• Light/Dark

"Unearthed : Trail of Ibn Battuta" Follow up is called " Al Rekaz " + Screenshots

Ryuichi Naruhodo

Ryuichi Naruhodo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,511
Remember the infamous game called " Unearthed : Trail of Ibn Battuta " , The game that tried to clone uncharted in a hilarious way , The Developer Semaphore announced last april that the follow up of the first episode will now be called " Al Rekaz " , And Today they posted some In-game screenshots of the game

- The Developer said after the release and feedback of the first episode that they will switch their engine from Unity to unreal Engine 4 and Focus only on 3 Platforms (PS4/X1/PC) instead of the multiplatform strategy used in the first game ( PS3/PC/Mac/IOS/Android/Ouya )
- They have taken all the feedback in mind to the degree of making the game from the ground up
- They will abandon the episodic format in favor of releasing the full game in one package and also changing its infamous name "Unearthed : Trail of Ibn Battuta" to "Al Rekaz" ( Which was its Arabic release name )

http://semaphorelab.com/en/games/announcing-al-rekaz/

Some In-game Screenshots , Taken from their Twitter account

https://twitter.com/SemaphoreLab/status/966590697334861830

DWoEcpdX0AEe__d.jpg

DWoEcpgW4AAre-M.jpg

DWoEcpgWsAAAPCn.jpg

DWoE5GuW4AA-Ldf.jpg


Also last October in one of the gaming Shows ( Likely a Sony show in Saudi Arabia ) , They posted pics for Sony's President Shuhei Yoshida checking the game

https://twitter.com/SemaphoreLab/status/918796606115405825

DMA4oqXX4AAatvF.jpg

DMA4oqZXUAEb6WF.jpg
DMA4oqbX4AAvrI_.jpg


As Hilarious as their first game was ( both at clearly cloning uncharted even in name and the game being hilarious itself ) , but I always appreciate developers who learns from their mistakes ( even the hilarious ones like clearly cloning uncharted ) and try to develop their level and increase the quality of their products , Sure the graphic difference between the first episode and those screenshots is great but I want to see if this follow up game will still be a hilarious clone with prettier graphics or it will be its own thing at a good state
 
Last edited:
DocSeuss

DocSeuss

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,784
"lawner fertilizer" haha

This looks great artistically (maybe a bit too much bloom, haha), but Unearthed was one of the few games I couldn't stand to play given the number of bugs and poor quality in just the first level alone. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
 
Starlatine

Starlatine

533.489 paid youtubers cant be wrong
Member
Oct 28, 2017
30,578
So this will be a lost legacy clone instead, gotcha


I really wanted to give this a fair shake but unearthed was easily one of the worst games I've ever played.
 
MontlyCure

MontlyCure

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,018
FL
Gifted my friend the first game as a joke and it was absolutely hilarious watching him suffer through it.

I wish the team well though. I truly do hope they are able to learn from their past mistakes and put out a game they can be proud of.
 
Sorel

Sorel

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,519
Well idk but it seems like they are really trying this time. They seem pride. Hope it turns good for the team :)
 
RyoonZ

RyoonZ

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
645
Unearthed is clearly bad game but I have lot of fun actually playing it. And the fact they're using their own culture and heritage should be encouraged. The screenshots look good, looking forward to it.
 

OldMuffin

Member
Nov 1, 2017
1,179
Hope this turns out great, more diversity (in terms of themes shown in the game and the background of the developers) is never a bad thing and wish them the best of luck,
 
silva1991

silva1991

Member
Oct 26, 2017
10,553
Al Rekaz was also the first game's name in Arabic

it was like Al Rekaz: Trail of Ibn Battuta.

Anyway's, I curious if the animations are improved, because the first game/episode? was very bad(and also hilarious)
 
Starlatine

Starlatine

533.489 paid youtubers cant be wrong
Member
Oct 28, 2017
30,578
RyoonZ said:
Unearthed is clearly bad game but I have lot of fun actually playing it. And the fact they're using their own culture and heritage should be encouraged. The screenshots look good, looking forward to it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

They should be encouraged to do better, not praised regardless. Had to review several Brazilian games that focused on Brazilian themes/culture and never felt like giving them a good score out of the gate just because of that (many were kinda dreadful to be honest). Thankfully it's a trend around here and recently we started to pump some good games using local stuff (like 99 vidas and Dandara) instead of forever supporting mediocre productions just for representing our themes

I hope they learned during this time and can do a lot better. But I'm not patting them in the shoulder and saying "it's okay, your game is still unique" if the game turns to be as bad as unearthed
 
Sesha

Sesha

â–˛ Legend â–˛
Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,877
All this sounds promising. Let's just hope lessons learned results in a decent game this time.
 
MrSaxon

MrSaxon

Member
Jan 29, 2018
24
London
After seeing the first game, I have zero faith in this being any good. I'm trying to think of the last time I saw a developer put out an uninspired and technically incompetent game but somehow follow it up with a product that was the reverse - and I actually can't.

I'm willing to be surprised, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
 
Dust

Dust

C H A O S
Member
Oct 25, 2017
33,018
Shu is like "...this looks really familar...".
Huge step up from the hilariously bad first game.
 
