and our team is able to create variants based on the scene in which it will be placed, changing color, size, duration, etc.

[...]

Henriquejr spotted the AMA highlights for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

Alaloth AMA highlights

Champions!
We hosted an Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms AMA with Alberto Belli (Founder & CEO) and Giulia Zamboni (Producer) on our Discord server recently. Many valiant heroes arrived from far-away lands to participate! We’ve gathered some of the most interesting questions and answers for you here, such as:
How does the gear work? Can you cook in the game? Why is Alberto such a funny guy? Find out below!

[...]

Henriquejr spotted lore update #6 for Alaloth:

Lore Update #6 - The Dragons of Bane and Flame

By Poison or By Fire

Dragons are competitive creatures. It is because of this that the four dragons remaining on the continent each claimed a kingdom for themselves. Having branched out and settled in their own kingdoms, the dragons are able to hold dominion over all the lives in a territory untouched by the other dragons. They use their environments almost to exhaustion, corrupting the land against its inhabitants.

Last week we spoke of the Dragons of Black and Gold. They were introduced as the dragons of the realm of humans and the realm of dwarves. The remaining two dragons that we’ll discuss today sought other prey...

[...]

At Gamescom a new gameplay video was shown for Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms.

Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms New Gameplay Showcased at gamescom 2020!

Nintendo and PS4 have been added to the launch platforms for Alaloth in 2021

Krakow, Poland - August 28, 2020. All in! Games is thrilled to announce that Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms took part in the gamescom Daily Show hosted by IGN. In addition, Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms will now be available on all platforms—including Nintendo Switch and PS4—and will aim for a simultaneous release. Due to these plans as well as the global pandemic, the release window for the game has been shifted to 2021.

Watch the newest trailer and discover the world of Alaloth! The trailer focuses on exploration, shows new enemies the equipment window, and showcases a few of the houses in the game.

About Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms

Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms is a high-fantasy RPG set in a dark world inspired by the darkest period of The Middle Ages. It's a story about fierce warriors, war, and epic encounters. Alaloth brings ARPG dynamics to a new level with skill-based gameplay, unique real-time combat system, and a twist on familiar mechanics and old school titles.

And the challenge doesn't end after the first playthrough—new game modes are activated after finishing the game for the first time, giving players even more options for exploring the kingdoms and customizing their characters. 

Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms has a short gameplay trailer.

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Discover new lands and enemies in a brand new Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms gameplay trailer, which premiered at the PC Gaming Show.

Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms has a new gameplay commentary video.

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Set in a vibrant fantasy world, Alaloth - Champions of the Four Kingdoms offers fast-paced action with a deep narrative, bringing ARPG dynamics to a new level with skill-based gameplay inspired by great classics and modern masterpieces. The 10 minute gameplay commentary video features an in-depth look at the upcoming skill-based isometric action RPG. Explore the creation area to pick your Kingdom, race-specific skills, fighting style, house, alignment, deity, and of course name and appearance. Then, travel to the capital city of Goldport to catch up on news, pick up new quests, and purchase wares to help you on your journey.

Finally, explore the map overview to set out on your first quest. Where do you go from here? Watch the video to find out! Alaloth - Champions of the Four Kingdoms is planned for release on Steam and Xbox One later this year.

Game features:
– Master a unique, hardcore combat system
– Customize your character by choosing different Ways of Power, classes, and skills
– Explore, craft, gain reputation, and unlock new quests
– Choose one of 4 playable races (Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs), 40+ houses and clans to fight for, each with their own history
– Start your own legacy in The Four Kingdoms after the first playthrough
– 12 memorable companions with their own backstories, ready to join or fight you during your journey
– World, lore, and character backstories created in collaboration with RPG veteran Chris Avellone

Porcozaur spotted the story trailer of Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms Xbox One/PC Story Trailer

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Sector has some new screenshots for Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms.

Thanks Farflame!

A new teaser trailer for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms.

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Set in a vibrant fantasy world, built with the help of RPG legend Chris Avellone, Alaloth – Champions of The Four Kingdoms offers fast paced action with a deep narrative, in between a cRPG and an aRPG. The very first isometric souls-like game ever made: instant action, fun and a unique hardcore combat system to master. Intense combat and dungeon diving granted!

GameWatcher reports on a press release for Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms. The game will appear sometime during 2019. Screenshots at the link.

Alaloth - Champions of the Four Kingdoms is a confusing pitch at first. Developed by Gamera Interactive with the help of Chris Avellone, it looks like it'll have the pedigree of a modern CRPG, while banking heavily on its real-time "souls-like" combat mechanics.

Centring its plot (quite literally) around the titular demonic entity, players will be tasked with finding a way to defeat the ever-looming threat over an ever-diminishing timeframe, forcing them to keep moving forward even when they're unprepared in this way or the other.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

IGN reports on Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms, an action RPG with isometric graphics and souls like combat and Chris Avellone is helping with the lore and characters.

Gamera Games has announced Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms, an isometric action-RPG in development for PC and consoles, scheduled for a 2018 release, and being created in conjunction with RPG legend, Chris Avellone.

Described as a cross between Dark Souls and Amiga cult classic Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight, Alaloth will be broadly divided into two gameplay phases. Movement across the game's overworld is turn-based, with players visiting points of interest to upgrade their character, buy mounts or visit the ruling families of the game's four kingdoms to be given new quests or learn about the world's political make-up.

On a first playthrough, players will choose from one of four races, and have to ally themselves with an existing house, each with an existing history and tie to one of the kingdoms. After one full completion, however, players will be able to create their own house, with customisable banners, mottos and more.

[...]

The idea appears to be to offer a combat system modern players will immediately understand and gel with, but set within a truly old-school setting, allowing for the story complexities (Game of Thrones is a constant touchstone for Belli) and open-ended nature of classic CRPGs, like Planescape: Torment or Fallout 2.

That's presumably where Chris Avellone - director-designer on, er, Planescape: Torment and Fallout 2 - comes in. Gamera has brought in the founder of RPG specialist Obsidian as a creative consultant to help create the world's lore and character backstories, as well as provide feedback on its overall design, which he describes as involving "mechanics I've rarely had a chance to work on before."