When we covered City of the Shroud earlier this month on Cliqist, we marvelled at how quickly it had reached $12,000 of its $14,000 goal, while also observing that the funding had been reduced substantially from their previously failed campaign, when they asked for $45,000. I reached out to developer Abyssal Arts asking about the drastic decrease in funding, and Keaton White, the producer/game director, explained that the game was originally slated for release late summer/early autumn 2016 had they reached their goal of $45,000. But after that fell through, they decided to pull together the $30,000 difference themselves, make some adjustments, and push back the release date to February 2017.
Now they might even be able to pay off some the difference with their reinvigorated campaign. The game’s funding is currently sitting at over $15,000, having just passed their goal, and with three weeks still to go, Abyssal Arts has plenty of time to focus on fulfilling their stretch goal. Their single stretch goal is listed at $17500, and if fulfilled, they guarantee a New Game Plus mode—which is exactly what is sounds like it is. Once you finish every episode of the game, you’ll be able to replay the story while retaining your abilities and stat gems, with an increased AI difficulty to boot.
City of the Shroud’s press coverage has been increasing, and aside from our coverage of the game here at Cliqist, the game has also been featured on several other gaming sites and more recently on the radio show WASD. Keaton discusses a bit about himself, as well as the roots of Abyssal Arts and City of the Shroud, and what direction they’re hoping to take the game. They’ve also been avidly connecting with their backers, responding to various inquiries, and even posting a Q and A featuring various members of the team. Lead designer/programmer Ryan talks a little bit about how Final Fantasy Tactics, released way back in ’97, has “heavily influenced City of the Shroud’s design”, largely in the aspect of customization. For you bookworms out there, the team’s writer, Moira Katson, who is also an accomplished indie fantasy novelist in her own right, discusses her favourite book and author.
Most recently, they’ve posted an in-depth look into one of the character classes they’re currently building with a little help from the community: The Defender. The Defender is billed as the toughest of all the classes, a class that “thrives in the thick of combat” with the ability to pull enemies towards them and create magical walls. As the campaign continues to roll along there will undoubtedly be more updates going over the many character classes City of the Shroud has to offer. They’ve already promised to allocate funding to the Gunner class, adding some new animations, “backflips incoming!”
With just over two weeks to go, City of the Shroud might even have time to add an additional stretch goal. They’ve been in touch with their supporters, posting updates since day one, which has definitely contributed to their campaign’s ongoing success. Keaton would also like to make a special shout out to all of Quest of Shroud’s beloved backers, “We at Abyssal Arts are extremely grateful for the support of our fans, and we can’t wait to start this adventure with all of our players.” Follow and back them on Kickstarter to keep track of what new and exciting things are in store for City of the Shroud!
