"Project Phoenix": JPN Indie RPG/RTS feat. Nobuo Uematsu, Paypal Donations extended til June 2014!

General Discussion
1

I couldn’t find a thread for it using SRK’s search function so I thought I should start a thread for this game before the fundraiser closes within a week. Ironically, I just found out about this Kickstarter through the comments section of the “Mighty No. 9” Kickstarter.

“…the combat will be similar to StarCraft and Warcraft’s small team skirmishes where you don’t get to build barracks to build more units. That been said, the core differences are that our game operates in “Squads” like Dawn of War but each character in your squad are customizable and important unlikes Dawn of War.” Taken from the Project Phoenix AMA from Reddit.

This is an RPG project being developed by some known names in the industry. Already posted in the link, here’s the list of some of the talent included in this project:

Hiroaki Yura - Director & Producer
Credits: Valkyria Chronicles, Diablo III, STEINS;GATE, The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi

Vaughan Smith - Game Designer
Credits: L.A. Noire

Yoko Enoki - Scenario Writer
Credits: The Dragon and the Magician series, The Black Knight series, The Legend of Umiberi series

Bill Benfield - Senior Editor

Kiyoshi Arai - Art Director / World Concept Artist
Credits: Final Fantasy 3/12/14, Bloodmasque

Gontaro - Leader Artist
Credits: Tenchu

Take-B - Character Designer / Monster Designer
Credits: “Some very famous JRPG that everybody knows” (I’m ignorant, which title/s did Take-B work on? Most probably I know the games just unfamiliar with the name because I don’t read credits like I should be doing.)

Koya Takahashi - Lead Cinematic Artist
Credits: Multi-award-winning Cinematic Artist and Illustrator for TV and other Multimedia

Koji Moriga - Concept Art Designer
Credits: Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Starship Troopers the animated movie, Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin

Asami Hagiwara - SD Character Design
Credits: MOGRA Paper

Steffen Unger - Lead 3D Modeler
Credits: Halo 4, Crysis 3

Nobuo Uematsu - Lead Composer
Credits: Final Fantasy 1-10 & 14, The Last Story, Lost Odyssey

John Kurlander - Sound Engineer
Credits: Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed II, etc.

Donna Burke - Casting, Voice Acting, Singer
Credits: Metal Gear Solid series, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha

Larry Oji - Community Team
Credits: SSFIITHDR, Deus EX: Sonic Augmentation album

I really hope they reach their last two stretch goals and that this project results in a very good game. I have no more money and only was able to donate 2$ to the cause.

2

…I’ve donated.

3

This sounds pretty stacked.

Any info on the project besides the name and key staff?

4

It’s made an approximate metric shit-ton of money on kickstarter.

5

Any other info that I know of is just the stuff I read on the Kickstarter page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1300298569/project-phoenix-japans-indie-rpg-feat-aaa-talent

“Project Phoenix is a JRPG with a squad based RTS game design, brought to you by veteran developers and creators from the East and West.”

"Presenting: Project Phoenix

  • Japan’s indie RPG developed by AAA talent!

Project Phoenix is a SQUAD-BASED, REAL-TIME STRATEGY GAME combined with strong Japanese RPG design influences, brought to you by top Eastern and Western creators who have worked on many blockbuster game titles.

Platforms: Mainly for Windows, Mac and Linux via Steam and our website. iOS and Android will have a different version to the PC counterparts due to limitations.
We are also working to have the game released on PlayStation 4 and other platforms but is yet to be confirmed.

Estimated release: Mid-2015.

of Players: This game is primarily a single player game and we would like to focus on that aspect. We do have ideas for multiplayer and co-op modes but we’d only work on it if the multiplayer stretch goal is achieved."

"**Project Phoenix is a fantasy themed squad-based real-time strategy game combined with Japanese RPG design influences. ** The game draws you in with its breathtaking fantasy world, deep storyline, Japanese character designs, and a memorable cast, most notably, the band of heroes under your command. Furthermore, its intuitive real-time tactical combat is dynamic, fluid, and streamlined, allowing you to experience the strategic options without being bogged down by overwhelming archaic battle systems.

Throughout the adventure, players will piece together the mysteries of an angel with amnesia and travel through the land of Azuregard with an unusual band of heroes searching for answers."

6

I feel this warrants a separate post:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eou3UMAZ5cc

"Gameplay:

Project Phoenix is a sprawling adventure in which you explore a vast, rich land and do battle against formidable enemies. The gameplay eschews micromanagement in favour of a focused Real Time Strategy system enhanced by JRPG elements. You can level your characters and teach them new abilities but at the same time they behave intelligently when you are not controlling them directly.

The game has three distinct modes: Exploration, Combat and Character Advancement.

Exploration is where you travel the many realms of Azuregard. As well as progressing the story, you will discover different races, acquire better equipment and meet new characters. Each time you arrive somewhere new, you’ll be able to outfit yourself with the local equipment and experience some of their culture. There will be no grinding through enemies to be able to advance to the next area. You will be able to advance at your own pace, and either push on with the story or take your time as you see fit.

Each town or city you find yourself in will be populated by an interesting cast of characters, with their own stories to tell. There’ll be good reason to stick around some places, or to do a bit of extra exploration.

Combat takes place in predefined areas, tailored to match the locale. There will be two main types of combat: Story battles and Random battles. Story battles will be carefully-tuned scenarios integral to the story’s progression. Random battles will be dynamic combat scenarios activated occasionally during the story, but generally when exploring areas without any new story content (such as when backtracking). They will be available whenever you want, without being a burden to play.

