Been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of a Kickstarter doing everything right, including releasing a demo, that it’s clear everyone hasn’t already heard about. Overfall has about fifteen days left on the dream-machine, with only $28k of its $65k goal reached. It’s a tactical RPG about a pair of adventurers setting off on a boat to explore a procedurally generated archipelago. Each run will unlock more items, classes and abilities you can start with, making each playthrough different on top of the random NPCs, other boats and enemies to encounter.
Best of all, their Kickstarter video isn’t overly long but also manages to explain what the game is without just being a gameplay trailer:
AND today they’ve released a demo. It doesn’t allow any customisation and the story elements are basic, but it shows off the potential of the formula and how the game will play quite effectively. Whenever a battle begins you take direct control of your characters on a grid of hexagons. Each will take their turn, going through a movement phase, ability phase and attack phase. You’ll have different options within each of these, all with their own cooldowns – so for example the warrior class can either move normally or take a flying leap across the battlefield, damaging those he lands near. In the attack phase, he can choose to cleave two foes, or simply attack one. They’re simple decisions, but they have potential.
The exploration layer involves visiting different islands on the lookout for quests, enemies and talkative individuals. Again, it’s still basic at this stage, but it’s interesting to dock not knowing what you’ll find or where it might point you, while at others times you’ll be on a mission with an idea of what you might be getting into. The art is lovely 2D stuff in a caricatured style that makes enemies gruesome and friends recognisable. There’s even hints at an evolving political landscape between the races, which you can embroil yourself in for fame and fortune or rack and ruin.
It’s cool and I like it. It’s also surprisingly long, where I expected it to end after twenty minutes of questing it simply told me of another location to visit and set me on my merry way. I intend to go back to it soon, and I’d really like to see what the team behind it could do if they met their goal. If you feel the same, $10 will get you a copy of the game when it’s released, which is currently planned for December. The regular Kickstarter slippage algorithm doesn’t usually deal with dates so close, but I’d still put that as February at the earliest.