Ikenfell - Kickstarted RPG adventure about a school of magic.

[Lain]

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I saw the latest update for Ikenfell and thought about looking for a thread about it on here, but none have been made. So, even though I don't feel like making a thread to talk about the latest Unsung Story updates for reasons, I might as well make one for Ikenfell.

So, what is Ikenfell?

Ikenfell is an RPG adventure about witches, wizards, the school they attend, & the trouble they get into. Explore a school of magic!

A cute one at that, I'd add.

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Not long after Safina was whisked away to Ikenfell, school for witches & wizards, she became its most infamous student. But one summer, she did not return home. Something happened at Ikenfell, and everybody is being suspiciously hush about it.

You play as Maritte, the sister who... has no magic, and was never invited to Ikenfell. It was a real bummer. But you kinda want your sister back, you know?

Ikenfell is a large school, full of magic, mysteries, secret passages, hidden rooms, and many strange characters. It is up to you to explore it.

Just don't go into the basement.


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Maritte discovers fire. By @justinoaksford

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NOTE TO PRESS: You are welcome to use the artwork here when writing about Ikenfell, but please attribute it to the artist. Each artwork has the artist's twitter username in the caption beneath it.

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Ikenfell is a JRPG with a mix of turn-based and timing-based battle mechanics with a heavy focus on characters and story. Rather than being a classic RPG, it is inspired by quirky games such as Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Earthbound, and Robotrek. It is also inspired by magical teen stories such as Harry Potter and Carry On.

• Magical duels in an original turn-based RPG battle system
• Time your hits to increase spellpower and block incoming attacks
• Explore a sprawling and mysterious school of magic and secrets
• Meet a huge cast of strange and diverse characters
• Find hidden spells, items & equipment to aid you
• A touching story of friendship, rivalry, & romance... in many forms <3

Ikenfell will be available for PC and Mac. Depending on how things go, it may also be made available on other platforms, such as consoles.

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Chevy Ray is the game's writer, designer, programmer, and artist. He has over a decade experience creating games of all styles and genres. Ikenfell is borne from his love of the Paper Mario game series and the world of Harry Potter. You can find him on twitter @ChevyRay

Hunter Russell is working on many of the game's battle animations. She is making sure every encounter is vivid, expressive, and exciting! hrpixelart.com

aivi & surasshu are video game composers and sound designers. They also create the music for Cartoon Network's Steven Universe, Chevy's favorite cartoon of all time. aivisura.com
https://soundcloud.com/aivisura/sets/steven-universe

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Maritte & Pertisia duke it out. By @simonadventure

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If we reach $50k, we will have enough to budget a full-length RPG soundtrack from aivi & surasshu! This will include many songs for different parts of the games, a great variety of tracks, and better quality songs. Help us reach this goal so we can give you a soundtrack to listen to over and over again, even after you've finished the game!

All funds we get above our goal will be used for:

• Vocals for battle, vocalists for some music tracks
• Additional battle animations and story animations
• Additional artwork for cutscenes and critical moments
• Any additional software and licences required for the above

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Gilda showing off to Petronella. By @neptuneboneface

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So, with the presentation about the game out of the way, let's talk about the latest update.
One thing to come out of this latest update is that ChevyRay is planning to have a trailer released at the beginning of 2018, plus where the game is at:

Where's the Game At?
Ikenfell is divided up into 8 chapters, each of which deepen the mystery while also leading you closer to the big conclusion of the story. The chapters are as follows:

I have currently already finished the art, design, and storyline up to Chapter 5. Right now I am just designing enemies and balancing the game up to that point, meaning by December the game will be feature complete up to that point. I plan on releasing a trailer at the beginning of 2018 so I can show you all the exciting work we've been doing!

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It also provided many gifs and I think the game looks awesome:

Can We See?
I thought you'd never ask! Let's have a look at what's happening with our heroes on their... ill-advised adventure.

They're exploring some new and mysterious places

They're encountering some strange new... friends?

They're fighting monsters with some clever tricks...

They're also fighting each other...

They're solving tricky puzzles

...and also some simple ones

Getting into all sorts of trouble...

And finding themselves in unexpected places...

They are also biting off way more than they can chew

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There were also a few words about how long the game is going to be

Uhhh... how long is this game?
It's... ending up longer than I expected. I initially thought the game was going to be around 8-10 hours to complete, but currently it is already about that long. By the time it is done, it will likely be a ~20 hour playthrough, maybe longer for less skilled players. This doesn't mean I've let the scope get out of control (the game hasn't actually gotten any bigger), things just take longer and are more involved than I thought they would be, and it's hard to predict playtime until the game is actually in front of you.

