If you’ve ever thought a Skyrim pixel art game would be amazing, you’re not alone, as one indie developer is billing their new work in progress World of Anterra is inspired by Bethesda’s ubiquitous RPG game, but made with pixel art. Developer 81monkeys recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for Anterra with a goal of $99,555, and it seems the open-world game is gaining quite a following already. Just a few days into the campaign, World of Anterra already has more than 800 backers and, at the time of writing, is just about halfway to its goal.
The team might have looked to Skyrim for inspiration, but it seems like World Anterra is shaping up to be quite a bit more than just a pixel Elder Scrolls, if its Kickstarter trailer is anything to go by. 81monkeys is creating a complex living world for Anterra, with NPCs who follow their own schedules and have lives that unfold separately from your adventure, not unlike in Nihon Falcom’s Trails series, but it goes much further than most RPGs thanks to its innovative dialogue system.
Dialogue in World of Anterra is an organic, non-linear affair. You can ask questions in any order, chat about nothing in particular, and even type your own questions to start entirely new branches of conversation that might lead you to playing word games or learning new information.
Outside chatting up the locals and delving into Anterra’s culture and lore, you’ll engage in a number of other activities. World of Anterra will feature a robust crafting system, streamlined turn-based combat that has plenty to dig into while still remaining accessible for players who just want to get fights over quickly.
There’s also treasure hunts using hand-drawn maps, detective segments, and deep character side stories that unfold as you complete certain events around the world.
World of Anterra sounds ambitious, and 81monkeys recognizes that, even in the best of circumstances, bringing something like this to life will likely take a long time. There’s no current estimate for World of Anterra’s release date, and the dev team gently reminds backers that delays are always a possibility.
Check out the trailer on World of Anterra’s Kickstarter page.
If you’re looking for more Skyrim-a-likes, check out our picks for the best dragon games around, or pick up some of the best free PC games to give your wallet a break.