JMTHEFOX

JMTHEFOX

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
888
Brooklyn, NY
Sounds like the devs were aware of the issues of the first game, which gives me hope since they are at least trying to improve. As bad as the first game was, it had actual potential and some good ideas for a game developed in Saudi Arabia. Also, it was refreshing to see it as an actual hardcore game wheras most Arabian-developed games were focused on casual entertainment.
 

Deleted member 16876

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
39,148
Hopefully it is something good. The Middle East really needs more game development, too little games uses the Middle East as something other than a warzone so it would be great if they can kickstart that.
 
Modest_Modsoul

Modest_Modsoul

Living the Dreams
Member
Oct 29, 2017
24,073
The screenshots looks great.

The first game remind me somewhat like Syphon Filter, graphic wise, lol.
 

Jacqli

Member
Nov 26, 2017
99
WAIT. This game is on Steam? I need to buy it, gimme all those shitty games please.
 
ZiZ

ZiZ

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,716
They are biting off more than they can chew going after uncharted. Even Naughty Dog started out making simpler games.
 
Brazil

Brazil

Actual Brazilian
Member
Oct 24, 2017
18,530
SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil
I actually played Unearthed in its 2-hour long full glory. It was amazingly bad in everything it tried to do.

Some of those screenshots are impressive, though.
 
shinobi602

shinobi602

Verified
Oct 24, 2017
8,551
I never played Unearthed myself, and all the footage I saw in the past didn't look great at all, but hey, those screens are pretty! At least they're definitely making big strides in improving. I hope they're successful either way and make something fun. The more diversity in game dev, especially the Middle East, the better. The region is rich in culture, history, nature, people and it's so woefully underused in games.

I can't remember any Arab or proper Middle Eastern protagonist besides the original Assassin's Creed, and I suppose Prince of Persia.
 
butman

butman

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 30, 2017
3,024
So there's a "Bollywood" gaming industry too?
 
Prine

Prine

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,724
Richter1887 said:
Hopefully it is something good. The Middle East really needs more game development, too little games uses the Middle East as something other than a warzone so it would be great if they can kickstart that.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This x 10. Theres amazing history and culture that has yet to tapped, Ubi have done great things with Prince of Persia, Assassins Creed, but we need more AAA from there, would be a great contribution to the diversity of the industry.
 
FrequentFlyer

FrequentFlyer

Banned
Dec 3, 2017
1,273
This honestly seems to me like people pitying them and saying something nice just because they want a middle-eastern developer to find success. I mean seriously, they are showing off a fire hydrant and lawn fertilizer in the most generic UE4 standard visuals - how can that "look great"? The first game was also laughably bad (11% on metacritic, 57% on steam), the media released here doesn't inspire any confidence either and it still seems like a cheap Uncharted copy. I get hoping for more geographical diversity in game development studios, but this doesn't seem the one to place your bets on.
 
Last edited:
nampad

nampad

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,238
While I like that the game is getting sone awareness, you are only posting old news OP :(

I think the devs have potential. Their last game (Badiya) looked ok and Unearthed had its charme beneath all the clunky mechanics. I honestly enjoyed the characters and writing morw than in both Tomb Raider remakes even though it was just an arabic Drake clone.

Hope we will get some new news soon. Seems like they have way too many projects at the same time though.
 
OP
OP
Ryuichi Naruhodo

Ryuichi Naruhodo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,511
Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest if not the biggest Sony's market in Middle east and western Asia ( Overall in gaming : 33M population with 645M revenue , and with Deep passion for Playstation brand since the PS1 days )

https://newzoo.com/insights/rankings/top-100-countries-by-game-revenues/

So Based on Shuhei Yoshida Images , I wouldn't be surprised if Sony invested in that market and one of the methods is helping local developers by providing technical assistance and advises if needed

FrequentFlyer said:
This honestly seems to me like people pitying them and saying something nice just because they want a middle-eastern developer to find success. I mean seriously, they are showing off a fire hydrant and lawn fertilizer in the most generic UE4 standard visuals - how can that "look great"? The first game was also laughably bad (11% on metacritic, 57% on steam), the media released here doesn't inspire any confidence either and it still seems like a cheap Uncharted copy. I get hoping for more geographical diversity in game development studios, but this doesn't seem the one to place your bets on.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Personally until now , I don't pity them , I could had pity them and support them if their first game was an original idea but the execution was bad gameplay wise or graphically wise , seeing that the region isn't that full of game developing experience especially in that game's scale so their first game won't look perfect or maybe won't even good , but Clearly cloning an established IP in every aspect ( Name , Setting , Gameplay , Characters , Clothes , Plot ) without giving your original idea makes their image look pretty bad , being from the region myself I know some indie games from the middle east that looks far more polished and original even if they are simpler games

However , They said they took feedback at heart and learned from mistakes , So I am looking forward to see if this follow up game will still be a hilarious clone with prettier graphics or it will be its own thing at a good state and thats why I created this thread

Also , They made a game called Badiya which is big improvement from Unearthed episode 1 and looks way more original than it
 
Last edited:
Triggerhappytel

Triggerhappytel

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,155
Visually it looks like a massive improvement on the first. I hope the gameplay is too. It'd be good to have more representation and developers in that part of the world.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.