Looks like story-driven RPG The Dwarves is about to leave the fantasy realm and become reality. With 4,156 backers and $217,051 already raised towards its $260,000 goal, the project still has two weeks left until deadline. Indeed, all things considered, it seems like a safe bet for KING Art Games, especially when one considers their previous successes on Kickstarter with Battle Worlds: Kronos and The Book of Unwritten Tales 2. These guys know what they’re doing, a sure way to inspire confidence in backers.
So what the hell is The Dwarves, exactly? Here’s everything we know.
The Dwarves, as its title suggests, is a fantasy RPG based on the novel of the same name by Markus Heitz. Indeed, it has the author’s backing as a consultant, and he’s even written a number of side quests for the game. Unlike many other titles in the genre, it casts dwarves in the lead role, placing the spotlight on a race generally employed as side characters. In many ways, dwarves might be seen as the underdogs of the fantasy world, and Kickstarter sure loves its underdogs. It’s an easy project to support, and that’s without getting into the gameplay.
The game features a crowd combat system that pits a small band of heroes against hundreds of enemy combatants. Helms Deep comes to mind. This is the basis for moment-to-moment gameplay in The Dwarves. Enemies flock and swarm as they try to gain the upper hand, pushing and shoving their way into the action. A realistic physics system allows for effective crowd control, with players knocking the enemy forces back into one another. Around 15 heroes are said to be playable, each of them bearing unique attacks that can be combined into devastating combos. The physics system alone is likely to make things interesting, and the pre-alpha footage on the game’s Kickstarter page already makes the game look great.
It really is beautiful, too. The camera can be zoomed right in, allowing one to appreciate the shininess of a nice dwarven armour set, or the viciousness of a rushing orc (though it would probably be more advisable to take action on the latter, rather than stand and gawk awkwardly). On their adventures across the kingdoms of Girdlegard, players may come across random events and encounters. These can be minor, but on the other hand, they might necessitate tough decisions that have the potential for serious consequences.
A number of stretch goals have been announced for every $75,000 made above the project’s funding goals, including an orchestrated soundtrack, a new character written by Markus Heitz (who will have their own unique quests), and a number of additional game modes such as 4-player Local Co-op, New Game Plus, and a survival-focused Horde mode. With the amount of funding already secured, it certainly seems possible that at least one of these stretch goals might make it into The Dwarves by release.
If all goes to plan, you can expect to see the game mid-2016 on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Mac, and Linux. To follow its progress, check out the project’s Kickstarter page, our Campaign Calendar, or head to the developer’s official website. Don’t forget to check out our previous coverage of The Dwarves.
