THE BLACK TOWER - An Homage to RPGs of PS1 Yore
I'm sure it's the same for many, but my first exposure to the wonderful world of RPGs was Final Fantasy VII. I remember picking my copy up from Sears (yeah, there was a time when picking up a game from Sears wasn't so unheard of) not knowing how much my perception of gaming would change as a result. Now RPGs are a regular ongoing part of my gaming lifestyle, but seeing The Black Tower in action brings a bit of nostalgia for how I felt back then, and some of the mechanics that have fallen by the wayside in more modern RPGs.
As you can tell from the trailer, it isn't hard to spot the homage the game and its developers are attempting to make. Created by 2 french freelancers and 1 programmer, with the full development only starting in February, the game is a mix of turn based combat, exploration of a large overworld map complete with driveable vehicles, and a story that revolves around a mysterious black cube and its effect on main characters Yan and Ellana. You can peep the full rundown below.
The story : "In 2011, Philippe Forté found a strange alien Cube during a routine mission on the Cobalt-5 satellite, around planet Terra. Hypnotized by this discovery, as if he was being called, he risked his own life to take the dark artefact in his hands. Noone ever heard of him after these events, and Philippe Forté is now known as a crazy astronaut who sacrificed his life for an illusion. Yet, the mystery remains.
In 2032, Yan Forté is a kind of ranger and lives in the woods of Lutetia - a country of the Europa continent on Terra. He has decided that he would never walk in the steps of his father Philippe, and that he would devote his whole life on protecting Nature on his beloved planet, instead of exploring the space. Things will suddenly change after he meets Ellana, a young girl with a strange black Die as a pendant around the neck, who came out of nowhere in a cloud of yellow particles..."
The Black Tower's combat will have a 3 fighter 3 support type system, and on paper seems to be a more Suikoden type of approach (which is absolutely fine by me, as I loved Suikoden's various takes on that type of system). Hopefully we will get to see more of it in action, as it should be launching its IndieGoGo campaign very soon. At this point, I think I'm ready for a bit of nostalgia. Not just for nostalgia's sake though, but because The Black Tower looks like a genuinely fun and interesting place to spend my time in. Only time will tell. You can catch more about the game on the official dev blog here, and I'll make sure to let you know when the official campaign launches.
Oh, and no, it's not a Boatsword. (Now imagine that in Arnold voice in the vein of "its not a tumor!" and I dare you to not laugh)
