About the Project

Welcome to my project page for my Zelda-Style Action-RPG (Zesta-RPG) Game-In-Development!

This project is codenamed ZC-351, meaning Zelda Clone #351. (I've had a lot of ideas for games that are like Zelda, and I need some name to call this while it is in development.) It is not a true "clone" of any Zelda games, but the distinction is used to set the tone and intent of the project: the game is designed to play and feel much like older Action-RPG's such as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past or Brave Fencer Musashi. To me personally, this game's true focus is it's story (afterall, I consider myself a writer) and so the gameplay is adapting the simpler and more fundamental style of such older games, thus allowing the development to focus upon the story and the world.

Some of the inspiration for this game:

The game is being built using the awesome power of the Unreal Engine and the UDK. When finished it will be released on Steam, and if it becomes successful enough I will have it ported to consoles and translated into other languages.

This project is technically only my secondary focus. You see, as I went over the full scope and breadth of this project I came to realize that it is something I can't quite pull off on my own. I would need to hire several artists, I would need help with animating, and I couldn't cut it with second-rate music. Certainly I have access to great aids like Kickstarter and if the game looks promising enough I might even be able to get supported by a publisher; but it just isn't wise to depend upon such things. So after some thought, I decided that my primary focus would be to create a simpler game, a side-scroller I have codenamed Magic Castle. That project will hopefully lead me gain experience, capital, and perhaps even respect, all of which will be used to help develop ZC-351.

But this project is not forgotten! No sir. I am still actively developing it; most especially when I come to hurdles in Magic Castle I have found it very beneficial to switch back to ZC-351. The things I am learning with each project helps me to develop the other, so they are both under development at this time. However Magic Castle take precedence so please do not expect swift and frequent updates to this page.

World Info

The game is set in a fantasy world full of magic and strange creatures.

Races

The world is inhabited by four major races, each with their own unique features.
Illean The illeans are the most prominent race on this continent. Visually they look like half-elves, having a mostly human appearance but with pointy ears and a facial features uncommon to humans.
Gnoll The gnolls are a race of hyena-men. They have rather primitive and tribal societies, and are known for antagonizing illeans. They are known to attack illeans that they encounter, and there have even been reports of whole villages being razed by large groups of gnolls.
Kang The kang are a race of serpent-like creatures or lizard-men. They typically live in small tribes near large bodies of water. They are a peaceful people who tend to keep to themselves but take pride in a legacy of being skilled fighters.
Dæm The dæm are a race of winded humanoid-creatures, and their skin comes in a multitude of colors. They are thought of as benevolent and wise people by the illeans, and most are skilled artisans and magicians. Their race has an ancient history and they live in cities in the sky.

The Main Character

The main character in this game is a human from our own world who was pulled into this one three years ago when he was fourteen. He has adapted well into his new life here, but some unexpected turns of events lead him to head out and contend with powerful forces that threaten the land, while at the same time uncovering clues about what led him into this world and how he might be able to return to his home.

At this time I do not have a name for the main character. (Names sure do get tricky.) I am still debating about if I want him to have a set name or a default name that the player can change.

Locations

No public information yet.

Game info

With a major focus on the story, the game will feature a number of cutscenes carried by text-driven dialogue.

The combat in the game will be simple; no combo systems or growth charts. While the game may be rendered in three dimensions, the combat style will be a two-dimensional one with a stable camera. So you don't need to worry about some piece of geometry blocking your view while you try to rattle-off some fifteen-button combo.

The levels in the game are going to put an honest effort on exploration with a few original puzzle elements; none of this linear path to a key nonsense.

Development

Follow details of the game's development progress on the development log page.