Announcement details conjured up for Near-Mage
Harry who? Never mind that Potter kid, the next would-be wizarding prodigy is the star of Near-Mage, an upcoming Transylvanian spellcasting adventure from Stuck in Attic, the creators of Gibbous: A Cthulhu Adventure.
Players assume the role of Illy Vraja, a "teenager at a crossroads in her life" who is invited by her mysterious Great-Aunt Domnica to stay for the summer in Romania. There Illy learns the shocking truth that she "comes from a long line of witches, and is entitled to enroll in the Transylvanian Institute for Magick." During her time at the prep school, Illy will get to know (for better or worse) her "new vampyre and strigoi classmates" and "take classes in different types of Magick" in the hope of graduating as a bona-fide witch. Players can freely choose how the young protagonist will approach her studies, but as you begin to become more proficient as a spellcaster, naturally you'll want to "see how you can use your growing powers to affect the lives of those you come across."
As you'd expect from the team behind the visually stunning Gibbous, the new game will once again be a traditionally animated adventure with stylish hi-res hand-painted art. Here you'll freely travel between more than 80 atmospheric locations spread across three central hubs, including the "real-life town of Sighișoara, the mythical town of Rakus that lies beyond a magickal veil and cannot be seen by most," and of course the school itself. Being Transylvanians themselves, the three-person indie team are using the game to do a "deep dive into [the region's] rich lore, legends and superstitions, heavily drawing on them in creating Near-Mage’s dark and colorful world."
Unlike its predecessor, however, Near-Mage is less a traditional point-and-click and more of a narrative-driven experience with "a bit of role-playing DNA." The game promises "a lot of freedom" in the situations you encounter, as you can "choose what type of classes you’re taking on a whim, or you can look up recipes in a spellbook." Your choice of spell inventory, in turn, will "lead to different outcomes for some quest lines, affect certain NPCs' fates, and result in high replayability." You can also select from "dozens of itemized outfits and hairstyles to customize your main character." There's even a choice of control schemes, as Near-Mage can be played with the mouse or by controlling Illy directly. Wherever the destination, you'll be able to "walk to your objectives, run at full speed, or even fly there."
There is no target release date for Near-Mage just yet, and indeed the developers are planning a Kickstarter campaign to help finance the production. In the meantime, you can learn more about the game at the official website and wishlist the game on Steam.
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