Combat uses a point and click system to control your party of heroes. Each hero has abilities they can use in battle, and the use of these abilities depletes either their mana (magic reserves) or their stamina. Tactical play and the combination of different heroes will be the main factors in your success, as well as taking advantage of the following conditions:

Terrain: Terrain comes in different heights, so you can use the lay of the land to your advantage. There are also destructible elements to damage or slow down your foes. Some units also get a movement advantage in different terrain to allow for more strategy.
Fog of War: Apart from special scenario objectives, the combat map will be hidden until explored. This helps keep things exciting and suspenseful and also gives you plenty of opportunity to use the scouting abilities of particular heroes.
Threat Management: Generally enemies will target those they consider the greatest threat, or a specific target when the story dictates. However there are character abilities to redirect their attention to another character. Not only does this lend itself to structured defensive play – knowing who the enemy will target will allow you to set up some cunning traps! Of course, no JRPG is complete without memorable, awe-inspiring bosses, and we have plenty of those as well. These challenging scenarios will have you focusing your entire party on an epic enemy, using your skill to win the day.

Character Advancement is an important piece, and comes from the game’s JRPG heritage. Each hero you control will be a distinct class, with their own look, abilities, and usable equipment. Of course there will be overlaps in equipment, but there won’t be too many dilemmas when it comes to selecting who gets a new item. As characters increase in experience, they automatically get improved stats, as well as new abilities. For further customization we have a simple talent system in place, so that you can choose the path you want your characters to take. If you want to have more control over your team, we are also including customize-able heroes that can be recruited as you progress through the game. That way, if you love a character class but want to put your own spin on it, you can."

7

Hot damn!

8

Music by Uematsu? holy fakkkkk… I am donating NOW

9

The last two stretch goals are:

  • Fully explorable Overworld complete with an upgraded combat transitions. Fight inside a Kraken!

  • Side-stories and two additional zones. Eminence Orchestra, Uematsu, and Kurlander collaboration (I presume on a song or a series of musical pieces; this sounds way too good.)

The last two ones are doozy and I’d love to see these things implemented into the game. The musical talent for the game is amazing and hopefully the gameplay will turn out well.

The campaign has about slightly over 700,000$ combining the Kickstarter and Paypal contributions and Project Phoenix needs 1,025,000$ for the Overworld and Kraken expansion.

For the Side-stories, additional zones, and the collaboration, Project Phoenix needs 1,650,000$. Every little bit counts, especially my 2$.

10

One more thing, there is only 8 days/1 week left for this campaign. I’d be elated and surprised if this project can reach the 1,025,000$ milestone.

11

Got my interest, I’ll throw them $20 before the end of the week.

12

What I’ve learnt from other Kickstarters it that the big progress is made in the first three, and last three, days. That’s when all the huge money is made.

13

Hope so. It got pretty crazy towards the end of the Skullgirls and Yatagarasu campaign. I want to see things get crazy for Mighty No. 9 (already is) and Project Phoenix. Surprised to not see a thread already so I hope posting about it and sharing it will increase the crazy last 3 days factor for Project Phoenix.

14

If a Kickstarter is going well (or has already made it’s target), it’s more likely to get those pushes at the end. I think it’s because the people who are hesitant in donating will donate so that they can feel ‘part of the process’ or something.

I’m pretty sure that’s what happened with Skullgirls, there is no other way to explain that particular one.

15

http://i.imgur.com/CfmiFrk.jpg

"For those of you who’ve been following our Facebook Page, Gontaro has given us the opportunity to showcase one of his works in progress seen below. For those of you who don’t know, that character featured is none other than Marcus Stern, son of Magnus, a brother to two siblings, but a bit distant from his family for reasons that will be explained later.

We bring him up not because he looks badass (though he does look the part :D), but because this opens the door to a quick, but, we believe, meaningful discussion. As creators, developers, and storywriters working on an RPG, we really want to emphasize just how important characters are to some of the best JRPGs out there because it is through them that gamers truly connect with the game as a whole.

Whether it’s Cloud Strife’s search for his true identity or Ramza Beoulve’s resoluteness in his commitment to justice in the face of treachery, the RPG hero’s journey is one that captivates us through and through. As we play, their struggles, their hardships become ours. We embody their ideals, we empathize with them in their moment of weakness, but we also revel in their glories.

Later this week, we’ll have people from the writing team go into greater depth about the story and character aspect of Project Phoenix. For now, we hope this gives you something to think about and an idea of what we ultimately hope to achieve through our characters!"

Other than that, the Kickstarter page itself exceeded $700,000 bring the grand total to more than $719,278 combined with Paypal contributions.

7 Days left to contribute.

16

Starred.

As a fan of things from both side of the pond and wanting to see both ideologies team up more frequently, I’m very intrigued.

17

ugggghhh I still despise kickstarter 95% of the time but I will keep preordering boss games

18

This year is godlike.

2 fighting games have been/are being made because of us
1 platformer by Inafune to get his foot in the gaming market is being made
Now my absolute favorite genre, JRPG, is getting a game because of us.

Of all the times we could say fuck big game devs, now we can support the little guys and get their games off the ground so we still have games to play.

Hopefully KickStarter and Indiegogo projects take off to the point where the actual big devs have to make an effort, take risks, and actually treat the consumer like a friend, instead of like a criminal.

19

RPG - yawn

Nobuo Uematsu - I’m in!

20

I cannot agree with you more , kind sir.