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  1. #1
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    Children of Zodiarcs (PC/Mac/PS4) July 18, 2017

    Developed by Cardboard Utopia
    Children of Zodiarcs is a story-driven, single-player tactical RPG that combines traditional tactical gameplay with the thrill of collectible cards and craftable dice!

    Children of Zodiarcs was inspired by our deep love of tactical RPGs, namely Final Fantasy Tactics and the 16-bit Shining Force games, as well as a love of playing board games and collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering. We decided to bring these passions together to make a game that would resonate with fellow fans of the genre, as well as to push the envelope in fun and exciting ways.

    Story

    At the heart of an evil empire, a group of young outsiders rebel against the corrupt system that holds them down.

    Professional thieves on the trail of an ancient relic, the group infiltrates the glittering halls of a corrupt noble’s private chambers in pursuit of their target, narrowly escaping the wrath of the city guards at every turn. Desperate to find an escape, they seek refuge in the city’s seamy slums and brave the sunless pits of the underworld. Out to get them are heavily armed city guards, rival gangs and psychotic families of subterranean cannibals. Abandoned by the system and used by selfish criminals, these young companions will be forced to come to terms with their own reality. But be warned – in the world of Children of Zodiarcs, no one escapes unscathed!

    Gameplay

    For the combat in Children of Zodiarcs we wanted to utilize something traditional enough that fans would recognize, but to also use a dynamic system, new to the tactical RPGs genre.

    Whereas past games in the genre had static lists of attacks and abilities that you brought into battle, Children of Zodiarcs uses a system that pulls the experience of tension, anticipation, and adaptation from cards and dice.

    In Children of Zodiarcs, cards take the place of all abilities and attacks, drawn from your custom build decks during battle. This means that your strategy has to change on the fly and you are constantly challenged. This also means that while luck is a factor in combat, it’s a factor that you influence through deck building and dice customization. While you will know WHAT you have in your deck, you won’t know WHEN you’ll get it, making each card draw an opportunity for new strategies to emerge.

    Our dice are symbol-based, with each symbol having a different effect on the outcome. But like your decks you will also have the opportunity to customize and craft the dice your heroes bring into combat, effectively stacking the odds in your favor.

    Want a dice with more swords for stronger attacks? Equip one. Don’t have one? Craft it using collected loot die as ingredients in a recipe.

    The ability to build your deck of cards and customize your dice makes combat in Children of Zodiarcs about how well you can adapt to changing situations. It took us months of prototyping to find the perfect balance between tactics and influenced luck, but we have been consistently playtesting with tactical RPGs fans, and they are excited about what we have to offer.

    • Plan your actions in battle, pushing and flanking your enemies.
    • Play cards and roll dice to increase your damage or get that extra turn to finish the job.
    • Influence luck by building decks of cards and crafting dice to maximize the chances for the outcome you’re looking for.
    http://na.square-enix.com/us/node/6979
    http://www.cardboard-utopia.com/
    http://store.steampowered.com/app/436290

  2. #2
    Ridill
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    I dont think you get to say inspired by FFT and SF with that artwork

  3. #3

    That and shoehorning cards in. Shit's bad enough in mobile games.

  4. #4

    Quote Originally Posted by arus2001 View Post
    That and shoehorning cards in. Shit's bad enough in mobile games.
    Thats my criticism too. Its why I dislike a lot of Final Fantasy brand mobile games, I just don't like it when they stack and stack RPG mechanics on top of eachother. In this game you can level characters, level gear, level spells, level cards etc up the wazoo.

    Did we really need dice ON TOP OF cards?

    I don't like the artstyle of the actual gameplay. If the story is similar to FFT I might check it out since nothings really scratched that itch, but yeah, the actual game itself looks unappealing to me.

  5. #5
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  6. #6

    Is the art and assets done by the same guys who made Bastion and Transistor by chance? It looks reaaaally familiar. ..

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Psion View Post
    Is the art and assets done by the same guys who made Bastion and Transistor by chance? It looks reaaaally familiar. ..
    Core team is former Ubi having worked on Far Cry 3, AssCreed Brotherhood & Recollections, and Rainbow6 Patriots. Art director worked on The Order of Souls, 100ft Robot Golf, and Cibele.

  8. #8
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    July 18th
    quare Enix Collective is thrilled to reveal that, after raising more than five times its target on Kickstarter at the start of 2016, Cardboard Utopia will launch the tactical RPG Children of Zodiarcs on 18th July 2017.

    The game, which developer Cardboard Utopia says looks to both recapture and build upon the spirit of the tactical RPGs that so captivated gamers during the 16-bit and 32-bit eras, will make its debut on PlayStation 4 and PC in just less than 2 months.

    “Having built a community of loyal fans thanks to our Kickstarter campaign, it feels really exciting to lift the lid on just when gamers will be able to get their hands on Children of Zodiarcs,” offered Jason Kim, Creative Director at Cardboard Utopia.

    “It’s also a nervy time, too. We’ve put everything into delivering an experience that recaptures the joy people felt playing those tactical RPGs all those years ago, and because we’re a small studio, you can see the influence of each and every one of us in the game.”

    It’s the indie nature of Children of Zodiarcs that drew the attention of Square Enix Collective, which is proud to serve as the game’s publisher. Cardboard Utopia’s vision has been to take the tactical RPG model and bring a fresh approach to it, combining the genre with elements from some of the studio’s favourite board games.

    “We’ve brought together deck-building and dice-crafting with grid-based combat arenas,” continued Samuel Daher, Design Director at Cardboard Utopia. “It’s a mechanic we think combines strategy with controlled risk to build tension, anticipation, and excitement. Add to that some big characters and a big story, and what you end up with is a tactical RPG that’s larger than life.”

    Telling the story of a gang of thieves who take on an empire suffocating its people with fear and cruelty by stealing a priceless, and mysterious relic, the game brings together tactical action with card decks and dice that unlock special powers aplenty. It’s a combination designed to ensure the battles in play are as varied as they are exciting.

    “Children of Zodiarcs is a project that’s very close to our hearts here at Collective,” said Phil Elliott, Director of Community & Indie Development at Square Enix London.

    “Since we first featured the game on the Collective feedback platform, and went on to support the Kickstarter campaign, it’s always been clear that the same is true for the wider Square Enix community too. To watch the way the studio has connected with its Kickstarter backers since it passed its target has been great to watch.”

  9. #9
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  10. #10
    Sandworm Swallows
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    This game looks so confused, man.

    Throwback - Inception music - tile strategy - BUT ALSO DECKBUILDING WAT

    What is it trying to be? I don't know if it knows.