John Smedley was responsible for MMOs such as Everquest and H1Z1 at Sony Online Entertainment and later Daybreak Games. He is now launching a Kickstarter campaign for the new online action RPG Hero’s Song.
Hero’s Song is hardcore. You can see that from the graphics, which are 2D and hand-drawn. This reminds you of games from the 1990s. Hero’s Song is also hardcore because it can feature Friendly Fire and Permadeath.
It is your world!
You decide whether you want to experience the online game alone like a single-player RPG or together with hundreds or thousands of players. Each game start generates a new world that is different from all others. How this world looks will be decided based on character creation.
During this, you choose different gods who rule over this world. For example, if you choose Nae, the goddess of the seas, you will find a world of islands and oceans. Those who choose the god Cor will find more mountains in their world. Furthermore, the choice of god affects the background story of the world and its population.
Your choices matter!
It may happen that there are no dwarves in one world, while they play a fundamental role in another. Since you choose several gods that influence your world, this leads to the different game worlds being hardly alike.
Based on this, it is also decided which races you can choose for your hero. Finally, you will also decide which of the 15 classes such as Warrior, Barbarian, Wizard, Druid, Paladin, Witch, or Necromancer you want to belong to.
With your hero you set out from a 2D pixel art isometric perspective to explore your world. You will fight in Diablo-style real-time battles against many foes, using skills and spells from ten categories to gradually improve your champions. As it is a sandbox game, you will determine your own story.
It is your money!
Crafting also plays a role. If you find new resources, you can create new weapons or other items from them. In MMO mode, you can either host your own server or join an existing one. Those who create the server decide whether there will be Friendly Fire or Permadeath. The game is intended to be offered as a Buy2Play title for $19.99. A Collector’s Edition with a soundtrack by composer Inon Zur and other goodies will cost $49.99. There is no subscription fee or item shop.
Hero’s Song is to be funded through a Kickstarter campaign. John Smedley and his team from Pixelmage Games aim to raise at least $800,000 by February 18 to bring their vision of the game to life. If you like the concept, you can participate in the crowdfunding campaign.
