Hymn to the Earless God Announced, Undergoing Kickstarter Campaign

by Alex Fuller · August 30, 2023

Developer Starseed has announced “grim insectoid fantasy RPG” Hymn to the Earless God. The two-man studio includes Kasey Ozymy, the latter the creator of Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass, and have begun a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the game, with a demo available for players to try out on Steam and itch.io.

Hymn to the Earless God is a turn-based RPG set on an alien world called Gloom, and draws inspiration from the Lennus series, whose first game was released in North America as Paladin’s Quest. Gloom is inhabited by insectoid creatures and is unforgiving but has a wide variety of biomes and a rich history. The game features four playable protagonists, each with their own full-length story as they fight against different calamities threatening Gloom. Pox the Vile is the protagonist of the game’s demo. He is a member of the Verrick Horde, whose fortress lies in the rotting ruins of the World Tree, but is considered weak in a society where only the strong survive.

Another playable character is Capella. She is the last of the Sun-Roo and the Chosen One who will give birth to a god. On the journey to conduct the ritual, she feels something pulling her away from this path. Meanwhile, Shear is a Reiken’O preparing to commit ritual suicide after the failure of a mating ritual. Seeing a vision of her deceased husband pointing to the exit of her village, she decides to sever the chains of tradition that bind her. Finally, Phlegm is one of the reviled Styx. He hangs around causing mischief, but when caught pickpocketing he finds himself in the employ of one of Gloom’s most powerful entities.

Hymn to the Earless God features turn-based combat involving recruitable mercenary characters. Though the four characters have their own separate stories, actions in one story may affect another, such as opening new areas for others or allowing mercenaries to train in a way that will give players an advantage when fighting with another. There will be nearly forty mercenaries available, each said to have their own thoughts, ambitions, mechanics, and story arcs, and will react situations such as fleeing from a battle they are doomed to lose or refusing to work with a character they dislike.

Combat is said to make heavy use of agility and turn-order manipulation. The game’s magic features notable cast times, giving players opportunities or risks to strategise around concerning the use of magic, which comes in multiple different schools. Players will potentially be able to devour the corpses of the defeated foes for emergency healing, preventing others from doing the same, or even set traps by poisoning them or turning them into a bomb. Players will also be able to customise equipment loadouts and weapons.

Starseed is looking for $120k in Hymn to the Earless God’s Kickstarter campaign, with it set to run until September 29, 2023. Those who pledge at least $30 will receive a digital copy of the game as part of their backer rewards. The game is currently planned to release in 2026 for PC, with console ports under consideration.