Kickstarter Check-In: Siralim Ultimate, Black Book

RPGamer’s ad hoc Kickstarter Check-In feature returns for a look at two ongoing crowdfunding campaigns. This edition features Thylacine Studios’ Siralim Ultimate, as well as Morteshka and HypeTrain Digital’s Black Book.

Siralim Ultimate

Thylacine Studios has announced the latest title in its monster-catching RPG series, Siralim Ultimate, and begun a Kickstarter campaign to secure funding for its development. The game is the fourth title in the series and its story concerns a war between the kingdoms of Siralim and Nex following the breakdown of a century-long alliance. Players control the ruler of Siralim as King Andrick of Nex obtains a relic that manipulates the gods and looks to use it to conquer Siralim.

Siralim Ultimate will feature over a thousand creatures, which join players in traversing through randomly-generated dungeons and participate in six-on-six battles. Most creatures are obtained by capturing them in the wild, though others are available as rewards for quests or other in-game activities. Creatures can also be fused together to create new creatures that inherit the stats of both “parents” as well as their traits. Players can take these creatures with them into dungeons known as Realms. There are 21 different types of Realms, each ruled by a different god, with players receiving a dedicated Realm Quest when they enter one. Combat is turn-based, with each creature able to select from a number of actions for their turn. Players will also be able to decorate their own castle.

Siralim Ultimate is being developed for PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. Thylacine Studios plans to release a Steam Early Access version in September or October 2020, with a full Steam release planned in early 2021. Other platforms will receive the game at a later date. The Kickstarter campaign has already passed its $10,000 funding goal and is set to run until May 31, 2020. Those who pledge at least $18 will receive a digital copy of the game as part of their backer rewards.

Black Book

Black Book is a narrative-driven adventure RPG inspired by Slavic mythology from developer Morteshka and publisher HypeTrain Digital, who have begun a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the game. The game features card-based, deck-building gameplay as players use their cards to create spells while attempting the find the seals of the eponymous Black Book.

The game is set around several late 19th century towns and villages and follows a young woman called Vasilisa, who decides to forego her destiny as a witch to get married, only for her betrothed to die in mysterious circumstances. Vasilisa sets out to find the legendary Black Book, an artifact which is said to grant any wish to one who unleashes its seven seals. The game’s turn-based combat sees players use their turn to select cards with various effects, which combine to form a single spell. Players will also be able to recruit demons for certain tasks in the game.

Black Book is being developed for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, and is expected to launch in Q1 2021. A free prologue is currently available to download for PC and Mac via Steam, which contains access to twenty spells and the first part of the story. Morteshka and HypeTrain Digital are looking for $35,000 in funding from the Kickstarter campaign, which is set to run until June 6, 2020. Those who pledge at least $25 will receive a digital copy of the game as part of their backer rewards, though a limited number of $15 and $20 pledge tiers with equivalent rewards are also available at the time of writing.

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