Kickstarter Check-In: The White Raven, Rayless Blade

RPGamer’s ad hoc Kickstarter Check-In feature returns for a look at two ongoing crowdfunding campaigns. This edition features GatherRound Studios’s The White Raven, as well as Kong Studio’s Rayless Blade.

GatherRound Studios has begun a Kickstarter campaign for open world tactical RPG The White Raven. The game takes place in a dark mystical world, with players controlling young shaman Jin in the Auroran Steppes as he investigates otherworldly mysteries and helps grow his tribe.

The White Raven features turn-based tactical combat on a grid-based battlefield. Players are encouraged to make use of elemental combos; for example, using a lightning attack near puddles of water to extend its range and stun multiple enemies at once. Players can also use push and pull mechanics to manipulate enemy positioning and generate combination strikes with allies. The game gives players an open map to explore that includes quests involving spiritual disputes, political assassinations, lost ruins, and more.

Players are able to freely customise their warriors and builds. Their attributes and past conversation stories will also impact options available in events, with players able to bond with allies and potentially romance some of them. In addition, players are able to recruit new members to their tribe as well as upgrade buildings, which provide bonuses during gameplay.

The White Raven is being developed for PC, with a Nintendo Switch version included as a stretch goal, and is currently expected to release in late 2024. The campaign has already passed its S$34,000 (around $24,300) funding goal and is set to run until July 28, 2022. Those who pledge at least S$35 (around $26) will receive a digital copy of the game as part of their backer rewards.

Kong Studio has begun its Kickstarter campaign for pixel-art turn-based RPG Rayless Blade. The developer lists Undertale and Hyper Light Drifter as major inspirations for the game, which casts players as a person who awakens on a large island with no memories after a lengthy slumber. As players explore its many biomes, they learn more about the world and their past, recruiting a party of powerful allies, while being opposed by those who rule it.

The game lets players customise their character and their allies across multiple classes. Players will come across enemies in the overworld and can choose to fight or flee, with some enemies being passive while others will aggressively chase the player. Each party member has access to four abilities and takes up a position on a 3×3 grid, which affects damage inflicted and received, which affects damage inflicted and received. Enemy turns feature dynamic elements, with players tasked with attempting to dodge their attacks; any hits taken sees damage shared across the entire party.

Rayless Blade is being developed for PC and Nintendo Switch and is currently planned to release in late 2022. Kong Studios is looking for $15,000 in funding, with the campaign set to run until August 1, 2022. Those who pledge at least $20 will receive a digital copy of the game as part of their backer rewards.

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