When you think of RPGs what typically comes to mind are long, epic storylines that were carefully crated for players to fall in love with. With that said, there’s usually one main storyline per game and tons of NPCs giving tiny little sidestories. Vidar is a new RPG hoping to be funded via Kickstarter which tweaks this formula. It’s main focus is to offer players a different story each time – a coherent, full story. How can a procedurally generated story be nearly as good as carefully constructed tales?
Well, according to the developers, this game is very carefully made but in a very different way. There are 24 different townfolk in Vidar to start and each day someone will be killed. Each character has their own branching storyline which interacts with others. For example, if a mother’s child dies she will deal with the depressing ramifications of that as the game progresses. Of course, if other triggers are met then special “events” occur – but not every event will occur in each playthrough, necessitating multiple playthroughs.
The concepts are definitely exciting if they work out as described! Aside from this vast storytelling web the main gameplay consists of randomized puzzles. You’ll play through block-pushing puzzles, mirror reflecting ones, and more. So far it appears that the RPG framing is primarily for NPC storytelling as there don’t seem to be any random enemy encounters and leveling up to deal with. If you’re curious about Vidar then a Windows demo is currently available to try out. Those who enjoy it can then pledge toward the game’s $18,000 goal.
Track the progress of the Vidar Kickstarter in our Campaign Calendar.
[…] it is : Marcus wrote: “When you think of RPGs what typically comes to mind are long, epic storylines that were […]