First ENCASED RPG gameplay video revealed

Dark Crystal Games has just published their first gameplay video of Encased - their old-school isometric post-apocalyptic RPG. Taking the viewer through character creation and a walk-through of the prologue the 20-minute clip showcases the game's non-linear storytelling and responsiveness to player choice. Kickstarter campaign for ENCASED is live with the project two-thirds of the way to its target $100,000 funding.

At character creation, the player chooses an avatar, assigns attribute points, and chooses one of five faction - 'Wings' - of the CRONUS Foundation to which the protagonist will adhere.

• White Wing: scientists and researchers
• Black Wing: paramilitary and security
• Blue Wing: engineers and technicians
• Silver Wing: middle and upper management
• Orange Wing: ex-convicts who've swapped their prison jumpsuits for the uniform of a CRONUS laborer.

The selected Wing gives you starting bonuses, and lead to interesting possibilities and unique story choices. The selected Wing applies appropriate preset Stat values, but the player is free to redistribute these to customize their character and make a scientist with more brawn than brains, or a highly intelligent ex-con laborer with looks to kill. The possibilities will feel endless.

The Wing the player selects for their character heavily influences the prologue experience - dialogues and NPC reactions will vary greatly, making ENCASED highly replayable. The video gameplay follows two different story flows, telling NPC stories from just two of the many available points of view, while showcasing the elaborate dialog system.

With graphics and gameplay mechanics for ENCASED in pre-alpha stage, the video provides a taster for the 30+ hours of content and locations the developers intend to create.

"The prologue is our first available location. We want to show everyone not just how far we've progressed, but also how much variety and choice we've already built into our game. We're telling a non-linear, choice-based and deeply immersive character story, where the player's experience heavily depends on their alignment, their decisions, and their responses. Who they are, what they say, and what they do - in our world, they all matter," said head of project Vyacheslav Kozikhin.

In their ongoing Kickstarter campaign, Dark Crystal are asking fans for additional resources for development. With the extra funding, they'll expand their team and generate more content, maximizing the number of locations and extending the overall gameplay time. The more money available for development, the deeper the story and the larger the world.

Last updated: Apr 7, 2020 at 01:11 pm CDT