Putting Together A Country Victorian Steampunk Style
Gataela – Previewed
By Julie Morley
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Ten years ago, a great civil war tore apart Gataela, leaving the country in disarray.
I wrote an update about Gataela not that long ago that you should probably check out. Do it. Make your best friend do it. Teach your dog to read and make them do it. Spread the word about this amazing game. And then check out my interview with the developer, Paige Marincak.
I think I’ve established my opinion on here about Gataela, but I’m going to share it once again; I’m stoked about it. It’s a concept that has factors that are reminiscent of older RPGs but it also carries its own distinct style and uniqueness that allows it to stand on its own.
Zack is the character you’re controlling. In the open world, he’ll travel around from town to town, inching his way closer to the Lord’s castle.
First of all, it’s an RPG for mobile devices, such as iOS, Android, Playbook, and Windows Mobile, which we don’t see very often. Typically, RPGs go straight to PC or console. That right there is a unique quality from the get go. Secondly, it’s going to support multiple languages, both English and French. The world is freaking ginormous, equating to 384Kx384K pixels in size. The world of Gataela is so large that the game is being released in four different components.
The story of Gataela is of a country in peril. Ten years ago Gataela broke out into a horrific civil war that completely tore the country apart, ruining the lives of its people and leaving many in poverty. Our main character, Zack, is one of the many orphans stranded as a result of the war. It’s funny, the war was intended to fix all the issues but instead, it created even more (as war is wont to do). Zack has had enough of what’s become of Gataela and wants to offer a helping hand to those in need. In order to make a difference, he journeys to the Lord’s castle for aid but his path there causes all sorts of hostility and old wounds to stir up among the people.
The artwork still needs some polishing and final touches before release, but the characters will introduce themselves almost as those in Visual Novels do.
The entirety of Gataela centers on exploration and gaining an understanding of the world. Through conversation, the player can learn a lot about the effects of the war along with the current state of Gataela.
In fact, part of the combat system in Gataela centers on these conversations, in the form of debates. The turn based combat featuring conversation rewards those that pay attention to NPCs and conversations. There will be several occasions in the game where the player will communicate with a bit of a stubborn character and suddenly the debate is on. In conversations with people throughout the towns there will be hints in the dialogue that will benefit you later on in the game. Not only are you fighting with weaponry, but there’s a little bit of brainpower in there to get yourself out of some troublesome situations.
Aw, Luke, It’s okay. (He’s so emotional). NPC dialogue is important. Be careful, there will be players interested in debating with you, so pay attention!
Right now, Gataela is just in need of the finishing cosmetic touches, with the majority of the game is complete. I’m excited to see where it goes when it’s polished up and ready to go.
Paige Marincak is looking to fund Gataela through Kickstarter, seeking $5,000 CAD to add more artwork and get better tile sets. The campaign is expected to end June 11th.
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[author image=”http://cliqist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/julie.jpg” ]Julie Morley is a freelance writer and comic artist from Spring, Texas. She attended the Academy of Art University for two years, studying Animation and Illustration. Whilst here, she learned about writing comic scripts, storyboards, and general storytelling. Since leaving college, she has been working on personal comic projects, stories, and illustrations. She aspires to release a self published comic within two years. For the majority of her life, she has been playing console games, typically being third-person shooters and sandboxes. Her favorite game of existence is Dark Cloud II (Dark Chronicle) and her favorite Indie game is Gone Home.[/author]
