There’s a magical fantasy tactical RPG on Kickstarter that needs just one final funding push to make it to the finish line.
The Masquerada: Songs and Shadows storyline takes place during a war between the Masquerada guildsmen and the Contadani lower classes. Cicero Gavar is a detective who must solve the kidnapping of a diplomat, and he and other members of the Masquerada must navigate the staunchly divided Citte della Ombre to restore order and justice.
The gameplay of Masquerada: Songs and Shadows centers on a”Pause for Tactics” style of combat. You can pause the game and make calculated decisions about how Cicero and his party members fight battles. Alternatively, you can just rush in and brute force instead. Masquerada: Songs and Shadows doesn’t have a standard type of loot system, but instead Cicero and every character carry signature weapons that can be upgraded by sigil engravings and ink patterns.
The reward tiers stay in a modest budget from the smaller to largest possible options. For £14 ($20 USD) you get a digital download of Masquerada: Songs and Shadows for Steam or PS4, plus your name in the credits. But for the most generous backers out there, the £180 ($259 USD) tier you get a signed Kickstarter exclusive Poster, a DRM Free copy of the game, a figurine, a physical and digital artbook, a USB stick, a copy of the game soundtrack, and a life-sized mask that’s the same as what the Cicero character wears in the game’s intro sequence.
The Witching Hour Studios team explained why they turned to Kickstarter this late into the game’s production.
“Back in 2014, we signed a publishing partnership with Ysbryd Games to secure a funding warchest for the development of Masquerada that basically lasts until April 2016 (i.e. end of this month). Of course, because we don’t have the financial means to continue beyond April, we asked Ysbryd for a bit more to see us through this period of extra refinement. Unfortunately, even their hands were tied with respect to further funding.”
They need this last bit of funding to help guarantee Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is completed in time, but also with the level of detail and refinement they wish to give the final product. They’ll focus on making sure combat encounters are balanced, and throw in some more visual tweaks to give the game’s graphics an “eye-popping” shine.
A demo of the game is available on Steam, with a Summer 2016 release date for the final product. To check in on the development progress, you can turn to their website and Twitter for more. You can support the game on Kickstarter.