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All this has me pretty excited. The game seems to be shaping up as pretty damn good. I know I was in love when I first saw it and yet I feel it is even more charming as time passes.

Oh yeah, there were a few words spent on the Humble publishing deal and what it granted for the game:

Published by Humble Bundle

For those who may have missed this announcement, Ikenfell is being published by Humble Bundle! So what does this mean? Humble is providing me with:

• An additional animator and audio team to help polish the game
• Getting the game into the Steam, GoG, and Humble stores easily
• Providing playtesters to help iron bugs out of the game
• Releasing the game (marketing, announcements, and press contacts)

They've been wonderful so far. As the game gets closer to release, we will definitely have some more exciting announcements for you!

They also helped provide me with the next thing...

Audio by A Shell in the Pit

Ikenfell's audio (not music) will be provided by A Shell in the Pit, a wonderful audio group with tons of talented individuals working together. The sound for Ikenfell is being spearheaded by fellow Canadian @emaudible, who has done the sound for several awesome indie games such as Night in the Woods and Wandersong.

Em has already gotten very far along with the audio, and has nearly already caught up to where I am in development!

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[Elliot Pudge]

Looks fantastic, but after Star Citizen I refuse to kickstart games at all. Will definitely pick up on release though, looks like they've already hit their goal.

 

[BluWacky]

I backed this on Kickstarter in July last year, but had basically forgotten it existed (the backer updates all end up in my Spam filter...). It will be nice when it does eventually come out, but it's still rather a long way away.

 

[wrowa]

Haven't heard of this before, but it looks really lovely. Definitely keeping my eyes on this one.

 

[Erevador]

Some fun ideas there, but I have to admit that if I were asked to describe my least favorite "art" style in one image... that header image would do just fine.

 

[kami_sama]

I was looking for a kickstarter link in the OP lol
Looks great, I hope the best for the end result.

 

[KonradLaw]

Seems nice, but not allowing you to create your own character seems like a weird decission. People love to roleplay their Potter fantasies in games like those :D

 

[Speely]

I need it. I NEED IT.

 

[Lain]

A new Trailer!

Ikenfell Trailer (Paint the Future)
Posted by Chevy Ray Johnston (Creator)
Hi everyone!

Ikenfell has a brand new trailer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjTb7_-l1OY

• Music by Aivi & Surasshu — http://www.aivisura.com
• Vocals and lyrics by Sammus — https://sammusmusic.com
• Strings by Jeff Ball — https://jeffball.bandcamp.com

Thank you all so much for your early support! I've worked really hard on this game for 2 years now, and I'm super happy to share with you all how far along it is and how it is all starting to come together!

You can listen to the song on its own here:

https://soundcloud.com/aivisura/ikenfell-paint-the-future-feat-sammus/
I'd love to celebrate, but it's back to work for me!

<3 Chevy

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[atomsk eater]

Very excited for this, I like seeing Chevy's twitter updates. Wish I had backed it but it got funded so all's well.

 

[Geoff]

Some fun ideas there, but I have to admit that if I were asked to describe my least favorite "art" style in one image... that header image would do just fine.

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Me also. But the in game art looks good. I assume this is PC only? (sorry if I missed this info in the op)

 

[Deleted member 1781]

Thank you for posting about this game. I found the art charming, and based in latest trailer the game seems interesting.

 

[Lain]

Me also. But the in game art looks good. I assume this is PC only? (sorry if I missed this info in the op)

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For now it seems to be PC only yeah.
This is what the FAQ said back in 2016:

Which platforms are you releasing for?
- Windows and Mac are 100% guaranteed. The game already runs on both.
- Linux is a possibility, but I haven't tested yet, so I can't make promises.
- I would *love* to do PS4, but this will only happen if I get high funding or a great publisher.
- PS Vita and 3DS are very, very unlikely (I would likely just lose money if I did these).

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I wonder if, with the release of Switch and how indie games are doing well on it, they have become interested in a port for it at some point down the line.

 

[kami_sama]

Great new trailer, very hyped for the game.
I hope they can squeeze Switch in there, but I'll gladly buy in on pc.

 

[Geoff]

For now it seems to be PC only yeah.
This is what the FAQ said back in 2016:


I wonder if, with the release of Switch and how indie games are doing well on it, they have become interested in a port for it at some point down the line.

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If he does, I'm interested. I hope I can say that without falling foul of the port-begging legislation.

 

[linnus]

I'm really excited for this game. The art style, the story and specially the soundtrack by Aivi & Surasshu... everything seems really special.
I missed the kickstarter but I plan to buy it as soon as it's available.

 

[lupianwolf]

Game looks pretty great and I really like the music.