Massive Chalice is an #unusual strategy #RPG is Double Fine’s second crowd-funded #release, so it has a lot to live up to0. The RPG is now available for Linux, Mac and PC through Steam Early Access, where buying in now will save you 25% on the eventual cover price.
The game will typically cost $29.99, but Early Access editions are 25 per cent off at $22.49.
“The game is pretty well complete and already playable from start to finish, with the remaining work being mostly balancing, tuning, and polish as we work towards a 1.0 in Spring 2015,” said Double Fine producer Greg Rice in an e-mail to Eurogamer. “But most importantly it’s already a ton of fun and you should totally play!”
Key Features
- Bloodline Genetics – MASSIVE CHALICE features an innovative Bloodline system that allows the player to marry heroes together to produce children. The Bloodline system uses a randomized genetic code for every hero. Their children can end up with the best (or worst!) gameplay-impacting traits of their parents.
- Permadeath – The heroes in MASSIVE CHALICE age over the course of the timeline and eventually pass away. This forces the player to engage in the beauty of permadeath and always juggle an imperfect party of heroes with which to do battle!
- Bloodline Relics – If a hero has fought valiantly enough when they inevitably pass away, their weapon has a chance to become a Bloodline Relic. This powerful Relic can be passed down to any character of the same house in order to carry on the legacy of the fallen hero!
- Long View Strategy – Because the war lasts 300 years, players need to take a long view of their strategy. Decisions have to be made dozens of years in advance and long-term planning is incredibly important. That 3-year-old toddler is going to grow up to be your most reliable melee fighter sooner than you think!
Massive Chalice was successfully Kickstarted in June 2013 where it raised over $1.2 million.
Planned additions to the game include controller support, more language options (French, Italian, German, Spanish), and the ability to select your “Core” Bloodline from the database when creating a new game.
For more on Massive Chalice, Double Fine released a 29-minute developer walkthrough of the game back in August, and it’s certainly come a long way since then visually.
