*UPDATE 10/11/11 - Fara Release Date and Official Trailer* Hello! We're really excited today to be able to share the official release date and trailer for our upcoming iOS action RPG, Fara. The game will be released on 10/21/11 and the trailer is available to view here: Subscribe to the TouchArcade YouTube channel Thanks and we'll update again soon! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *UPDATE 9/27/11* Hi everyone! Just a quick update on Fara, the new iOS Action RPG by Pixel and Texel! We are pleased to announce that Fara is officially in the beta phase. Additionally, we'll be announcing Fara's official release date soon. Until then, please check out our blog's gallery with new images of Fara here. Be sure to subscribe/check on this thread often, as well always update it first with new Fara info. Thanks! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello! Im Andrew and Im the Creative Director at Pixel and Texel. Our new game, Fara, was previewed a few weeks ago here on Touch Arcade, but I wanted to stop by and personally say hi to the community! Over the next few months and weeks, well continue to share screenshots, updates to our development, etc here on the forums and wed love to hear your thoughts on the game! Pixel and Texel is a two man development studio that we started at the beginning of this year. We previously worked in more traditional studios like id Mobile and Method Solutions on games like the Orcs and Elves series, Wolfenstein/Doom RPG, plus titles for EA, Konami, and Ubisoft on iPhone on iOS and Facebook. After developing for large publishers, we decided that starting a small indie studio was the best way to retain the sense of excitement and passion that led us to make games in the first place. Our mission is to make games that take advantage of touch screen gaming and a modern game engine, but acknowledge their roots in beloved genres. Our studios first iOS game is an action RPG called Fara. Here are some things you can expect from the game (you can also view some gameplay HERE): -Intuitive controls (this means no virtual d-pad) based on simple taps and swipes -Fully integrated Box 2D physics for puzzles and combat. -A mix of traditional action RPG and physics gameplay. -Simple menu systems and a quirky, fast paced story. (Our game is streamlined, fun, and straight to the point. We wanted to avoid the convoluted menu systems and stories that many current iOS action RPGs use) -Hand painted artwork that mixes pixel art with traditional brushwork. (The game world exists on a giant canvas, so there is little to no repetition) -An original soundtrack that mixes chiptune and symphonic styles. For more info on our studio and the development of Fara, please check out the following links: Development Blog: http://www.pixel-n-texel.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pixel.n.texel Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/pixelandtexel Thanks and well update everyone on the games progress soon!
Thought someone had posted this already. Subscribe to the TouchArcade YouTube channel Subscribe to the TouchArcade YouTube channel Game looks amazing. The background artstyle reminds me of iDracula of all things. I like that you're attempting to make a streamlined RPG, I'm just concerned about the "no virtual controls mantra". Not even as an added option for movement?
IPAD also? My first question with any amazing project with 2D art... Is this going to be Universal, and/or are their plans for an iPAD version with such hi resolution art? This game is right up my alley, but iPhone-only development means using the 2x feature on iPADs, which sucks. What are you plans? If there's iPAD development, I'll do your kickstarter a.s.a.p.
A Few Questions Answered: Hey guys. Thanks for the positive comments! It means a lot to us. Hopefully I can answer a few of the questions: sakinnuso: We are developing an iPad version with HD assets right after the iPhone/iPod touch version releases. So feel free to back us on Kickstarter, iPad Fara is in the works! arta: We carefully considered whether or not to go the virtual d-pad route for Fara. In the end, the tap/swipe controls we've implemented work well and really play to the strengths of iOS. You can read about that decision here: http://bit.ly/ouh5p2 on our dev blog.
I've gotta say Andrew, this is so up my street. Right now, I can say with confidence that this is the most enthused I've been over an upcoming game since Rage and Infinity Blade at the back end of last year! The screenshots you've posted are stunning and it's fantastic to see developers who clearly care very deeply about their project. It's about money, of course it is, but a project also has to really mean something to those who are making it if a game is to be genuinely special. I also congratulate you on your stance concerning a virtual d-pad vs intuitive, gesture based controls. There's tons of examples of very tight virtual controls on the App Store, but it's both refreshing and warming to find great games that play to the iDevices core strengths. Finally, I'm also pleased to hear that you'll also be supporting the iPad as well as well as iPhone. As an owner of both devices, I personally prefer to play the ubiquitous physics puzzler genre on my iPhone and tend to hold out for an HD or 'for iPad' edition for more meaty adventure and action titles. Early doors yet, but Fara looks like the very game I bought my iPad for. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for more details on Fara.
Thanks for the support! Just a heads up, we've got a new blog and screenshot today: http://www.pixel-n-texel.com/
Well, hopefully you've thought out the control scheme. Generally I've found that a lot of devs making controls that "take advantage of the iPhone's strengths" act rather dismissively towards traditional controls. The problem here is that they assume that all virtual controls are unwieldy. And since they've never actually bother to actually try some of the better games out there, they don't know what the standard of handling comfort is, and simply assume that simply throwing out some swipe/ tilt scheme is automatically awesome. Rest assured it's not; for every intuitive Infinity Blade success there's a hundred unfortunately awkward Chop Chop Cavemen type mess. Your enthusiasm does intrigue me. I just hope you're actually aiming to provide a superior level of control handling comfort and fun for players rather than just fulfilling some mantra from the last dev watercooler shoptalk.
@arta. We're a little nervous about Kickstarter as well. Fortunately, we received a a little funding boost yesterday, so we're now 1000 away from our goal.
A Quick Update Hey everyone. Just wanted to post a quick update on our game's progress, as well as our Kickstarter campaign. So far, we've raised 91% of our goal ($4590 of $5000), with 3.5 days left before the deadline! Awesome! We're really excited to be so close to the finish line and we appreciate everyone that has backed us or shared Fara with their friends. The game is coming along really well, with us continuing to flesh out the script, quests, as well as optimizing the game for the various iOS devices. We also wanted to share a new gameplay screenshot from the mine region of the game world:
Kickstarter Success! @arta - We did it! We are really excited to report that we made our Kickstarter goal. Awesome! We'd also like to thank everyone for spreading the word about Fara. You can read a little update about the campaign here: Kickstarter Also, we'll continue to post screenshots, video, and general updates in this thread as Fara nears its release date.
Beta Testers Needed! Hello everyone! I have updated the first post in this thread with a request for Beta Testers. The first 10 people to private message us will receive a $10 iTunes Gift Certificate and a Beta Tester's Credit in the game. Thanks and we'll update again soon!
Game looks great, and I now have way too many games to look forward to... PM sent, hope it's not too late
