Game Design and Project Resources: The Workshops Quarter > Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley

Roadwarden [Fantasy/RPG Elements/Pixel Art] [DEMO]

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Aure:
Roadwarden is an interactive fiction
in which you explore and change a hostile, grim realm.


Everyone knows to stay away from the wilderness. Most people would never risk a lonely journey.

Roadwardens not only accept this struggle, they embrace it. They deliver messages, assist merchants, burn human corpses and, if possible, get rid of beasts and highwaymen.

They live on the road, die young or retire early.

It’s a dangerous job, but a respectable one. And it pays well.





Main Features:
[*]Explore and change the world. Travel through a detailed fantasy setting filled with secrets, challenges and uniquely harsh lore.
[*] Have immersive conversations. To gain support of dozens of NPCs, you need to earn their trust during complex dialogues and sidequests.
[*] Create your own character through role-playing and decisions. Shape your background, abilities, beliefs and personality.
[*] Unveil the local mysteries. Investigate, use your wit and make connections to understand the true nature of this realm.
[*] Overcome your weaknesses. The wilderness is full of dangers and you can trust nobody. Find your path to success against all odds.[/list]

You can find more information as well as the free demo on the game's website!







So, hello again! What do you think? Have you got any idea how can we call this game's genre? : P

Jubal:
I think it's an adventure game. It includes aspects like stats (eg your health) and an inventory, so it's not purely what I'd think of as interactive fiction, but it's mainly working through trying to get a defined set of choices toward certain outcomes rather than being primarily stats/inventory driven and open so it's not really an RPG - adventure game seems to fit well IMO :)

And it looks great - looking forward to playing it more at some point :)

Aure:
Thank you, Jubal! Some time ago I joined a cool Facebook community that loves retro adventure games, and I feel like labeling my game as an adventure game could be a bit false and maybe even dishonest. I do believe that there are good reason to bring this genre up, though at the same time, the game distances itself from some adventure tropes... I mean - by definition, even all Visual Novels are adventure games, but I think we can agree that there are significant differences between the expectations of a person who wants to play Quest For Glory and of a person who plays a VN. : )

Jubal:
Mm, I don't think I agree: I mean, I guess maybe you could pitch it as an adventure game/visual novel crossover in genre terms?

I think Quest for Glory is at the other end of the spectrum where Adventure Game crosses over into RPG, mainly because it has a functioning combat system; I don't think QfG is a very representative adventure game for that reason, most adventure games don't have that sort of RPG style combat at all. I guess the main difference on the other hand between Roadwarden and, say, King's Quest is the feel of the story (Roadwarden is much more serious) and the input method (CYOA style link options vs parser input). But I think the presence of an inventory and modulation options (the mood/attitude buttons) shifts RW out of what I'd consider a visual novel to be and to be quite a bit closer to what I'd think of as an adventure game.

Aure:
I keep thinking that for Most people, adventure games are usually story-heavy puzzle games with 2D front-view graphics and gameplay involving point & click controls / player's text parsers or other popular solutions. I honestly believe that there are so many games that classify as adventure games and, at the same time, merge themselves with other features (like 3D FPP camera) or touch other genres (RPGs, dungeon crawlers, Visual Novels), that this categorization is filled with dead ends.

IN THE MEANTIME : P

I love it when a game slowly moves from place holders to the actual graphics. Here you can see the first part of the game’s map - the large “objects” are icons allowing you to select the area you want to visit. Heavily inspired by Baldur’s Gate. ; )

If you think it can still look better, I’ll be happy to see your feedback!

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